28th SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
This Sunday we celebrate the dedication of our Cathedral St. Peters with the ordination of 9 men as Permanent Deacons with 2 of the deacons from our Parish here in north Belfast. Our parish has always been a place of vocations over my lifetime I can think of at least 7 priests who were ordained and at least 4 others who were known to me we have much to be thankful for. Through consecration by the laying on of hands and strengthened by the gift of the Holy Spirit invoked upon them, our deacons will show themselves to be servants of all and helpers of the bishop and the priests of the local presbyterate by serving as ministers of the altar, of the word, and of charity and we pray that their families friends and the communities where they will serve will be blessed through them.
This Sunday we hear the Gospel story of the Rich man and Jesus invitation for him to give everything to the poor and follow him. Jesus looks on the rich man with love; he wants this blameless enthusiast to become one of his disciples. So the challenge is made: “There is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
The cost of Christian discipleship is heavy for this prospective disciple as there has been a heavy cost for many throughout the history of the Church. The man in the gospel must renounce the security and the prestige his wealth brings him; when he sells everything he owns, he must not give the money to his family or friends, but to the poor. If he does this he will have treasure in heaven. That treasure will be his new security. The sorrowful departure of the would-be disciple that Jesus loved is one of the most touching scenes in the Gospel. He is too attached to what he has to become attached to what Jesus asks. When he goes, and we hear no more of him, Jesus turns round to tell his disciples how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God. For us today Jesus asks the same question do you want to follow me and many have done that but for others the call has been accepted but it was just too hard to follow the path of Jesus and they have left the faith behind. All of us have many riches that have been given to us by God Family, faith, friends are just a few example of gods goodness to all of us would we leave everything to follow Jesus that is another question.
Instead I think that we are called to follow Jesus in our world were we are by trying to be faithful to what Jesus teaches us as we pass his message on to others by the things we do and say that is a hard thing to do in the world especially when people put their own slant on the message of Jesus. This Gospel text is reassuring but challenging. Sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom is an essential requirement of those who wish to truly follow Christ. The Christian follows a difficult path in life but it is a journey with a destination. And the destination is nothing other than the Kingdom of Heaven so let us take up the challenge to follow Jesus.
Fullerton T 