Fr. Jerome Pistoni sx
When I was a boy I often heard these words from people who were not practicing Christians:
“I do not kill and I do not steal, therefore I am better of those who go every Sunday to the church.”
The word of God of this coming Sunday is an invitation not to be satisfied with this good but limited vision of the Christian life.
Last Sunday the pharisees asked Jesus a question: “Is it against the law for a man to divorce his wife?” And Jesus proclaimed the principal of indissolubility, confusing both the Pharisees and the apostles; for them it was a very challenging demand.
Today, like the pharisees of last Sunday, a person asks Jesus a question:
“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
The man, unlike the pharisees, who asked in order to set a trap for Jesus, question him with the desire to understand.
It is a very positive attitude to ask God questions, in our daily prayer, of how to live, “now and here,” the Christian Life.
Like Solomon, in the first reading, this man has the desire to receive Wisdom from God:
“I prayed and understanding was given to me,
I entreated and the spirit of wisdom was given to me”
Teachers provide education but the ability to distinguish between good and evil can only be obtained through prayer, through the encounter with God.
Jesus tells him that he can find the answer to his question in the law of Moses and he quotes six of the ten commandments, that are related with social responsibilities: no killing, no committing adultery, no stealing, no bringing false witness, not defrauding, honouring father and mother.
The man replied to Jesus that he has observed these commandments since he was young.
This young man must have been a very respected member in his community. He is an honest and upright man. The observance of the Commandments has the power to bring peace, harmony, justice in the communities and in the families and blessed are those who observe them. If only the 10 commandments were put into practice everywhere!! However, is it not enough to observe them in order to be considered good Christians, not for Jesus. We can see here the difference between being a good man or a good woman and being a Christian: this young man is invited to answer the call of God in that precise moment, he is challenged by Jesus to get rid of all his property and follow him, but as he was attached to his possessions, he was not able to answer the call.
Everyday, when we listen to the word of God, we are called to bring changes in our life and sacrifice something to which we are attached. It is “today” that we are invited to raise the bar of our commitment by listening to the call that comes from the Gospels. The Commandments are the foundations of a Christian life, but the building is our daily answer to the call of the Lord, that is always new. We can ask ourselves the question of Peter: “What about us? Have we left everything and followed Jesus?” or are we satisfied by obeying some of the Ten Commandments?
When I was a boy I often heard these words from people who were not practicing Christians:
“I do not kill and I do not steal, therefore I am better of those who go every Sunday to the church.”
The word of God of this coming Sunday is an invitation not to be satisfied with this good but limited vision of the Christian life.
Last Sunday the pharisees asked Jesus a question: “Is it against the law for a man to divorce his wife?” And Jesus proclaimed the principal of indissolubility, confusing both the Pharisees and the apostles; for them it was a very challenging demand.
Today, like the pharisees of last Sunday, a person asks Jesus a question:
“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
The man, unlike the pharisees, who asked in order to set a trap for Jesus, question him with the desire to understand.
It is a very positive attitude to ask God questions, in our daily prayer, of how to live, “now and here,” the Christian Life.
Like Solomon, in the first reading, this man has the desire to receive Wisdom from God:
“I prayed and understanding was given to me,
I entreated and the spirit of wisdom was given to me”
Teachers provide education but the ability to distinguish between good and evil can only be obtained through prayer, through the encounter with God.
Jesus tells him that he can find the answer to his question in the law of Moses and he quotes six of the ten commandments, that are related with social responsibilities: no killing, no committing adultery, no stealing, no bringing false witness, not defrauding, honouring father and mother.
The man replied to Jesus that he has observed these commandments since he was young.
This young man must have been a very respected member in his community. He is an honest and upright man. The observance of the Commandments has the power to bring peace, harmony, justice in the communities and in the families and blessed are those who observe them. If only the 10 commandments were put into practice everywhere!! However, is it not enough to observe them in order to be considered good Christians, not for Jesus. We can see here the difference between being a good man or a good woman and being a Christian: this young man is invited to answer the call of God in that precise moment, he is challenged by Jesus to get rid of all his property and follow him, but as he was attached to his possessions, he was not able to answer the call.
Everyday, when we listen to the word of God, we are called to bring changes in our life and sacrifice something to which we are attached. It is “today” that we are invited to raise the bar of our commitment by listening to the call that comes from the Gospels. The Commandments are the foundations of a Christian life, but the building is our daily answer to the call of the Lord, that is always new. We can ask ourselves the question of Peter: “What about us? Have we left everything and followed Jesus?” or are we satisfied by obeying some of the Ten Commandments?