Salvation is offered freely

…He replied and said to him,
“Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.”
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
“You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
At that statement, his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions….(Mk 10:17-27)

 

Jesus gave the young man a condition for salvation, he was to sell everything, then follow him but the young man was not willing to do so. We do the very same, we are unwilling to give up all we have for Christ, we hang on to your possessions, we treasure them, and display them as meaningful things, yet in reality they are nothing, for only what God offers us is meaningful.

 

What are our possessions, what makes up our treasures? Not only the trinkets and collectables we have, things we purchase with money, but also our attitudes, our outlook on life and our human relations. Anything that blocks our way to God, anything that we hold up can be a treasure we have that is greater then God.

 

Humans have the ability to create false gods out of anything. Look around you, and see what we hold on to. Bitterness, anger, resentment and selfishness, all are possessions and all can be gods. Money, collectables or even people can replace God.

 

Are we willing to let them all go for the one true God?

 

How do we rid ourselves of such possessions? How do we give it all away? The objects we have can go to the Salvation Army or St. Vincent DePaul, but who wants our bitterness, anger, resentment and selfishness? Jesus does, he asks for them daily, upon the cross, and we, as Catholics, can offer them to him through the sacrament of reconciliation.

 

Jesus tell the young man to give all he has to the poor, but what poor? Whom does he speak of? Jesus is speaking not only of the monetary poor but also the spiritually poor, those who lack faith. We are called not only to lift the poor out of poverty, but to also to bring them closer to God.

 

The call to follow Jesus is a call to change; we must leave behind our old life, and forge a new one. We must walk the path that is harder, more challenging and dangerous. The life of ease is not the life of a Christian.

 

Jesus called that young man to salvation, offered it freely to him, if he was willing to put in the work. Jesus did not run after him, and beg him to return, did not negotiate with him for easier terms, Jesus told him what he must do, and he chose not to.

 

We all have to choose our path, Jesus offers us the one true way, a light to follow and gives us instructions to help us along the way, but it is our decision, our choice to follow or not. Jesus will never take away the gift of salvation, it will always be there, but so will the conditions.

 

God offers us eternal salvation, a place at the table, gave us his son’s life as the doorway into heaven, but the road is not easy. The Gospel went on to say:

 

“Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.”

 

God, in his compassion for us fallen beings, gives us sinners hope, for anything is possible with God. So even that young man can enter the kingdom, if it is Gods will.

 

So why try to follow, God will let you in anyway… The grace of God is for him to decide, we are held to the rules of this earth, and the rules that God himself has place upon us. Jesus tells us to give away all we have, to give up our possessions and follow him. We are to become poor in possessions but rich in faith.

 

It is a dangerous thing to assume the mind of God.   

 

 

“Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.”
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
“You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
At that statement, his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

 

 

Salvation is offered freely, yet we must work at it, we must sow the seeds, and pick the crops. The work is hard, but Jesus tells us that he will make our yolk light, if we follow him.

 

So do you go away sad or do you rejoice in the love of Christ? Do you toil and work all day, or recline and wait for new terms? Christ calls you, invites you in to the fold, but he does not re-negotiate the conditions, the gift is offered, salvation is yours to have, but are you willing to do the work for it?

 

Paul