You will need to refer to your Bible for this reflection...so get ready to read two Gospel passages: Mark 10:17-31 and Luke 19:1-10.
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I’ll begin this reflection by asking you to open your Bible, turn to Chapter 10 of the Gospel According to Mark, and read Mk 10:17-31.
It’s a passage with which you’re all familiar: the incident involving the rich, young man who approached Jesus and asked Him for the key to eternal life. Before going any further, read it now. Read it slowly so you can better appreciate what the Holy Spirit reveals to you.
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I can speak only for myself, but whenever I read this passage from Mark, I cringe a little; and I suspect I’m not alone in this. Now, compared with many in our society, I am not a wealthy man, but when placed alongside the vast majority of humanity, I am very rich indeed. How, then, am I to measure myself? And against what? Amid the resulting confusion fueled by so many unanswered questions, I find myself embroiled in an interior battle. How does God want me to live? Can I give generously to the poor, but still live reasonably well, enjoying the fruits of my labor? Or must I renounce the world’s “good things” and choose a life of poverty? After all, Jesus instructed the rich man to do exactly that. Where do I draw the line? Is there a line?
And yet, Jesus didn’t tell everyone to choose poverty, did He? At this point, open your Bible once again, turn to Chapter 19 of the Gospel According to Luke, and read the first ten verses [Lk 19:1-10]. It’s another passage you’ve heard many times before, in which Luke describes Jesus’ encounter in Jericho with a man named Zacchaeus. Please read it now.
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As far as the people of Jericho were concerned, Zacchaeus already had two strikes against him: He was Jericho’s “chief tax collector and also a wealthy man” [Lk 19:2]. And because of Zacchaeus’ profession the townspeople considered him a public sinner [Lk 19:7] – strike three.
Of course, as Christians we all accept that we are sinners, and yet most of us wouldn’t want our sinfulness to be aired publicly: “Ok, I’m a sinner, just don’t tell anyone about my sins.” I suppose this is simply another irony of our human nature.
It seems as if Zacchaeus knew what everyone thought of him and apparently accepted it. He probably considered it part of the cost of “doing business.” But then he encountered Jesus. Moved by the sight of our Lord, seemingly awed by His mere Presence, and humbled and overjoyed by Jesus’ decision to stay at his house, Zacchaeus’ reply to Jesus is truly remarkable:
Behold, half my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I shall repay it four times over [Lk 19:8].
Presumably, even after this, Zacchaeus would still be far from poor. And how did Jesus respond?
Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and save what was lost [Lk 19:9-10].
Zacchaeus, who had been lost, was now saved. We hear this and wonder. Why is one man expected to sell everything, while another need only give away a portion? We find ourselves seeking some objective guidance. How do we measure ourselves against these two men and so many others like them in the Bible? Why can’t Jesus just give us a rule we can follow so we’ll know where we stand? Like the rich man who questioned Jesus – “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” – we want the key, don’t we? What’s the bottom line, Jesus? Yes, indeed, we want an easy solution. Or perhaps we’d rather not hear God’s will for us. What if it proves too demanding, too life-changing? Will we, too, walk away sad?
In truth, though, I believe the Lord wants each of us to look deeply into our heart and soul, to examine and understand what we consider important, what motivates us as we struggle through God’s gift of life. It’s so easy to set up false gods, those little and sometimes not so little things that distract from God’s will for us.
Have you ever wondered why God made this His first commandment?
I am the LORD your God...You shall not have other gods beside me [Dt 5:6-7].
It’s as if he were telling us: “Okay, children, get this first commandment right and the others are easy. You need only place Me first, always, and everything else will go just as I will for you.”
Indeed, the next nine commandments fall into place as logical consequences of the first, because each of them involves either the acceptance of the one true God or the rejection of one or more false gods.
For the rich man described by Mark, possessions had become his false god, one he placed beside (or even above) God Himself. “Jesus loved him” – and, yes, God loves us even in the depths of our sinfulness – but even in the Presence of Jesus, he still couldn’t let go of his little god. We suspect he knew this about himself. Why? Because “he went away sad.” Through the Holy Spirit, the love of Jesus had given this rich, young man the self-awareness to recognize the false god that ruled his life; otherwise, he would feel no sadness. He would never forget this encounter, and I’ve always believed he eventually opened his heart to the gift of faith and responded to God’s call.
But what about Zacchaeus? Personally – and I may well be wrong about this, since I never met the man – I’ve always thought Zacchaeus was a control-freak who worshiped the false god of power. I think he treasured his position as chief tax collector, not so much for the money it brought him, but for the power it allowed him to wield over others. The extortion he practiced – and he openly admitted this sin, didn’t he? – was merely a means to demonstrate that power, something the people had no choice but to accept. After all, he worked for the occupying Romans. In effect, their power became his power.
But now, overcome by repentance, he gave himself a penance. He would give much of his wealth to the poor; but perhaps more importantly, he would pay back, with exorbitant interest, all that he had extorted. Just consider how humbling that would have been for him, had the Holy Spirit not entered his heart.
Jesus encounters two men who respond very differently to His life-changing call. And, in truth, today’s men and women are no different. Let me tell you a true story about a modern-day rich man, who was worth nearly $300 million. He made his millions before he was 40 and gave it all away before he was 45.
He grew up in a family of modest means, but early in life came to consider wealth the key to happiness. Intelligent, clever, ambitious, and determined, he worked hard and earned scholarships for college and graduate school. Armed with his engineering and business degrees, he went to work for a large corporation to learn the business of business. When he had absorbed all they could teach him, he left to start his own company. Within ten years he was a multimillionaire.
