Follow Me

Follow Me  

 May 28, 2012 

Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.  1 Peter 1:3-5 

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.  Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” Mark 10:21-23 

Piety 

Follow me.  The words reverberate in our minds and in our hearts.  Father, take from us all the personal traits that are the obstacles to a life in grace. Jesus, give to us everything that leads us on the path of following you.  Set us free, Holy Spirit, from all that chains us to our current life so that we might live our life in the Spirit.  Amen. 

Study 

The Last Commandment from our Easter season also becomes the First Words we hear from Jesus as we renter the season of ordinary time.  Follow me.  When we heard these words Saturday Jesus was speaking to Peter and telling him to cut the chains of ego and jealousy that kept him back from executing his mission to tend to the church. Today, the rich man sulks away. His chains are to the earthly possessions and wealth that get in the way of following Jesus.   This scene takes place right after Jesus blesses the children and tells his disciples that we must be child-like to enter into heaven.  Children have no wealth.  Children have no political power.  Children have no social status. Children have no envy. Jesus, too, was child-like.  Jesus had none of these obstacles to His life of piety, study and action.  He proclaimed in the temple from the very outset of his ministry that the "Spirit of the Lord is upon me."  Jesus had no chains to any personal, economic, political or social ties.   

Action 

One day after we celebrated the birth of the Church in Pentecost, recall the Ideal talk that you heard on your Cursillo weekend.  What do you do with your time, talent and treasure to lead you to a right relationship with the Lord and the people around you?  What would Jesus say if he was addressing the  How can you cut your chains to the pursuit of wealth for its own sake and use the blessing of your treasure for the good of building the Kingdom here on earth?