Monday of week 8 of the year
May 24th, 2010
"The rich young man."
Mark 10: 17-27
Many of us will be able to empathise with the rich young man, not necessarily because we are very rich, but often in life we may have very difficult decisions to make, between the good and the best. Whichever decision we take will demand relinquishing something we find it hard to let go of. Basically this man seems very sincere, assures Jesus he has kept God’s laws. Now we get a lovely line: “Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him” and then said: “Go, sell everything you have, give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come, follow me”. At this, the young man’s face fell; he went away very sad. He was unable to take that leap of faith. Jesus’ words: “How hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”.
Today’s gospel makes it clear for us that Jesus asks no less than everything; the way of the gospel is the way of complete detachment from material possessions. Can I respond to this call/ challenge?
Certainly not without Jesus’ help, strength and encouragement.
For God, everything is possible.
Prayer
Prayer : Today’s Entrance antiphon telling us the Lord is our strength, he has led us into freedom, is very reassuring, a lovely start to another week. Lord, let me make this week one during which I will do my utmost to bring your joy, peace and love wherever I go. Amen.
The prayer for each day has been prepared by various members of the Holy Family Association. All who visit our website are remembered in prayer. If you would like us to pray for a particular need, simply complete and submit the form on the right hand side of this page. You may wish to leave a comment in the space below.
Just a Thought
How the Holy Family prayer: A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI
“I would like to invite you to reflect on the place of prayer in the life of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The home of Nazareth, in fact, is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to ponder and to penetrate the profound meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus.
Pope Paul VI during his visit to Nazareth said “we come to understand the need for a spiritual discipline, if we wish to follow the teaching of the Gospel and become disciples of Christ.” And he added: “First, it teaches us silence. Oh! That there would be reborn in us the esteem for silence, that wonderful and indispensable atmosphere of the spirit: while we are deafened by so many noises, sounds and clamorous voices in the frantic and tumultuous times of modern life. Oh! Silence of Nazareth, teach us to be resolute in good thoughts, intent upon the interior life, ready to listen well to the secret inspirations of God and the exhortations of the true masters.”
We can glean several insights on the Holy Family’s prayer and relationship with God from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ childhood. We may begin with the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. St. Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph, “when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, brought the child up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord”(2:22). Like every observant Jewish family, Jesus’ parents go up to the temple to consecrate the firstborn son to God and to offer sacrifice. Moved by fidelity to the law’s prescriptions, they set off from Bethlehem and go up to Jerusalem with Jesus, who is now forty days old. Instead of a one-year-old lamb, they present the offering of simple families; that is two young pigeons. The Holy Family’s pilgrimage is one of faith, of the offering of gifts, a symbol of prayer, and of encounter with the Lord, whom Mary and Joseph already see in the son Jesus.”
