The question that is posed to Jesus today is not all that complicated. The man asking it was probably sincere in asking it. Yet we all come away from the reading from St. Mark’s Gospel a little disappointed. St. Mark writes: “At that statement, his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” The man who asked the question was simply not prepared for the answer.
Perhaps you have heard it said that a lawyer never asks a witness a question unless he knows the answer ahead of time. He doesn’t want any surprises. Obviously the man in today’s Gospel was not prepared and was surprised by the answer Jesus gave him. Note that the disciples are also surprised by the answer.
“Then who can be saved?”
Perhaps we too are sincere when we ask God to answer our prayers. However, we must be prepared if the answer we receive is not the answer for which we were hoping. Maybe it will take some time, even a long time, to come to the realization that accepting God’s will is far more important that getting what we might want.
“All things are possible for God.” Only God can overcome the various difficulties we encounter in our lives. Like Jesus, we must keep trying to obey God’s will.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator