Lesson of the Week: God Is Demanding Because HE Loves Us

My dear brothers and sisters, St. Mark makes a surprising observation as he tells us about this encounter between Jesus and the rich young man.

After the young man explains that he has followed the commandments since his youth, St Mark tells us, "Jesus, looking at him, loved him." This love, my dear ones, is not a passive love, but a love that challenges and inspires us to be our best selves.

Imagine what that look was like. It was the look of the Creator directed towards his beloved creature. It was the look of an older brother directed towards a younger brother in need. It was the look of a father gazing upon a son striving to do all the right things.

But what may be even more surprising is what Jesus said to the young man after giving him this look of love. He tells him to go off and sell all his possessions – the things this young man is most attached to.

If Jesus really loved this young man, why would he ask him to give up what he valued most? If Jesus loved this young man, why would he be so demanding? Why would he make him so uncomfortable?

We all know the answer: love seeks what is best for the beloved. Love is demanding by its very nature; it will never settle for mediocrity. And this young man, because he was so attached to money, posses-sions, and worldly success, was in great danger of falling into a mediocre, stifling, and frustrated life.

And so Jesus, out of love, invites him to choose the path of wisdom instead of comfort, the path of following God's will instead of self-will.

The Lord is constantly doing the same for us: looking at us with deep, personal love, and inviting us to follow him more closely, even though it will mean leaving our comfort behind.

This love, my dear ones, is not a love that leaves us as we are, but a love that transforms us into the best versions of ourselves.

Coffee Mugs and the Seven Deadly Sins

Imagine that you are in a cafe holding a mug full of warm coffee. Now, you like coffee and are used to coffee, but in the back of your mind, you are convinced that something may satisfy your thirst better than coffee.

So, you bring your mug up to the counter and ask for a drink of something more satisfying.

The man at the counter says, "Sure! We have just the thing – a special brew. It tastes fantastic, fills you with energy, and lasts the whole day."

But when he reaches for your mug, you hesitate. You have never tried this special brew and are a little suspicious: What if it's not as good as the man says it is?

Maybe you should stick with what's familiar. You can't have both because you only have one mug. You would have to pour out the warm coffee to get the special brew.

That's the situation this young man finds himself in. His mug is full of wealth and possessions. Yet, Jesus is offering him true, lasting wisdom instead, promising that it will give him the satisfaction his money hasn't given him. There's a world of spiritual growth and fulfillment waiting for him, but he hesitates, afraid to take the risk.

It's an image that helps us understand the nature of sin. Sin is a choice, putting something in God's place, putting something that ought to be second place into first place, filling our mug with warm coffee when God gave us the mug so that we could drink his special brew.

The Seven Capital Sins identify the seven most common 'somethings' we tend to put in God's place: seven brands of warm coffee. These 'somethings' are good but become obstacles to our happiness when we give them first place. However, when we prioritize spiritual fulfillment, we open the door to a life of true happiness and contentment.

• Pride puts our own achievements in God's place, as if they were capable of giving us the meaning and fulfillment that only comes from God.
• Envy puts our reputation or popularity before God.
• Anger puts our own self-will in God's place ("my way or the highway!").
• Lust puts sexual pleasure in God's place.
• Gluttony puts the pleasures of food, drink, or drugs in the mug.
• Sloth puts our comfort be-fore God.
• And greed, as in the case of this rich young man, idolizes money.

Unless we pour out the warm coffee, whichever brand it may be, we simply won't have room in our souls for the special brew that brings true satisfaction.

Giving Up What's Tying Us Down

In the case of this rich young man, the thing that was holding him back from the truly meaningful life he desired was his attachment to possessions, to money, to wealth. His struggle is one we can all relate to, as we too often find ourselves entangled in the web of material possessions.

Jesus explains this with a striking image: "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God."

A camel was one of the giant animals known to the residents of Palestine at the time of Christ. The eye of a needle is one of the smallest passage-ways the unaided human eye can see through.

It's a powerful image when taken literally. However, some biblical scholars point out that the image may be taken differently. At the time, Jerusalem had a back door in the city walls, a small, short, narrow gate used chiefly by locals, who called it "the eye of the needle."

When big merchant caravans came to the city for business, they had to strip their camels bare – taking off all supply packs, saddles, and trade goods if they wanted to get in through this gate. Then, they could lead them through on foot.

We may be like those merchants. Maybe we are loaded with so many self-centered hopes, habits, and worries that we cannot enter into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

Maybe we still think that the right house, job, promotion, spouse, bank account, or award will fill our hearts with the happiness we long for. But it won't: those things must take second place in our friendship with Jesus Christ; in him alone can we find the inner peace, meaning, and strength we so ardently desire.

As we continue with this Mass, let's consider what's hindering our progress along the path of wisdom. Let's take a moment for self-reflection and ask God, who is looking down on us with infinite love, to help us get rid of it.