Jesus Must Come First

Ecclesiasticus 17:24-29; & Mark 10:17-27

Each one of us has one thing in common. We all sin. Every one of us falls short of God's glory in lots of ways. Not even the sacrament of Baptism can erase our tendency to sin. No matter who we are, or how hard we try, we will sin today - even if only in small ways - and that sin will cause us some degree of separation from the Lord.

This is why God has left us with the precious - and often unappreciated - gift of the sacrament of Reconciliation. At any time of the day or night we can go to the foot of the Cross to ask for forgiveness, because of the ever-flowing mercy of God, if we are truly sorry for our sins and determined to try and live better lives in future. We can approach the throne of God confident - even in our repentance - that He will hear and embrace us.

Have you ever felt unworthy to come before God in prayer? Or have you ever felt that God might be withholding some blessing because of a sin you committed in the past? Don't let yourself become bound up in guilt or self-accusation! Instead, hear Christ’s voice saying, 'I know about your every sin. I died for them. But I will forgive you as soon as you ask Me for each one to be forgiven.'

We do not have to wait forever to know forgiveness from God. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we can avail ourselves of His mercy right away. There is something very powerful in the act of confessing to a priest. In fact, the more we repent, the more we will know God's healing as well as His forgiveness. Whenever we turn back to God, the angels in Heaven rejoice. The floodgates of grace are opened. We are caught up in the loving arms of our Father once more. How great is the mercy of God!

In the Gospel we witness Jesus’ great love for a rich young man. He wanted him to be His follower. He had the great privilege of gazing into the face of Jesus, and yet that divine glance was not enough for him. I often ask myself where is that young man now and where could he be if he had followed Jesus having renounced his possessions.

Jesus wants our heart. Someone who loves possessions more than Jesus will be governed by them, but the one who has abandoned his or her heart to Jesus will be filled with riches that this world simply cannot comprehend. What does our society consider to be of great value? Unfortunately a personal relationship with the Lord of the Universe does not head most people's list of priorities. Our world is desperately in need of conversing with Jesus, without which we will end up turning away from Him just as the rich man did.

Lord Jesus, let us realize that nothing is this world can compare with You. Help us to turn aside from all the things in our lives that are not pleasing to You. By the help of Your Holy Spirit may we choose You and not them.