Choosing the Better Path to Holiness

Homily for Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

The conversation that goes on between Jesus and his apostles in today’s Gospel text follows immediately after the story of the rich young man which was proclaimed yesterday. Jesus gives us quite an image to ponder with this stark statement – imagining a camel trying to fit through the eye of a needle. Of course, Jesus was not speaking of a sewing needle. He was referring to the fact that the one of the gates around the city of Jerusalem was so small that caravans of camels bearing loads would not be able to fit through it. Consequently, the merchants who were bringing their goods through this gate were forced to unload the camel before leading it into the city.

Why does Jesus single out those who are rich as having difficulty trying to enter the kingdom of God? If we stop to think about it, Jesus has a completely different kind of conversation with Zacchaeus who was also a rich man. For that matter, Jesus also has a different kind of conversation with the apostles. He tells the rich young man to “give up all your possessions.” He makes different demands upon Zacchaeus, and upon the apostles. The spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius offer a meditation which helps a person to embrace that which is “better.” Not everyone is equipped to embrace the kind of life that Jesus recommends to the rich young man or that which he demands of his apostles.

In order to discern what Jesus asks of each of us, we must cultivate a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and the Spirit’s promptings in our lives. Jesus deals with each of us differently, for Jesus knows what each of us needs to do in order to live a better life. Each individual is unique; it goes to reason that each individual must respond to the call to holiness in a unique way.

Jesus explains this by saying that for human beings what seems to be impossible, is possible for God for whom all things are possible. Jesus is the answer to any temptations we might have to seek attachments to material things. Jesus can make it possible for us to be detached from this world – a giving up of our material desires. With the help of Jesus, we can come to a deeper and intimate relationship with God and others – choosing the better path.