A sower went out to sow....

"How can I be truly happy?" Maybe it is also one of your questions ... questions also of many. Search in bookstores and you'll find many books written about it. It also asked by the rich young man in our Gospel this Sunday. "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" The "eternal life" if translated into our modern term is "happiness". Good man, law-abiding people ... none of the laws missed, but Jesus still sees something lacking. "You want to be happy? Sell all your possessions, give to the poor and follow me ..." Jesus surprised the young man for he is rich. But Jesus never changes his response; for him it is "deal or no deal?" The young man went away sad. Where lies our happiness? The wealth? The obedience to the law of God? Being "goody-goody Christian"? Jesus replied: “Let go all the "attachments" in our lives and follow Him ... deal or no deal?”

Jesus actually points out important elements of discipleship. Discipleship is not just about following the Commandments because, if memorizing and keeping the Commandments is the basis of being a disciple, then the rich man in the Gospel who has followed all the Commandments would have inherited eternal life.

Discipleship is about renunciation and sharing of goods and gifts with others. The rich man has kept the Commandments but has difficulty giving up his goods and sharing them with the poor.

Jesus defines discipleship as a total identity with the poor and the powerless. Discipleship is being free from material possessions and being willing to share with others with great love. In other words, discipleship is a professed faith manifested in action. But this is not an easy thing to do, especially when wealth and riches are involved.

Wealth is not a bad thing as long as it does not dominate a person and as long as it becomes a means to serve others who are in need. In fact, riches are given to some people to be shared with others because these others are their neighbors. At the end of the day, in the kingdom of God, we are all equal, all are dependent on God for salvation. In other words, it doesn’t make any difference whether one is rich or poor. However, those who have riches have the moral obligation to care for those who have nothing and failure to do this is clearly reflected in the image of the rich man in the Gospel: “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God.”

Jesus does not say that we cannot be wealthy, even the poor can also have the material things for their lives. This would mean that we should know what are the real values and priorities of our life. Wealth or property should not hinder our love for God and neighbor. God must be the first in our lives. The fulfillment of His will should be the first... deal or no deal?