28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wis 7:7-11
Heb 4:12-13
Mk 10:17-30
“For men…it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God.”
Many of us are familiar with the Gospel reading today. It speaks of a wealthy young man begging Jesus for the secret to eternal life. At first, Jesus spoke to the young man about the Ten Commandments, to which the young man quickly replied that he had kept all of those commandments, but implied that he felt he lacked something. Jesus pointed out the true obstacle that stands in the young man’s way to Heaven, then proceeded to ask him to sell everything and give to the poor, then come follow Him. At this, the young man turned away sad, ‘for he had many possessions’.
At this, Jesus then said to His disciples,“…how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Some believe that the “eye of the needle” referred to one of the gates in the wall surrounding Jerusalem. The gate would be closed at night and the only way to enter is through a small door at the centre of the gate. A man can go through if he bends down, but a camel could not go through unless it is unloaded of its burdensome cargo and crawled through. This would take a lot of effort on the camel’s part with lots of guidance from the master. It is a difficult task, but it is possible.
When we hear this Gospel, our first reaction is most likely similar to that of the disciples — astonished, they ask who then can be saved? We must not be discouraged, but must look beyond just the riches mentioned. Jesus is not condemning the rich nor possessions. It is often misunderstood that Jesus wants us to be poor. That is not it at all. What Jesus teaches is that one can have possessions; just do not be possessed by the possessions. In other words — poverty of spirit, detachment from worldly things such as goods, money, power, fame that can lead to temptation and sin.
Us humans are very good in making idols. We can idolize materials objects, celebrities, etc. Making idols simply mean that we place the utmost importance on that object and often replace God with said object as our top priority. This is what Jesus is warning us about — the attachment — not to God, but to objects or persons. When our attachment to things outweighs our attachment to God, we become so drawn into the trap when we crave more of the same and find it hard to let go. We become unwilling to part with, or give up the attachment, even if it is for our good or the good of others — especially when giving it up is for the good of others.
However, we need not despair nor turn away sad, like the wealthy young man. Because what is impossible for man, is entirely possible for God. If we rely on our own strength, we will not be able to resist the urges to hold on to worldly desires, even to our detriment. If we rely on the grace and guidance of the Lord, everything is possible. Just like the master guiding the camel through the eye of the needle, our Lord can guide us to detachment from sin and to eternal life.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Winnie Kung)
Prayer: My most merciful Lord, grant us the grace to walk in faith every day confident in Your love and mercy. Please guide us along the journey of life, so that we can detach ourselves from temptation and sin and obtain eternal life with You in Heaven.
Thanksgiving: Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for loving us, for giving us Mother Mary, all the Angels and Saints to be our examples and our guiding light to head towards our forever home with You.
OXYGEN 
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