Friends,
in today’s Gospel, Jesus says to his disciples: “Amen, I say to you, it
will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven.” When
the disciples express their astonishment at this—“Who then can be
saved?”—Jesus replies, “For men this is impossible, but for God all
things are possible.”
When
we fail on the spiritual path, we must become, like Bartimaeus,
beggars. When we stumble in our attempts to follow the law or to set out
on the high adventure of discipleship, we must not fall into
discouragement or
self-reproach. We must once again cry out, “Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison,” relying not on our own powers but on God.
Thérèse
of Lisieux commented that, amidst the many spiritual athletes and
strivers around her, she felt like a little helpless child, lifting her
arms up and begging to be carried. The heavenly Father, like any good
parent, could hardly resist such a sight, and thus she found herself
lifted higher than the
spiritual “giants.”
With us, it is finally impossible; but with God, all things—including the making of saints—are possible.
Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope
Lectionary: 420
The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man,
say to the prince of Tyre:
Thus says the Lord GOD:
Because you are haughty of heart,
you say, "A god am I!
I occupy a godly throne
in the heart of the sea!"—
And yet you are a man, and not a god,
however you may think yourself like a god.
Oh yes, you are wiser than Daniel,
there is no secret that is beyond you.
By your wisdom and your intelligence
you have made riches for yourself;
You have put gold and silver
into your treasuries.
By your great wisdom applied to your trading
you have heaped up your riches;
your heart has grown haughty from your riches–
therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
Because you have thought yourself
to have the mind of a god,
Therefore I will bring against you
foreigners, the most barbarous of nations.
They shall draw their swords
against your beauteous wisdom,
they shall run them through your splendid apparel.
They shall thrust you down to the pit, there to die
a bloodied corpse, in the heart of the sea.
Will you then say, "I am a god!"
when you face your murderers?
No, you are man, not a god,
handed over to those who will slay you.
You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
at the hands of foreigners,
for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD.
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
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."
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
"Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said,
"For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible."
Then Peter said to him in reply,
"We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."
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