Jesus looking upon him loved him

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B

Collect

May your grace, O Lord, we pray, at all times go before us and follow after and make us always determined to carry out good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Wis 7:7-11

I deemed riches nothing in comparison to wisdom.

A reading from the Book of Wisdom

I prayed, and prudence was given me;
   I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepter and throne,
and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
   nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;
because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,
   and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.
Beyond health and comeliness I loved her,
and I chose to have her rather than the light,
   because the splendor of her never yields to sleep.
Yet all good things together came to me in her company,
   and countless riches at her hands.

The world of the Lord.

Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

R. :

R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Teach us to number our days aright,
   that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
   Have pity on your servants!

R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
   that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Make us glad, for the days when you afflicted us,
   for the years when we saw evil.

R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Let your work be seen by your servants
   and your glory by their children;
and may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
   prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!

R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Heb 4:12-13

The word of God discerns reflections and thoughts of the heart.

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews

Brothers and sisters:
Indeed the word of God is living and effective,
   sharper than any two-edged sword,
   penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow,
   and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
No creature is concealed from him,
   but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him
   to whom we must render an account.

The world of the Lord

Acclamation before the Gospel
Mt 5:3

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Mk 10:17-30 or 10:17-27

Sell what you have and follow me.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
   knelt down before him, and asked him,
   “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
   you shall not commit adultery;
   you shall not steal;
   you shall not bear false witness;
   you shall not defraud;
   honor your father and your mother.”
He replied and said to him,
   “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.”
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
   “You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
   and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
At that statement his face fell,
   and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
   “How hard it is for those who have wealth
   to enter the kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
   “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
   than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
   “Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
   “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.”
Peter began to say to him,
   “We have given up everything and followed you.”
Jesus said, “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.”

Or: [Short form]

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
   knelt down before him, and asked him,
   “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
   you shall not commit adultery;
   you shall not steal;
   you shall not bear false witness;
   you shall not defraud;
   honor your father and your mother.”
He replied and said to him,
   “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.”
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
   “You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
   and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
At that statement his face fell,
   and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
   “How hard it is for those who have wealth
   to enter the kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
   “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
   than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
   “Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
   “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.”At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

Reflection

Today’s Gospel presents us with an encounter between Jesus and a young man who genuinely wanted to obtain eternal life. He ran towards Jesus and fell on his knees before him. Something in what Jesus said awakened in him the desire to want to know more. This led to a dialogue between Jesus and this educated person. Jesus enters into a relationship with this individual—a powerful phrase in our time, where amongst the superficiality of our secular world we long for profound relationships.

Jesus devotes himself to speaking with this person in a very intimate way. Even Jesus’ point of departure was drawn from the young man’s background. Jesus begins by the Commandments, with which the young man was familiar. Jesus engages with each and every one of us in a unique way.

The emphasis on Jesus looking upon the young man and loving him is very beautiful. This is the heart of the relationship between God and man. His love is so great that, the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus, entered the limitations of time and space and penetrated the abyss of evil. His salvation is extended to all, but it must take place in a personal relationship between Jesus and each one of us individually.

This young man lived righteously. He was familiar with the Commandments. Because Jesus knew him completely, he invited the young man to take a step further. Jesus invited him to withdraw from his comfortable lifestyle. He invited him to surrender all control in order that he may depend totally on Jesus.

The Christian life is dynamic and requires total dedication. To receive the Lord’s Spirit involves going far and beyond the norm, because we are in a constant journey of growth. Like the young man, who was sincerely interested to know more, we are also encouraged to go beyond our comforts that sometimes enslave us and hinder our growth. However, this is a challenge because it means that we must leave behind all that makes us feel secure. It is a challenge because we are constantly seeking to be in control of our lives. However, this is an exercise in faith and above all in love; in the trust we have that God knows what is best for us. It is our decision to respond to the trust God has in each one of us.

Prayer

Lord, help me to learn to appreciate relationships more than anything else. Allow me to remember that you yourself began our relationship with you. Relationships become essential in our lives as soon as we seek meaningful and lasting relationships with each other and especially with you.

Lord, give me the strength to leave behind all that separates me from your love. Give me the courage to allow you to take control of my life.

Lord, allow me to renew my Baptismal promises and allow your Spirit to work in me so that I can bear authentic witness to Christian love.

Lord, allow me to remember that only you can fill the void in my heart. My heart longs for you; my heart longs to rest in your loving embrace. Amen.

 

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