The Golden Calf

Sunday Gospel Reflection 10/10/21

Mark 10: 17-30

This week’s Gospel is a tough one to digest.  We find Jesus being approached by a righteous man asking Him, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus responds that he must conform to the commandments and the man replies that he has done so since he was a youth.  Jesus affirms the man’s past conduct and then offers one more task to be conducted that sounds very much like a “doorknob statement.”  A doorknob statement occurs when a patient waits until the last moment before exiting the physician’s room and utters something of a critical nature that was absent during the clinical discussion.  Jesus’ doorknob statement to the man is recorded as such, “One last, thing, go and sell everything to have, give it to the poor and follow me.”  Stunned and dejected, the man walks away and cannot follow through with this because he has accumulated so much wealth.

So here lies the question.  Does God expect us to sell everything we have of value and to abandon our families to ensure a place in heaven?  Is there no other way to follow Him?   If that were the case, I fear most would be lost.  As I pondered this reading, my mind centered around the famous story of the golden calf and the ten commandments. Moses leaves his people to climb the mountain and encounter God.  He returns with the ten commandments to find his fellow Israelites have committed apostacy by abandoning their faith in God by fashioning and worshipping a golden calf. 

Could it be that the message here is that God is asking us to examine what real wealth means to us?  How much do I need to survive and find satisfaction?  Is my goal to continue accumulating things throughout my life?  Do I share my excess with the marginalized in society or do I selfishly hoard my prized possessions and wealth?  What are the golden calves in my life that have pushed the Lord aside?  Sometimes, Jesus speaks and challenges me in strange ways, as He did with the man in this reading.  For me, finding the meaning in His messages it is like trying to break a code of sorts.  This passage is one of those examples.  After praying over this, I find myself confronted with more questions than answers.  I hope to see you all on the path to understanding and wisdom.  The Pilgrim.  Paxvobiscum.