Monday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time (Year II)
1 Peter 1:3-9 | Psalm 110:1-2, 5-6, 9-10 | Mark 10:17-27
In today’s reading, St. Peter reinforces the message that St. Paul wrote for the Romans in yesterday’s second reading: the road to God’s glory may pass through the tribulations of people or circumstances who would beat down or otherwise weaken your faith. Stay the course, though, and you will be rewarded with the crown of life that comes with your own faithfulness.
This is a message familiar to all Catholics, but following through on it can be somewhat difficult, with the distractions and seductions of modern life, with the continual badgering from advertisements on the virtues of the latest material goods and comforts. Indeed, as Jesus reflected in today’s Gospel, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!”
I’ve been trying something over the past few years to moderate these impulses, with surprising success. It’s a simple two-part question that I’d like to share with you, dear brothers and sisters:
How much joy will this bring me, and for how long?
It’s telling that, with pretty much every new tablet, or car, or other modern temptation, the answer to the above is invariably “less than I’d expect for the price I’d be paying, and not for long”.
Similarly, when it comes to considering the possibility of undercutting my rivals or otherwise gaining riches and fame at the expense of others, the answer is inevitably “not a lot, and it’ll only last till they cut me off at the knees”.
When it comes to spending time learning about and sharing the Word of God, however, I can honestly answer “more than I expected, and for all eternity”. For the unbelievers, it’s a bizarre choice, considering:
You did not see him, yet you love him; and still without seeing him, you are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described (1 Peter 1:8)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBiWbfDmg70
Lord, we love You, but our love is weak and easily shaken. Help us endure those who would tear us from You, and show them in turn what Your unconditional Love could be for them, so that they in turn may come to love You as we do. Amen.