Heartbreak

Today’s Gospel (Mk. 10:17-27) has the familiar, heartbreaking encounter between our Lord and a man who obeys the Commandments:

"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."

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.

Our Lord then goes on to exclaim how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.

But this encounter is not a warning to the rich alone.

Even someone who is economically impoverished might place material possessions (as few as these possessions might be) above God and the same can be true for those of us who live materially comfortable lives.

Even the ascetic monk who forsakes all material possessions may still cling tightly to other possessions, such as pride.

Our hearts must be undividedly set on Christ. We may have things in our lives, but Christ must always be first.

We must pray for the grace of appropriate detachment, so that we may never turn away sad from the Lord, but that we may always follow Christ unreservedly with undivided and unbroken hearts.