He walked away grieving

Matthew 19:16-22

          I work in the medical profession. We are constantly challenged to be better. The standards that we aimed for years ago are now passe. We are now charged with reaching an ever higher level of practice. This is a professional goal for sure but as fate would have it, it is now a government mandate as well. Reimbursement is and will continue to be based on standards that are ever increasing. 

           This is true of us as humans as well. We will never be perfect but we can and need to strive to better all the time. If you think you have it made and have achieved perfection, you are dead wrong. 

           So in today's reading the man who obeyed all the rules and yet never challenged himself to dig deeper, walked away from Christ grieving. He mistakenly thought he had it all done. He was set.

Sure, anyone can obey the rules, the laws, the rubrics. But what of love and faith as I spoke of yesterday? What about "who is my neighbor?" Love and faith are not self centered. If it is true faith and true love, it is always outwards focused. What can I do to help? How can I love my neighbor with who I am and what I have been gifted with? 

           The challenge is to look at others and try to love as much as we can with the same love God has for us. Much harder to do than simply obey a laundry list of rules, commandments or laws. Jesus came to fulfill the law which means a much harder challenge for us.

            An adage that I have always subscribed to is 'the more you are given, the more that's expected from you'. Go out and love. Fill your heart and life with joy.

Then someone came to him and said, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ And he said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said to him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honour your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘I have kept all these; what do I still lack?’ 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.