Giving our all
That gospel story about a rich young man who asked Christ how he can inherit eternal life (cfr. Mk 10,17-27) is a poignant warning among the so-called good Christians who are already doing a lot of good but still are unwilling to give all to God.
It's a story that effectively reveals what is truly inside our heart. Is our heart really for God or is it actually just for ourselves though it can be showy about being Godly? The man in the gospel admitted he had been observing the commandments, as Christ articulated them again. But when he was told what he had to do to merit eternal life, he could not take it.
"You are lacking in one thing," Christ told him. "Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." The man's face fell and went away sad, for he had many possessions he was unwilling to give up.
We have to be wary of this scenario in our life, which actually, and sadly, is common. There are good people who are not truly good enough, because when the ultimate test is made, they are not willing to give up all in order to have God.
They forget what St. Teresa once said, "Solo Dios basta," (With God we have enough). They get attached to the good things in life such that these blessings from God are converted into competitors of God themselves.
They prefer a life without suffering, self-denial, or the cross, as if a genuine Christian life is exempt from all these. It is as if they were born without original sin.
We have to be careful with this phenomenon. Yes, we have to be well-guarded against this temptation and do everything to combat it whenever, wherever, and however it arises.
It would be a pity if after the many good things we may be doing, we fail to pass the final test. We have to remember love is without measure. It is in its nature to give itself completely, convinced that what seems to be lost would actually be regained a hundredfold. In this, Christ has reassured us.
We have to be wary of the tricks of the devil and of our own wounded flesh that try to block us in the last stretch in our pursuit of love. They will try to convince us we already have given and done enough. We do not need to give more. They will try to trick us to be self-satisfied with what we already have been giving and doing.
To give ourselves completely to God and to others is not easy. We need nothing less than the grace of God and our generous and prompt correspondence to it. But it's not impossible.
We just have to learn to give ourselves to God and others more and more each day. We can ask ourselves "Today, what can I give more to God and to the others?" "What else have I been keeping to myself rather than giving it away to God and to the others?"
For sure, we will have some answers to those questions and start to act on them. In this way, the attitude and practice of giving our all, even if in installment basis, can be achieved.
Let us look beyond our own comfort zones, and reach out to others, conquering more areas of divine and human concerns out of love. We will be repaid abundantly. God cannot be outdone in generosity.
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