REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

Homily for the 28^th Sunday (11 Oct 2009)

Fr James McTavish FMVD

“Jesus looked at him and loved him”

Here in Manila the city has survived the severe flooding and most people’s lives are back to normal. Our community was helping in the distribution of relief goods. Hearing stories from those who had lost everything somehow puts many issues in perspective. One question I was asked was “If the flood waters were rising, you had to go to the roof and could take only one or two items, what would you take?” In reality many Filipinos were faced with this dilemma. There are many photos of elderly grandmothers on rooftops with only a statue of Mother Mary in their hand. In those moments you realize they are very few things that are essential. In some ways these situations foreshadow our death as what can we bring with us beyond? It is a reminder not to be too attached to material things.

What happens when we become too attached to money, comfort, eating so well, enjoying ourselves, good holidays, what is wrong with that? Well when a life is full of leisure and easy living then the terrible flood of indifference soon floods our heart. Indifference kills and that is why we need the Gospel. Many think wrongly that they don’t need to pray. We need the Gospel to wake us up from our torpor. In the letter of Hebrews we hear “Brothers and sisters: Indeed the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” Here the damage was caused by many preventable factors such as too many houses built in low areas and no money for proper irrigation because it is misused for other reasons. Even the Holy Father commented recently on these issues in his recent address to the new Philippines ambassador to the Vatican. The flood of corruption is a real problem in our world today.

Our life and our society would be different if we were to put Jesus in the centre. Pope John Paul II opened his first encyclical on Christ, the Redeemer of man with the words “Jesus Christ, is the centre of the universe and of history” (Redemptor hominis #1). Let us consider what it might mean to put Jesus at the centre. Is Jesus at the centre of my life, of my decision making, of my thoughts? How would life be with him at the centre? For many who consider the Church what seems to be at the centre are a set of tiring rules and regulations. Putting Jesus at the centre guarantees us of constancy and perseverance in our following. What can be tiring is not the following of the Lord but myself! In one moment I am full of firey enthusiasm then later it seems that it has evaporated. One day I have an icy determination then later I find it has melted. We can seem to be more changeable than the weather. Putting Jesus at the centre is like having an anchor in life. In the catacombs Jesus is often presented as an anchor because an anchor gives stability to a ship in choppy seas and stops it being blown off course or onto dangerous rocks.

Recently I was involved in giving an 8 day retreat to a group of contemplative sisters who live in Lipa, outside of Manila. They are called Minim sisters, founded by St Francis of Paola. We enjoyed very much praying together about the life of St Paul and the need for conversion, a conversion to Christ. What helped me in the retreat is to constantly direct my gaze towards Jesus, in moments of joy and in moments of thinking my talks could have been much more insightful or inspiring! Come rain or shine, to share everything with my friend Jesus. This helps us to not just begin an initiative but to carry it through to the end and gives a certain stability in all weathers.

In the gospel today we see a rich young man in one moment running up to the Lord, full of enthusiasm, fire and energy with an important question for Jesus asking him what he must do to be truly fulfilled. A few moments later the rich young man goes away sad. Why? Because Jesus said to him ” Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me”. At this the young man went away sad or as Mark the evangelist tells us “his face fell and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” And this is the sign of his richness – the fact that he goes away. What would be the secret? Stay in union with the Lord, don’t just throw in the towel when he asks us to take a step of maturity. Tell Jesus that I cannot do it without him. Often many people make a big song and dance about leaving everything for the Lord but everyone will have to do this one day! (I am referring to our funeral! Unless you want to be buried to what you are attached to like your pink Cadillac as one American lady did).

Jesus asks the young man to grow up. To take a step of maturity. The rich young man ran up to the Lord and Jesus wants that he keep running! As many of the Saints attest the way of holiness is forwards. St Bernard wrote “On the way of life, not to progress is to regress” and Thomas Aquinas noted “To stand on the way of the Lord is to move backwards”. The Holy Spirit will guide us in the step we need to take. It is true man times we need to renounce and give things up like our useless anxiety or unnecessary worrying over material things, our indifference. I see many things in me I would like to leave behind – my tendency to worry and my fears to name only a few! Of course the sacrament of reconciliation is a beautiful moment to leave behind what is useless and harmful to us – our sins.

What did the rich young man miss? What could he have done? He could have caught the loving gaze of Jesus. “Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, You are lacking in one thing.” What is that ONE thing? To catch Jesus looking at him, loving him. Then he would not have needed all his possessions to try to win the love of others. He would have realized the true richness – the love of Jesus. Have you caught that loving gaze of Christ? Often we catch the challenge to leave our attachment to material goods but did you first catch that gaze? When you catch that gaze all else is put into perspective. Pope John Paul II said that the root cause of materialism is the absence of God’s love in the heart of man. We need that gaze to fill our hearts, a gaze that tells us who we are, and how much we are loved. It is a gaze that is unchanging, eternal, unconditional.

I remember coming back home after failing some of my first year medical school exams. I arrived at the cold, foggy station after a long train journey. I didn’t think anyone would meet me. At the station I was looking for a familiar face, to welcome me , to accept me but to no avail. And then I catch that gaze, a look of unconditional love, welcoming me even though I had been a lazy student. It was my dad standing at the end of the platform, looking at me, confirming my identity as a son and welcoming me unconditionally. We need to experience that gaze from God our Father. That he is looking at us, loving us, welcoming us. For this we need to pray, to listen to the Word of God to experience his love, to catch that gaze. From here we can respond. Our moral life, our option, our use of wealth can then be a response to this love. As Fr Arrupe S.J. wrote “Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you will spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love and it will decide everything.”

Perhaps the question from our Gospel this day is have you caught that gaze? Perhaps this day in different moments, take a time out and catch that gaze, experience Jesus looking at you and loving you for who you are and not what you possess. Often this is what we lack to be happy and fulfilled – his loving gaze!