"What must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Ask yourself that question...what must you do?
Is it about attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days?
Is it about following the Ten Commandments?
Is it about being good to others?
Those are a good start, but Jesus invites you to go deeper. Just like that man who approaches Him, He comes to you. He asks something similar of you. But it might not be the same thing.
Jesus asked that man to give up his "things", but Jesus might be asking you to give up something else...but what?
Essentially, Jesus is asking you to give up whatever is keeping you from loving Him, and serving others.
One of my favorite speakers Father Dave Pivonka writes this:
"Before he was free to follow Jesus, the rich young man needed to rid himself of the things that kept him from totally following Jesus. For this young man, it was his riches. For others it is fear, insecurity, anxiety, control, selfishness, pleasure, reputation, or certain relationships. Other people feel they can’t follow Jesus because of their addictions, sins, or past mistakes. There are all kinds of things that prevent us from following Christ. The question we must answer is what is Jesus asking of us? What is he asking of you? What’s keeping you from saying “yes” to Jesus right now? What must we get rid of in order to follow him?
(Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR. "Living Metanoia".)
What is keeping you from inheriting Eternal Life?
The things that hold us back from Jesus are often times tied to our sinfulness and woundedness. These are things that can make us feel "trapped" in a tomb of sin, but Jesus wants to free us from that tomb, like He did for Lazarus.
Father Dave gave this powerful talk a few years ago at a Steubenville Youth Conference and it reminds us that if we can leave behind what keeps us from Christ, He will bring us to Himself but it is up to us, and no one else. Take a few minutes and watch it and consider what you can do to offer yourself the greater gift of faith, and even offer someone else a witness of faith.
