Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
The story of the encounter between Jesus and the very self-assured young man in the Gospel today reminded me of a comment attributed to the American author Mark Twain about himself. He said that, as an 18-year-old, he thought his father was just about the dumbest man alive. And then when we got to be 21 years old, he was amazed at how much his dad had learned in three years! Perhaps Mark Twain had taken a crash course in the “School of Hard Knocks!”
Today’s reading from First Peter simply says that faith must be purified through the fact of suffering. We never know how and when suffering and “hard knocks” will come to us. The question is: will we be ready to benefit from it?
The young man in the Gospel had followed his own agenda for perfection and felt he was ready for the next logical step. Jesus challenged him by saying: if you wish to go further, don’t try to take on more for yourself, rather, give away what you have for the benefit of others, and then turn to follow me.
The proposed last step was probably the most difficult of all. With the force of personal discipline, he might have been able to divest himself of his many possessions, but to hand over his will and preferences to Jesus was a price of suffering he was not willing to pay. In his immature ignorance, he missed the gift offered, and yes, he was sad.
Reflection by Fr. Daniel Petsche, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections