Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In today’s Gospel, Jesus makes the astonishing assertion that it is easier for a camel to slip through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. The reason that it is so hard for a rich person to make it into the Kingdom of God is that when we have wealth of any sort, we tend to rely on it rather than on God. However, any time we become dependent on something other than God, this something displaces God in our lives. In other words, it becomes an idol for us, and we become idolaters. And we all remember what the Ten Commandments say about this: “You shall not have other gods beside me (Exodus 20:3). So we definitely want to keep God first in our lives.
However, the response of the disciples to this is also astonishing; they wonder how it is possible for anybody to be saved. Jesus’ response to this is to say that “for man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Now this is something very important for us to reflect on: we cannot save ourselves. Salvation is God’s gift to us. Salvation is not something we can earn or even really deserve. Salvation is something that God wants us to have, and so He offers it to us as a gift. So, even though we cannot save ourselves, salvation is within the grasp of each one of us. God is giving you the gift of salvation. Be wise and take that gift!
Reflection by Fr. Aquinas Keusenkothen, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections