Many Possessions
I am amazed by how much stuff people donate.
We receive dozens of bags of clothing each day, so much in fact, that we have had to suspend accepting clothes until we can sort through and redistribute it.
It appears like people are getting rid of all their possessions.
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions. - Matthew 19:21-22
Today's Gospel reading focuses on a young man who had many possessions. The man was questioning Jesus about performing good deeds, and that starts the ball rolling.
You see, the man is looking for a prescription for eternal life. His motivation is to gain something for himself, and I think that is where he goes wrong.
Jesus tells him he simply has to keep the commandments, and rather than walk away content, the man seeks more specifics. Which ones?
When Jesus repeats them for him, the man says he has done these things, so Jesus gives him this final test. If you want to be perfect, he says...
Do you think the hundreds and thousands of people who give to the poor each day, donating their possessions, some new and some used, feel they need to do more?
Do they need to give up everything and follow Jesus to be saved?
I think the message is to give from the heart. The passage begins today with little children being brought to Jesus so he could lay hands on them and pray for them.
These, Jesus tells his disciples, are the ones to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs. They have few if any possessions of their own, and they have not yet fallen in love with the trappings of this world.
Be like them, he is saying to the young man. Be open and loving and true to yourself.
The man wants the perfect answer, the one thing he can do to gain it all, and that means giving everything up. When we seek perfection, we need to be like God.
It's a tall order, impossible maybe. So, what do we do?
One thing I have noticed working with those in need. Those who have little, take little. They have no place to store food and clothing, so they take what they need today. They will come back tomorrow or the next day if they need more.
If we all chose to give up all we have, we would be overwhelmed with stuff no one would need or want.
When we were children, we ate and we wore what we were given. We made no decisions on our own about what to buy and how much to keep. Old clothes were given away as we outgrew them and new ones were purchased or handed down.
But when we took control of our lives and began purchasing for ourselves, we acquired more than what we needed for today, this week, this month, or even this year. And all that stuff needs a place to house it all.
We are all the young man with many possessions.
Our economy depends on us to buy more than we need and to upgrade our living conditions, home, etc., to house all that stuff.
Now, I am not saying we should all stop buying stuff. That would be a problem, but we could probably scale sown a bit.
Maybe if we find we need less, we might find we have money left over at the end of the month, something any of us would like to see.
But what about gaining eternal life?
Keep the commandments. Love your neighbor as yourself. Give from the heart. Be like a child.
It isn't rocket science.
More to come...