28th Sunday of Ordinary Time -Oct 9, 2021

This is one of the Gospels that touch us in places that few things do….
Life’s fundamental questions
Who am I? 
Why am I here? 
What am I to do? 
Who is God?  Where is God?  What is God?
Why are we born?  Why do we die?
Will I make it to heaven?
Will I be saved or condemned?
If we are to be honest with one another, we will have to admit that we have all been more or less raised with the western European understanding of God and Gods’ action in the world.
For the most part Catholic Christianity has been shaped by an understanding of God that was given in the most basic tool, a simple little book called the Baltimore Catechism.
Yet, as with any piece of literature, the theological stance and understandings of that tool, contained some fundamental truths and some glaring fundamental flaws.
One of the most glaring flaws was an understanding that somehow, in some way, we could earn eternal life. 
Grace was to be given to us in measures according to our behaviors….remember…indulgences attached to prayers, and various rituals….
So we continue to ask ourselves….the question asked by the rich one in the Gospel today….
What must I “do” to share in eternal life?
Here is the biggest problem that I believe we face….we are not ready for the answer to the question! 
Jesus was making the point….that salvation, eternal life with God, is not a human achievement, but rather a gift from God!
(Pause) (Repeat) (Pause)
I would venture to guess that one of the very first thoughts that struck us all in those few moments of silence were something like….
But what does that mean? 
Is everyone saved? 
Is everyone going to heaven? 
I have really struggled to be a good person, is there no reward? 
Then why do I struggle, why not just go for the gusto, live it up, take what I can get, and go for it all?
To which I believe Jesus would respond…go for it…that is your choice…
yet if we do, we need to understand we may not learn what we need to learn to enter eternal life with God…
Remember, salvation is God’s gift to us…a gift will always be a gift…but a gift can be accepted or rejected.

If we accept it, then we will know that “riches” or “stuff” are not the answer…
the answer is powerlessness…
surrender…
letting go and letting God,
loving the other without counting the cost, which can sometimes hurt deeply.
There are many prayers that grasp this simple concept, yet one I think gets the heart more than any other.  And we often say only the first part of that prayer…but it goes like this…
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference, living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; taking this world as it is and not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.     
− Reinhold Niebuhr

What must I do to share in eternal life?
Accept the gift, live in gratitude,
help others,
surrender your ego,
let go and let God,
accept life on life’s terms,
and celebrate every moment of every day and the gifts of those days. 
Finally, let God be God and
you just be the amazing you that you are!