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Many times in life,
when we want to get better at something, we seek out the
advice of a professional. We often weight their advice and
set our goals for the future. We want to be a better ball
player, we talk to the coach. We want to be a better
student, we talk to our teacher. We want to be a better
employee, we talk to our boss. We want to be healthier, we
talk to our doctor. We want to be more financially secure,
we talk to a financial planner. We want to be better
looking, we talk to our barber or our beautician, or if
things are real serious, we talk to a plastic surgeon. A
little expert advice can be of great assistance when it
comes to planning for the future. One of my college
classmates opened a restaurant out East, after we got out of
school. It was a nice, little Italian place, with good food
at reasonable prices, and people liked it. It always
reminded me of a place that Billy Joel would sing about.
You know, “a bottle of red, a bottle of white…” You get the
idea. Well, my classmate was very successful. Somewhere
along the line, he started offering take-out, and things
really took off. After several years of success, he went to
see a professional business planner, to take a look at what
he should do next. The planner convinced my classmate that
it was time for him to expand. He told him, that his
success would only multiply. So my friend opened two new
restaurants at two new locations. Now, all of a sudden, he
was juggling three restaurants, a ton more people, and a
whole lot more responsibility. There was a great deal of
money coming in. There was a great deal of money going
out. Numbers wise the expansion was a success. But he was
spending every waking hour at one of the three places. His
wife left him. His children quit speaking to him. His
health, both physical and mental, deteriorated to the point
that his life was in danger. And his once very active
Faith-life, became non-existent. He had done exactly what
the planner had told him to do. He had vastly increased his
wealth. And he had lost just about everything that we
important to him.
I tell you that story
today about my friend, because in our Gospel today we hear the
story of another young man who is looking for advice about his
future, and he goes to Jesus. I mean, who’s going to give us
better advice about the future than the Lord, right? The young
man in the Gospel story isn’t asking about getting rich. Later
on we find out, that he is already rich. Instead, the young man
is asking Jesus about salvation, about inheriting eternal life.
And Jesus gives the best advice. He gives perfect advice.
Follow the Commandments. All these years after Moses, and who
knew that the big 10 Commandments are still the best way to be
good and to work with God to achieve our salvation? This is
great stuff. This must have been a very good rich young man,
because even Jesus admits that he is living this way. It’s what
happens next that really makes this story interesting. The
young man wants to know what more can he do. He’s doesn’t want
to rest on his accomplishments. He wants to be better. He
wants to get even closer to God. And the answer that Jesus
gives him, ends up being a challenge for all of us. Jesus asks
the young man to renounce his possessions. And he can’t do it.
He’s a good guy. He’s on the right path. He’s doing all the
right things. But his things are keeping him from becoming all
that God wants him to be. Now, did anybody else here just get a
chill up the back of their neck? What if, my brothers and
sisters, our things, our possessions, are keeping us from
becoming what God needs us to be? We have so much. It is so
easy for our “things” to start to become “little gods” if we are
not careful. Whether it’s our house, or our car or truck, or
our clothes, or our computer, or our toys, or our money, turning
our “things” into idols can get in the way of our salvations.
It’s that big of a deal.
So can we NOT have
things? That’s not what Jesus is saying. It is our attachment
to things that gets us in trouble. Sometimes, for the good of
our souls, we really do need to get rid of things that keep us
from God. If you’re here today, and God is telling you to get
rid of something in your life that is keeping you from Him, get
rid of it! More likely is the fact that God is asking all of us
to re-prioritize our lives, putting Him first. And that we can
all do, especially with His help! It is not impossible to live
for God for any of us. It is impossible if we keep putting the
wrong things into our hearts, and then keep asking ‘Where is
God?’ Nothing is impossible for God. Nothing. We need a whole
lot less than we think we need.
Money and things will
not buy us happiness, or peace, or salvation. In fact, as my
classmate found out, our money and our things could be
destroying us. Let God be the God of your life! May we follow
Him, and not our possessions! We need to make sure that we own
our things, and they don’t own us!
May God bless us, Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit…AMEN !!!
St. Maria Goretti…Pray for us
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