Mk. 10: 17-30
The fundamental choice that people make for Christ has always surprised the world. The heroic story of Mother Dolores is such a one. She began her career in Hollywood at the age of 19, acting as Elvis’ sweetheart in Loving You. Her original acting in this movie captured the attention of everyone, including the critics. Afterwards, she got prominent roles in different films, along with leading actors of that time. Her role as a young holocaust survivor in ‘Where the Boys Are and Lisa’ rewarded her with a nomination for the Golden Globe. It gave her the image of a rising star in Hollywood. A number of movies were released one after the other, including the movie about St. Francis of Assisi in which she acted as St. Clare, who left everything to become a disciple of Francis.
When she was at the peak of her career, she stunned the world with her decision to become a cloistered nun in the Abbey of Regina Laudis. Later, she remarked that her decision was not fleeing from the world. She did not feel that she was walking away from Hollywood. She says: “I felt I was walking into something more significant and, with that, I took Hollywood with me.” She remained a cheerful and serene religious person throughout her life. She did not cut off her relationship with the fine arts forever. In 1986, along with her friend the late Patricia Neal, she founded The Gary-The Olivia Theatre, an open air theatre which gives performances every year. She helped many youngsters through this theatre to become mature in their spiritual journey and also helped them to discern their vocation. Her greatest contribution was the documentary on monastic life that she produced over the years with her immense hard work and patience. She published her autobiography titled: ‘The Ear of the Heart: An Actress’ Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows,’ in 2013. This masterpiece has inspired people from all walks of life to become authentic disciples of Christ. She celebrated the golden jubilee of her vowed life in 2016. Even today, he remains a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
John C. Maxwell said: “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.” Today’s gospel presents before us the need to make the fundamental choice of Christ through the example of the rich young man. In fact, Jesus knew his disposition and loved him close to his heart. This young man was passionate about his religious life and observance of Torah. He was an authentic seeker, and the question that he posed to Jesus revealed his zeal for perfection: ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life? Finally knowing him well, Jesus asks him to make a choice between him, who is the source of eternal life and his immense wealth. Though he was faithful to the observances of religious law, he failed to make the prime choice of God over his wealth. He was not ready to forgo his wealth, give it to the poor and follow Jesus. He slipped away from being a disciple of Jesus by his choice and went away sad. He was not ready to pay the cost of discipleship and unwilling to carry his cross for a greater cause.
In the second part of the gospel, Jesus emphasises the gratuitous nature of eternal life. No one can possess eternal life by one’s own merit, but only by the grace of God. The rich young man thought that he could inherit eternal life by his own effort. The problem with the young man was not that he was rich, but he was possessed by his richness. He placed his wealth above God and was not ready to share it with his needy brethren. It can happen to all of us that though we might be regular in our practises of piety, even then, the most important place in our lives may not be for God but for our wealth. This wealth is not necessarily material wealth, but can be our craze for power, position, attachment to individuals, and various forms of addictions such as alcohol, drugs, social media etc. The discipleship of Christ demands the primacy of God in our lives. We can’t place individuals or materials above God.
The third part of the gospel enlightens us concerning the reward that awaits every disciple of Christ. Whatever we forgo for the sake of Christ and his kingdom, we really gain. Jesus assures us that we will gain a hundred fold here on earth. When we hear this assurance of Christ, at the outset we may consider it as superficial; in fact, all of us gathered here in Jesus’ name are called to be the members of one single family of Christ. The family spirit that we enjoy and cherish here is the reward of being the Disciples of Christ. It is an invitation to broaden our horizons by breaking the narrow shells of exclusive thinking, I, my, and me, to a broader, inclusive thinking about our family. The early Christian community was united in one heart and soul. They lived this universal Christian vocation to live as members of one family. Therefore, they shared everything with each other and lived a life of Christian solidarity and brotherhood. As Christianity journeyed down through the centuries, we lost this family spirit and brotherhood. Today, our solidarity has been reduced to a weekly meeting for the Sunday Mass, and we wanted to remain in the comforts of our own home.
To live this radical discipleship of Christ, we need divine wisdom to guide our entire lives. The first reading exhorts us to grow into this conviction. The second reading helps us to seek this divine wisdom in the Word of God, which is more powerful than the double-edged sword, and it can pierce our narrow, selfish thoughts and transform us as authentic disciples of Christ. As we mediate on this Word of God today let us be aware of the self-giving love of Jesus, may he assist us in choosing Him as the greatest treasure of our life and bless us with a generous heart to be a member of his family by caring for our needy brethren. Amen.