‘The Word of God is something alive and active…..it can judge the secret emotions and thoughts.' This Word is living and acting upon us here and now.
Jesus looked at the young man in our Gospel today taken from Mark 10:17-27 and loved him. He looks at all of us and loves us. We constantly need to be reminded of this. We are nothing without Christ's loving gaze towards us. God speaks to our hearts in profound and simple ways. Pope Francis in his writing ‘The Joy of the Gospel’ says that 'if we have received love that restores meaning to our lives how can we fail to share that love with others?'
Christ knows what we lack. The young man of our Gospel rich in worldly goods couldn’t face giving up his wealth as Jesus encouraged him. He went away sad.
Each of us is a work in progress, we are prepared to give of ourselves but can secretly hold back on giving ourselves completely. Following Christ is a challenge and requires a daily response from all of us whether we are single, married, religious or priest.
Christ wants joy for us not sadness. Sadness often comes when we cling to our own securities, focus in on ourselves and our desire to control. Joy comes in letting go, focusing on others and working together. We could all ask ourselves today, ‘What have been recent moments of joy for us?’
One such moment for me this weekend has been the ordination to the priesthood of one of our
Marist confreres, Hayden Powick, pictured here with me several years ago in our chapel.
He started here at Marist Seminary in 2014 and was ordained in Richmond yesterday morning. Being here in Auckland I could only attend via Facebook. The Gospel of today is particularly appropriate for Hayden beginning his priestly ministry. Please remember him in your prayers.
I leave the final word with Pope Francis again from the 'Joy of the Gospel'. “Life grows by being given away, and it weakens in isolation and comfort. Indeed, those who enjoy life most are those who leave security on the shore and become excited by the mission of communicating life to others”.
Listen to 'Dedication Song' track 5 from 'Awesome God'.