“Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundreds times more now in this present age.” Mark 10:29-30
Give a lot. Receive a lot in return. I think that is what Mark’s Gospel is trying to tell us today. When we care for one another in Christ’s name… when our only motivation is to proclaim the gift of salvation… God showers us with countless blessings.
But, you say, we are only human! We have good days when being generous and caring is the easy thing to do; and we have challenging days when we wonder if our efforts have any meaning at all. That’s when I find it’s helpful to remember one important thing: we’re in good company.
The apostles were just like us. They needed Jesus to reassure them. He told his followers that their faith would be rewarded many times over, and that living out of love for others, rather than in isolation or fear, is life-giving. The message is clear: love is both the gift and the reward.
Witnessing love isn’t always easy or even simple. It can involve sacrifice and placing someone else’s needs ahead of ours. That is the nature of sacrifice. Like Peter, we may want to rebel or find another way out. But like Peter, we can find comfort in the words of Our Lord who only asks us to be open to the Spirit and the ultimate destination where God is taking us. And that is eternal life with the Father.
Friend, just before the scripture line I shared with you above, Jesus tells a rich young man, seeking salvation, that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. “Rich” can mean financial wealth—that’s obvious… but it can also mean anything that seemingly masks our need for God.
So decide how you will enter the Kingdom of heaven. Then in your best moments, praise God; and in your difficult ones, be assured that God is always with you… ready to reward your faith with every blessing, as Jesus says, many times over.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Lance Nadeau, M.M.
Prayer for 2nd Sunday
Everything I have, Lord, I received
from Your bountiful love:
my possessions, my home, my health,
my family, my faith, my life.
May I use these, in turn, to help build
Your kingdom here on earth.
Receive all that I have and give me
all that I need to be a living witness
to Your truth and mercy before
all peoples everywhere.
And when I have nothing more to give
let me give Your peace and presence
that everyone I meet receives and knows
Your loving kindness.
May I walk in the footsteps of
Your beloved apostles who relied
on Your blessings alone
to bring the Gospel to others.
From my poverty of spirit may I
experience the richness of Your wisdom
to live Your Gospel in everything I do.
Day by day lead us closer to your kingdom
by drawing us closer to one another and to you.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen
Prayer by, Father Joseph Veneroso M.M.
