28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

13 October 2024

Lectionary Readings: Wisdom 7:7-11;   Ps. 90, 12-13. 14-15. 16-17;   Hebrews 4:12-13;   Mark 10:17-30

Theme: Sacrificial offering

The first reading for today (Wis. 7:7-11) beautifully depicts Jesus’ compassionate challenge to a young man in our gospel reading. Jesus tells the young man, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” (Mk. 10:21)

     The young man seeks guidance from Jesus, asking, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (v.17b) He desires to understand what good deeds he should do to gain eternal life. The passage from Wisdom (1:15) emphasizes that “righteousness is immortal.” The young man initially interprets righteousness as following the law meticulously, yet he yearns for something more meaningful. When Jesus challenges the young man to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow him to eternal life, the young man is visibly distressed and departs sorrowfully due to his considerable wealth. This interaction underscores the importance of prioritizing spiritual fulfillment over material possessions and highlights the value of nurturing a relationship with God and showing love for others.

 The Gospel acclamation features the first Beatitude from Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This beatitude emphasizes the significance of seeking fulfillment through spiritual richness rather than material wealth. Despite the young man’s commendable commitment to the commandments and his earnest quest for guidance from Jesus, he struggles to fully internalize Jesus’ teachings and recognize that with God, all things are possible. The beatitudes are the way of righteous living – looking at life through the eyes of God which is the gift of wisdom. “Poor in spirit” describes those who know their need for God and do not rely on riches to give them life satisfaction. To the young man, his riches were part of him and thus he could not give them up and rely on the providence of God. He could not share with others either. So we have a case of someone not having made the commandment of love his center. He wanted eternal life by ‘doing’ good deeds but not by having a relationship with his Creator and Giver of all good gifts and because all are gifts, by sharing them with his neighbor – made, like him, in the image of his Creator-God.

     We have to praise the young man for his faithfulness to the commandments. I am reminded of the elder son in the ‘Parable of the Prodigal and the Elder brother’. He can also be praised for his going to the best teacher – the Logos – the Word of God – the Wisdom of God. We read in the letter to the Hebrews: “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”(v.12). This is who Jesus is and it is only in a relationship with him that we learn the true meaning and ways of Wisdom. The young man was not ready for such a step because he had not grasped that “all things are possible with God” (v. 27).

For Reflection and Discussion: 1 Like the young man seeking for guidance what is my sacrificial offering to the Lord?  2. The words of Jesus to the young man about what he lacked are addressed to each of us hearing these words today; how do we answer and respond to it?

Bibliography: McKenzie, J.L. Dictionary of the Bible (New York: 1965), The Catholic Prayer Bible Lectio Divina Edition

This week’s Sunday Liturgy Commentary was prepared by
Dunhill Malunar Timkang, Israel-Jerusalem, Bat Kol Alumnus: 2023

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