In today's Gospel Jesus tells the rich young man: "You lack one thing." (Mk 10: 21) What can that thing possibly be? Being rich, at a material level, he lacks for nothing. Also, he has kept the commandments and so is not lacking morally. Yet, he is kneeling before Jesus asking him: "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life." (Mk 10: 20) He is sincere and Jesus: "looking at him, loved him." (Mk 10: 21) He is not lacking for God's love. What then is he lacking? The simple answer is that he lacks "treasure in heaven" (Mk 10: 21). What is that? In the Gospel of Matthew we hear that it is something for which a person is prepared to give up everything to possess it. There is the treasure discovered in a field by a person who: "in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field" (Mtt 13: 44) or the merchant: "on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it." (Mtt 13: 46) We cannot inherit eternal life we must make a decision to prefer it to all other things. In the Gospel of John we hear: "Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (Jn 12: 25) This begs the question of each one of us - how attached am I to my worldly possessions? Do I use them as a steward looking out for the good of others and in service of the Kingdom? Or do my possessions possess me demanding all of my time and energy to build them up, protect them and use them for my own pleasure? The Kingdom is not to be found in what is tangible: "For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom 14: 17) Let us therefore place ourselves and our material goods at the service of God especially in the poor so that we might not be found lacking on the day we meet the Lord face to face.
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