Sunday, October 14,  2018

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time-B

Stewardship Renewal Commitment Weekend

Wisdom 7: 7-11

Hebrews 4: 12-13

Mark 10: 17-30

         This is our Annual Stewardship Renewal Commitment Weekend. Thank you for being a part of this great opportunity for our Saint Joseph and Nativity Parish Families as we make our stewardship commitments together in the areas of time, talent and treasure for the next twelve months – as we become even better disciples of Jesus

         I know that many of you have brought your commitment cards with you today, all filled-out. Thank you! Others of you have already mailed in your commitment cards. Thank you!

         Perhaps you forgot to fill-out a card. Well I am going to give you the opportunity to do so right here with the cards and pencils in the pews. The cards trimmed in gold are for Saint Joseph parishioners. The cards trimmed in blue are for Nativity parishioners. Just raise your hand if you need a card or a pencil and I would ask those nearby to pass one to you.

You can use one card for all the persons in your household – adults and young people. Please write your first name next to the ministry that you are either “already involved in” or that you are “interested in joining.”

         At the time of the first collection, we may all deposit our completed commitment cards in the basket along with our regular Offertory envelopes.

         Since this Commitment Weekend is so important, if you have not already completed a card, I invite you to do so right now while I offer some thoughts about today’s Gospel.

         When I was growing up, I would often hear my mother say: “Now stand tall, put your shoulders back and hold your head high because good posture says a lot about the person inside.”

         Well, it’s true. Our body language does tell a lot about what is going on inside of us. And today’s Gospel is a case in point.

         A rich young man ran up to Jesus, knelt down and asked: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

         Jesus told him: “Keep all of the commandments.”

         The young man replied: “I have kept all of the commandments since I was a little boy.”

         And the Gospel says that “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.’”

         The Gospel goes on to say: “At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” Poor posture – “his face fell.” You can picture him walking away, a bit hunched over because of his sadness. His body language revealed the struggle that was going on inside of him.

         This Gospel is not, first and foremost, about money. Its message is about being a disciple of Jesus. And there are many obstacles to being a follower of Jesus. For the rich young man, the obstacle was his possessions.

And so he went away sad.

         Do you consider yourself wealthy? I would imagine that if I were to ask all the wealthy people in this church right now to stand up, you would all remain seated. Why? Because “being wealthy” is relative. No matter how much we have, we can always think of someone that we think has quite a bit more.

         Try to tell a homeless person that you have nothing to share because you are too poor. Do you think that homeless person believes you? After all, we all have a place to call home, we all have food for the day, and none of us is wearing every single article of clothing that we own.

         We do need money to take care of our needs. Yet money alone does not give us full security in life. But sometimes we live as though it dies.

         That was the trouble with the rich young man in the Gospel. He not only owned things; his possessions owned him. He could not release his grasp of them to open his hand to the hand of Jesus.

         What if this Gospel had ended differently? What if that rich young man had said: “Yes, Jesus. Just give me a little time and I will go home and put everything on the market and give the proceeds to the poor. Please keep my spot as your disciple open. I will be right back.”

         If he had said this, he would have walked away with a smiling face, standing tall with his shoulders back, and knowing what Jesus was calling him and enabling him to be.

         Jesus looks upon us with love too. What is Jesus asking of you right now so that you can be an even better disciple? Do not be afraid to listen to Him. You can count on Jesus for the grace to do it. Your whole demeanor will reveal Who it is that you love and Who it is that you serve.

         And that makes all the difference in the world.