The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
Rules are often set to help us navigate a situation without any major setbacks or incidents. In my youth, I yearned for safety and security. Rules like the Ten Commandments offered me confidence in my childhood walk with Christ.
In middle school, during one of my religion classes, I was handed an Examination of Conscience that prompted me to think more deeply about the Commandments. The pamphlet revealed that spreading gossip and lies, or harboring contemptuous thoughts about someone, can be equated to killing someone—their character or spirit. It showed me that honoring my mother and father wasn’t just about doing what I was told, but also about how I expressed my love, respect, and gratitude toward them for their love and sacrifice.
As I continued to grow older, I learned that just following the rules was not enough. Today’s Gospel reading was one of the ways I learned this lesson. A young, wealthy man wants to know what he can do to inherit eternal life. He thinks following the rules is enough—until Jesus tells the young man he must give up all that he has, and then come follow the Lord. At the thought of surrendering his riches, shock and disappointment overwhelm him, and the man walks away.
Jesus always wants more from us than just ticking off the boxes in our faith practice. Our relationship with Him goes much deeper than checking a pamphlet to make sure we’ve remained on the straight and narrow. It’s also about stepping out into the unknown and totally abandoning our lives to Him. Whatever makes us feel safe and secure now is nothing compared to the abundance of joy that lies ahead. This joy is what waits for us when we follow Jesus and trust Him with everything we have and everything we are.
Let us pray that the Lord takes us beyond any rudimentarily practices of our faith, and into the joyful wilds of His will. Let us pray for a spirit of detachment that will allow us to trust in His goodness and His plans for us.
Perpetua Cannistraro works as a book publicist in Boston, Massachusetts. She loves the Lord, TV, Disney princesses, books, 90s-00s teen pop, and the color pink. Say hi on Instagram!