Daily Gospel Reflection for October 11, 2015

Today's Gospel: Mark 10:17-30 or Mark 10:17-27

It is a great paradox of the spiritual life and of the follower of Jesus Christ. If we give up something, we will receive something even greater. Detaching from material things (houses and lands) and even people (fathers and brothers, children, sisters and mothers) means a promise from our Lord of an even greater abundance of the same! And it seems that He deals with us individually. We may have hearts that can admit to obeying all the commandments faithfully but which are grossly attached to possessions. On the other hand, we may find that one day Jesus makes us painfully aware of how attached we are to people, so much so that they consume us and leave us with no room for a relationship with God.

It is faith alone that will cause us to give up the things we are attached to, our idols. Faith requires trust that the promises of Christ are true. And faith is a theological virtue that is all gift. We cannot earn it on our own, and so we must remember to pray for more of it! Consecrating ourselves to our Lady gives us a portion of her lively faith. May we entrust ourselves to her. Jesus promises us in today’s gospel that He will give us the Kingdom even now; we will not be left wanting. May we be surprised and find delight in His creative ways of providing for us in this life. And may we look forward to an eternity of blissful provisions. Let us take the leap of faith in Him and believe!

Ponder:

Do I have an unhealthy attachment to any material possession? Are my relationships with my spouse, my children, or any other person so consuming of my emotions and time that I neglect to put God first?

Pray:

Jesus, I want to let go, but as you say, it is hard! I know I worship created things and creatures in place of You. Today, you remind me that, with your grace I can detach from these things. Help me to use things only for your glory, and have a healthy love for persons that finds you in the midst of all my relationships with family and friends.

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Cynthia Ann Costello