Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
August 20, 2019
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
“Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible.”
Then Peter said to him in reply,
“We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
Reflection
“It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.” I stumble over this sentence knowing that I am, by comparison to the vast majority of people on this planet, “rich.” If the world was a village of 100 inhabitants 29 would not be able to use a safely managed drinking-water service, 55 would not have access to a safely managed sanitation service. I am rich. Why is it hard for me to enter the kingdom of heaven?
My suspicion is that the rich person is tempted to take certain standards for granted and to consider himself or herself in full control of matters. There is so much money can buy. Wealth gives power over things and circumstances. Wealth prevents problems from arising. If you have access to material resources you would not even notice that a certain situation (like a legal dispute with the authorities or a minor health issue) can become a dramatic challenge. Money buys choices. Money buys independence – or the illusion of independence, the illusion of being “self-made.”
This illusion is like a wall between the person and God. We are creatures, God is the creator. The question “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor 4:7) holds a universal truth. “Deep knowledge” that our life depends on God may require the experience that material security is not a given. I personally would not be able to handle vast material wealth. My very real worries about how to pay certain bills (medical bills, tuition bills) induce much needed humility in my life (and gratitude if the bills can be paid after all). This is an experience that puts me in the child-like position of having to trust the heavenly Father.
Being rich in a humble way means being rich in humility. Is that hard?
Prayer
Christ our teacher, you call each of us to be free of the things that enslave us, and enter into the true freedom of the children of God. Open our hearts, that we may accept your invitation, “Come, follow me.” Give us the grace today to commit our whole selves more fully to you. Help us especially this day to overcome any attachments in our lives that prevent us from following you as energetically as we can. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Bernard of Clairvaux had words sweet as honey, and he used them to reinvigorate monasteries where men and women gave their lives to God in prayer.
He was born in 1090 in France and excelled in his education as a child. As a youth, he was well-loved by many—he was witty, attractive, and the depth of his character shone. Gradually, the idea formed in his mind that he was to leave the world for life as a monk. A community of monks had recently formed a monastery nearby and lived a strict life together. Bernard wondered if he might be called to join them.
One day, filled with anxiety about this decision, he went into a church and prayed that God would direct him to discover and follow God’s will. He received the firm resolution to enter the monastery. His many friends tried to dissuade him, but in conversations with him, they suddenly discovered a desire to join him in giving their lives to prayer—even those who had never considered religious life before. Because of his influence, 31 men in all followed him into the monastery. His eloquent appeals were irresistible.
Bernard entered the monastery wanting to disappear and be forgotten so as to only attend to God. After a few years, the abbot, seeing his extraordinary abilities, asked him to found another monastery with a dozen other monks. His holiness and witness encouraged others to join, and soon 130 lived in the monastery in a valley that came to be known as Clairvaux.
Healings and miracles began to be ascribed to him, including the restoration of the power of speech to a converted nobleman who was dying so that he could properly confess his sins. Bernard was sought after for his wisdom—princes and popes asked for his counsel in their affairs, and he struggled to meet the needs of those around him and still maintain a healthy prayer life, which he most desired. He never refused a challenge.
He was known for his preaching, especially his commentary on the Song of Songs. Bernard’s Clairvaux community spawned many more monasteries—nearly 70— ranging as far as Ireland.
Bernard died in 1153 and has been declared a doctor of the Church, a title given to 37 saints who are known for elucidating the faith by their words or example. St. Bernard was given the title Doctor Mellifluus—the “honey-sweet doctor”—for his eloquence. He is the patron saint of beekeepers and candlemakers and is depicted in stained glass in the Dillon Hall chapel (top image). His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Bernard, the honey-sweet doctor, you convinced 31 of your friends to enter the monastery with you—pray for us!