We have given up everything

AM I REALLY GIVING UP EVERYTHING?

"We have given up everything" Peter exclaims to Jesus after the young man is sent off dejectedly as he is unable to part from his wealth (MK 10:17-30).  This passage always prompts some self-examination. How much material and wealth am I storing up and does it really provide happiness? I also look at those who use the Prosperity Gospel to advocate a life of excessive wealth and wonder have they forgotten that Jesus himself was not rich, that there are starving people everywhere on our streets and in nations around the world,  but let me begin with myself.

So after hearing the readings I begin the inventory process. Here are areas where I fail. As a teacher I dress professionally shirt, tie, slacks. My problem is that I have shirts for at least two weeks of work. I like to vary the combinations, but do I really need all of the shirts?  What else to I have which I don't need? In a culture that is oversaturated with materialism it seems that I need a little of everything.

Is it that Pumpkin Spice at Starbucks? Or that juicy hamburger from In'N'Out? We are told that we need these things and for those whose financial needs allow for them to live comfortably this sometimes comes without much thought. The question is how much should I give up? Afterall I worked hard for my money, spending long hours at work, working overtime, building up my savings over the years. Yet I feel empty.


Paul talks of the word of God penetrating us to the bone (HEB 4:12-13) Nothing he says is able to escape it. So I must stand naked in front of my maker and render an account. What will I say about the time that I withheld from giving a homeless man a jacket that he needed more than I as he shivered on cold winter morning? And all those shirts and extra pairs of running shoes?  And the money stored up for a comfortable retirement, a dream trip, college tuition for the children, and the grandchild.

THE QUESTION

So how is that a sinner like myself can be saved? God always provides a way out. Perhaps it is the first reading from Wisdom (7:7-11). Praying for the wisdom on how to use the gifts that God has blessed me with; a well-paying job, reasonable health and mind. It is here that I can look at how to give, it is here that I a sinner give up my right to control that which I has been given to me by graces of God. Allowing the Holy Spirit to guide me in the process and not depending on my own devices to decide. Much like the author of Wisdom, I have found that all good things come to me even though I may not immediately recognize the graces that have been bestowed upon me. It is here that I can give everything up and follow Jesus with my own cross knowing that He has walked this path before and will walk it again.