SUNDAY'S SERMON: A HOMILY BASED ON HEBREWS 4:12-13, MARK 10:17-30

Unlike the reasoning Job (Job 23:1-17), in Mark's Gospel today, Jesus shows the way to respond to God.

A rich man offers his personal credentials for finding favor with the Maker. You know, self-made man, and more!

From his youth, he kept all the commandments, apparently, and, told the Master Jesus as much.

The young man lacked one thing, however:  Fully following Jesus.

Jesus told him to sell everything he owned, and, to give to the poor, and, then, to follow the Master of loving kindness.  Shocked as Job, or, perhaps any of us here today would have been, who aim to impress God on our own terms, with our own earthly credentials, and then some!

Jesus replies to his surprised disciples venturing into humor, which if the 12 disciples got, the Church has missed almost completely.  Unwilling to see a love of money excluding a love for God, may be the issue here, no?  Two loves?  Divided hearts, perhaps.  We're left to figure it out.

What God demands such a choice?

Hebrews, feeds us with a God whose Word is awesome and fearsome, "sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow...Before Him no creature is hidden...to this One we all must render an account."

Growing well into that image of God helps to appreciate the vision of the great High Priest of Hebrews in God's Word today.

Our God is One who is able to sympathize with our weakness.

The ancient Gospel hymn expresses the feeling:

"Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness, take it to the Lord in prayer."

Like here, now, or, at home, at work, at the lunch table at school, and here at the Table of the Word, and, at the Altar of Sacrament, Eucharist, a Greek word that means, "thanksgiving."