28th Sunday "Looking at the Face of Jesus"

 In today’s Gospel, the rich young man’s heart is stirred by an interior grace to know what is needed to gain eternal life. He said, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Our Lord reminded him it is necessary to gain eternal life by keeping the commandments. The man responds saying he kept all the commandments from his childhood. He was enlightened by grace to come to know there is more to gaining heaven then keeping the commandments. The man was a good man because had had been living a moral life since his youth. Jesus desiring to call the young man to something greater and giving him the opportunity to respond with generosity, looked at him with love. Can you imagine Jesus looking at you with love? Who could resist the loving face of Jesus asking you to do something?

Then Jesus asks the young man to become one of His disciples. He told him, “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow Me.” How many young men would love to hear the words of Jesus, “Come, follow me?” Today, we cannot see Jesus face to face nor audibly hear the voice telling us to do something. This young man, not only saw Jesus look at him with love, he verbally heard the words of Jesus, “Come, follow me.”

But the man’s face fell and he went away sad because he had many possessions and did not want to part with them. Because his heart is tied to his possessions, even the prospect of gaining eternal life fails to conquer his affections for them. He did not obey the grace welling up within him. Had the young man despised his wealth and followed Jesus, he would now be a saint in heaven, and even renowned on earth. If he gave up his possessions, he would have been assured of gazing on the face of Jesus forever in heaven.

Listen to the words of St. Paul to Timothy with regard to the desire of riches. “We brought nothing into this world, nor have we the power to take anything out. If we have food and clothing we have all that we need. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and a trap. They are letting themselves be captured by foolish and harmful desires which drag men down to ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root of all evil. Some men in their passion for it have strayed from the faith, and have come to grief amid great pain.”

The man walked away sad because he valued his possessions greater than helping the poor, which would cause him to have treasure in heaven.

Recall Peter had a wife when Jesus called him to be a disciple. He gave up his wife and his fishing business, which is why Peter said, “We have given up everything and followed you.” Peter probably said this because he wanted to remind the Lord of the sacrifices he and the other apostles endured to be a follower and he wanted to know what they would receive for giving up everything. Jesus responded saying, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions and eternal life in the age to come.” Peter would know the meaning of persecutions. He would be arrested and put in jail and then released by an angel and then later recaptured and crucified upside down on Vatican Hill.

From the very beginning of the Church, the Lord wanted His close disciples (bishops and priests) to be celibate and live poverty in imitation of Him, who “was poor, that we may be rich in the kingdom of heaven”. If one lives a life of celibacy, he gives himself totally to the Lord with an undivided heart. Jesus wanted His bishops and priests to be detached from worldly things and especially help the poor.

Today, the world is in great need of disciples fully and totally committed to Jesus Christ. The disciple is no better than the master, which is why Jesus reminded His apostles, they would suffer persecution for being a disciple. Any man today who is called to be a priest cannot be a halfhearted. He must be totally committed to preach Jesus and His truth in season and out of season. The priest cannot fear what people will think, he must say what is difficult in order to protect the people from evil and help them to get to heaven. For example, he must tell the people that to use birth control is a mortal sin, and it requires confession before receiving Holy Communion, otherwise we receive the Eucharist sacrilegiously. It’s difficult to say hard things, but we do it out of love for the people to help them to get to heaven.

Bishops and priests are to be Jesus to the people, comforting them when they lose a loved one, rejoicing at their wedding, celebrating a baptism, supporting them when they go through trials, giving them peace in confession, teaching the truths of the faith. And O how incredibly humbling it is to know that when the priest takes bread and wine in his hands and says the words of Jesus at the Last Supper, that Almighty God changes them into the body and blood of our Lord. Can you imagine through my hands the Lord makes present Calvary on the altar and then Jesus spiritually feeds His lambs in Holy Communion? What power given to a mere mortal.

For any young man discerning God’s call, Jesus must be the center of his life and stay close to Him with frequent confession, come to Mass to receive Jesus in Communion as often as possible, and develop a deep prayer life—praying frequently before Jesus in the tabernacle. And not only strive to keep the commandments, but be willing to give up everything for love of Jesus and the Gospel including a wife, children, a career and possessions.

Is there a young man here today, who Jesus is calling to be a close disciple? Has he stirred within your heart a yearning for higher perfection, as a priest? Listen to the words of Jesus, “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, then come, follow me.” And for those of us who are already poor and may even be in debt, like me when I was called, we don’t have to worry about giving away possessions because we don’t have any and we can just get up and follow Jesus now. 

May you turn to the Virgin Mary in heaven and ask Her to help you to give yourself totally to Jesus and follow Him, who looks upon you with love.