Life seemed perfect, but then his wife was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. Despite the best medical care, she lost the battle and died the day before Thanksgiving. She was only 39. He was devastated, and couldn’t come to grips with the fact that, despite his wealth, he had been unable to save her. Now alone – they had no children – he did the only thing he could do. He focused completely on expanding his business.
Like many businesses, his company supported a number of charities, among them a local soup kitchen. One November day, a few years after his wife’s death, his VP of human resources suggested he make an appearance at the soup kitchen on Thanksgiving Day:
“I know this is always a difficult time for you, but I think it would be good for you and our employees. Quite a few actually volunteer there, so it’d be a nice morale booster. If you’d just stop by and maybe help out for an hour or so…you know, serve a few meals. We’ll get some photos for the local paper. It’ll be good PR for the company.”
Reluctantly, he agreed. When he arrived, he chatted and joked with the volunteers, particularly his employees, posed for a few photos, and served a meal or two. But just as he was leaving, a homeless man approached him and said, “I’ll bet you’re rich. You are, aren’t you?”
Taken aback, he simply said, “Pardon me?”
“Yeah, I thought so. I knew you were rich because you didn’t stay long and never said a word to any of us.” The old man chuckled and added, “You know what happens to rich men, don’t you?” The old man didn’t wait for an answer, “Oh, most of them go straight to hell.”
By now, he was sure the man was crazy, but felt compelled to defend himself. “Now, wait a minute. I worked hard for everything I have. No one gave me anything. And my company supports many charities, including this one that fed you today.”
This brought a smile and a response. “You’re wrong. You didn’t earn your money. Someone gave it to you, every cent of it, just like He gave me this meal. And He can take it all away, just like He took away your wife. It all comes from God.” He then turned away and walked out the door into the street.
Unable to forget these words, and wondering how this man had seen into his heart, our millionaire returned to the soup kitchen every Saturday. He’d spend the day washing dishes and mopping the floor, but never again saw that old man.
One Saturday he asked one of the Capuchin friars who ran the kitchen if the homeless man were correct. “Do rich men all go to hell?”
The friar shrugged and said, “Good question, but we don’t tell God how to judge folks. I will say this, though. It’s truly difficult to strike a balance between wealth and all that comes with it and the true Christian life to which we’re called. My family was pretty wealthy, and I knew I could never do it.” He laughed and added, “That’s why I’m a friar.”
The following Monday this rich man began the surprisingly complicated process of making himself poor. It took almost a year to accomplish in a way that protected the company and its employees. All he had left were a suitcase of clothes, his jeep, a few books, and $5,000. Unburdened he headed to the Southwest, looking for a desert. And that’s where he found the Indian mission where he’s been ever since. He lives in a small mobile home and teaches and mentors young Native Americans. He lives a full and happy life. When I last heard from him, he said, “I live the life of a child, full of awe and wonder and trust.”
Brothers and sisters, this is what Jesus was telling the disciples in our two Gospel passages. He heard them arguing among themselves about who was the greatest and, like the friar and the old man at the soup kitchen, Jesus had to explain what the Christian life is really all about: the first must be the last and the servant of all. Our true being looks out at the world, not with criticism or as competition, but with wonder and awe, just as a child does. And it doesn’t look down on others, but up towards God with wordless trust.
Can the wealthy achieve salvation? Well, if “All things are possible for God,” the answer obviously is yes. But I expect it’s a challenge…not for God, but for the wealthy. Wealth, like power and fame, tend to become addictive and open to great misuse. It’s not easy to accept that all the things of this world and all that comes with them belong not to you and me but to God.
Jesus blesses the “poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” [Mt 5:3]. I suppose that’s the key we’re looking for. Can we accept that we really own nothing? If, like Job, everything you have – family, possessions, wealth, health -- were taken away, would you still be happy, still consider yourself blessed by God? Our former millionaire believed he could not achieve spiritual poverty without first becoming materially poor. What about you and me? Are we truly poor in spirit? Do we look to our God with childlike humility, “full of awe and wonder and trust?” I still struggle with my answer.
True greatness comes not from worldly accomplishments or from wealth or fame…no, true greatness comes from humility; and as that homeless man reminded us, the righteous one knows that all good comes from the mercy and love of God. The Psalmist, who long ago understood all this, probably put it best:
Cast your care upon the LORD, who will give you support. He will never allow the righteous to stumble [Ps 55:23].
If such greatness, the greatness of humility, isn’t recognized or appreciated by others…well, so be it. For the genuinely great person lives and acts not for his own glory, but for the glory of God. And once again the Psalmist comes to our aid:
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to thy name give glory…[Ps 115:1]
The Latin words from the hymn are probably even more memorable:
Non nobis, Domine, no nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam [Ps 115:1].
This is the true Christian life, brothers and sisters. Some of you may remember that remarkable and moving post-battle scene from the movie version of Shakespeare's Henry V. Celebrating the victory at Agincourt, the English soldiers attribute it all to God and sing those beautiful words of the Psalmist. Here's a link to a version worth listening to:
To be blunt, whether we are rich or poor, unless we live this true Christian life here on earth, unless we can accept the spiritual poverty to which God calls us, we won’t share in the Divine Life for eternity. How we achieve this acceptance is something we must work out for ourselves through prayer and God’s saving grace. It’s a challenge I must face every day, while remaining thankful for God’s mercy.
I suppose this is the closest we will come to having that easy “key” to eternal life the young rich man and many of us seem to be looking for.
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