Daily Gospel Reflection for October 14, 2018 - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Gospel: Mark 10:17-30 - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time A man I know was in the wrong job. He dreaded each day and it was slowly killing him. He felt like he was juggling knives. If he dropped any, people would get hurt. So he kept at it. I asked if he would be willing to surrender and himself to Jesus. Would he drop his net? Naturally his response was no. One of his concerns about relinquishing control – “What if God wants me to do something I don’t want to do?” And there is the question we all ask. What if he wants me to uproot my life and move across the country (my own recurring nightmare)? What if he wants me to sell my stuff and live more simply (I like my stuff)? What if he wants me out of this job where I make a decent living (how will I feed my family)? My friend slowly started opening himself to the idea of offering himself and his talents to the Lord. Recognizing that we don’t have it figured out is hard. It is humbling to look at our lives and admit maybe we didn’t do it right. With trust and courage, he cracked open that door and the Holy Spirit burst in. Things that needed to happen did. Things that seemed impossible occurred. He left his job with a clear conscience and found a new job that was exactly right. He learned to trust God’s desire for him and that it is okay to not be in control. He prayed and prayed again. He captured inner peace and joy. His family and marriage are happier. People notice he is joyful. Most importantly, he has a stronger, more personal, more trusting relationship with Jesus. He just had to let go of what he thought were riches.