A rich young person came to Jesus and asked “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
You or I with all of our material wealth living in a country like Canada could ask What do I have to do to make the most of my life? Or, What do I have to do to know and become more aware of a life now in God?
Jesus' initial response to the young person is to ask if he's kept the commandments. But that by itself is not enough to inherit the fullness of life. The Commandments are a great place to start, but we have to go deeper than the commandments as we mature in faith and life.
The next thing that Jesus did was to look at the young person and love them, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.”
Yet this rich young person missed this Divine gaze of love. He was too consumed with his "things" and other distractions that he was unable to see and know God's love for him.
Yet this is where it is at! Becoming more aware of the Lord’s love for us is where true and lasting treasure is to be found.
Material things are fleeting and they do not satisfy our deepest needs. Maturing spiritually is to learn to detach from material things. Maturing spiritually is to learn to detach from all which is not in this present moment (including things, thoughts, memories, distractions).
As we mature in faith, as we learn to detach from material things and inner distractions, and to desire more and more the spiritual awareness of the Lord’s love for us, we actually “receive” the Holy Spirit and know eternal life.
If we are going to have a more full and meaningful life, regardless of what material things we have or don't have, we need to get on our knees, open our hearts, and say “Lord, I need your Love.”
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