Sermon from 11 October 2015
FIRST READING
Proverbs 7:7–11
I prayed, and understanding was granted to me; I called out, and the spirit of wisdom came upon me. I chose
her sceptres and thrones, and regarded wealth as nothing in comparison with her:
I did not compare the gem to her, because in her presence all gold is but a trifle
sand, whilst silver is but dirt in comparison to her. I came to love her more than health and beauty, and
chose it over light, for its light is unquenchable. And along with it came
All good things and untold riches come to me through her hands.
SECOND READING
Hebrews 4:12–13
The Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any double-edged sword: it penetrates
to the very division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and judges thoughts and intentions
the hearts. And there is no creature hidden from Him, but all things are laid bare and open before His eyes
Him: We’ll give him a report.
THE GOSPEL
Mark 10:17–30
At that time: As Jesus was setting out on his journey, a man ran up to him, knelt before him and
asked him: ‘Good Teacher! What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus
said to him: ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. Do you know
The Commandments: ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery’; ‘Thou shalt not kill’; ‘Thou shalt not steal’; ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness’; ‘Thou shalt not
‘Honour’; ‘Honour your father and your mother’. He replied to Him, ‘Teacher, all these
which I have kept since my youth. Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One
You are lacking: go, sell everything you have, and give the proceeds to the poor; and you will have
a treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me, taking up your cross. But he, feeling embarrassed by
Having said this, he went away sad, for he had a large estate. And, looking
There, Jesus says to his disciples: ‘How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter into
The Kingdom of God! The disciples were horrified by His words. But Jesus replied to them once more:
Children! How hard it is for those who hope for riches to enter the Kingdom of God! It is easier
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. They
were greatly astonished and said to one another, ‘Who then can be saved?’ Jesus,
Looking at them, he said: ‘This is impossible for human beings, but not for God; for all things are possible with God.’
Then Peter began to speak to Him: ‘Look, we have left everything and followed You.’ Jesus said
In reply: Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left home, or brothers, or sisters,
or his father, or his mother, or his wife, or his children, or his land, for My sake and for the sake of the Gospel, and has not received
if only now, at this time, amidst persecution, there were a hundred times more homes, and brothers, and sisters, and
fathers, and mothers, and children, and the earth, and in the age to come, eternal life.
Can we calmly look another person straight in the eye: in
in the eyes of parents, children, fellow churchgoers, and neighbours on the same block of flats
in a cell, our fellow passengers on public transport, our colleagues at work, in general
to a stranger, a friend, a girlfriend, etc.? We know that if we
Our intentions are pure; if our conscience is clear, then we can rest assured
to look our neighbour in the eye. But if we feel guilty towards them, if
we’re trying to deceive him if we’re trying to do him harm –
It is by no means always that we can look him straight in the eye, calmly. Children
They often blush when, having done something wrong by their parents, they are unable to
look someone in the eye. This is one of the most popular teaching methods:
A child has done something wrong, and his parents ask him: ‘Did you do it or not? And
‘Come on, be honest, look me in the eye.’ And the child starts to look away,
begins to blush. Yes, only with a pure heart can one look calmly into
look into your neighbour’s eyes, and in that gaze there will be sincerity; in that gaze there will be
love. But can we look into the eyes of Jesus Christ with the same sincerity,
…with a clear conscience, too? The hero of today’s Gospel reading, judging by
text, he managed to do so. What is more, he fell to his knees before the great
A teacher came up to Him and asked Him… And he asked a very important question: ‘What
‘What must one do to inherit eternal life?’ This is an extremely important question. This
The man didn’t even ask for anything: healing, the casting out of spirits; he didn’t ask for anything—
anything specific. Nor did he ask about the interpretation of the Torah, the Law, and yet
Disputes over the interpretation of the Law and the Commandments were widespread amongst
Jews: which commandment is the most important, and how should one interpret this or that one
a commandment? After all, the Torah is precisely the source of true wisdom, in
Obeying the commandments is the source of salvation. One might think that this was
is well known to the Jews. But, apparently, such things were not enough for this man
statements. That is why he rightly turns to Jesus with the most important
the question of human life: ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’
'eternal?' It would seem that he had received an answer to this question, in principle, along the lines of
Jewish tradition. But this man realises that something is missing. After all,
He observed these commandments in a formal sense, as we heard in the Gospel. Not
did not commit murder, did not commit adultery, did not steal, did not bear false witness, honoured
his parents – he seemed to be a good, decent person, a person
of good will, to put it in modern terms. A person with whom
It’s a pleasure to deal with them, because we love meeting people like that –
A normal, likeable person. But there’s one problem. What exactly is this
What is the problem? At first glance, it might seem that this is because
He possessed material wealth. Yes, he was rich, as is evident from the Gospel, and
Naturally, it was difficult for him to turn down such wealth. But that’s not quite it
a superficial view. It is not about wealth as such, but about
attachments. That is the root of this person’s problem. The root
The problem is that he wasn’t free enough. It turns out that it’s possible to
to look another person in the eye, and even then not to be
quite free. You could say to God: ‘I’m a good person, after all; I’m
‘Lay me on the altar right now, say Holy Mass over me – I am a saint!’ And often many
The parishioners think of themselves like this: ‘Well, I haven’t stolen anything, I haven’t killed anyone, and that’s all.’ But as for
Come to think of it – are we truly free? Only
A free person is capable of looking at things with complete sincerity and love
to look into Jesus’ eyes and to look into the eyes of one’s neighbour. And that is why the hero
In today’s passage, he could not bear the Saviour’s loving gaze.
It turns out that, in order to look Jesus in the eye, one must truly
to free oneself from attachments. In our lives, there may be the very
various attachments. Yes, we need the blessings of this world: food,
water, fresh air; we need a home, we need clothes; we need
spiritual blessings – our human dignity, our good name; we
We also need a peaceful sky. We need all of this; this is
There is absolutely no doubt about that. But there is a certain hierarchy amongst these benefits, these values.
What is most important to me? Last week, at the centre
‘Pokrovskie Vorota’ hosted the presentation of the Pope’s new encyclical, *Laudato si’*.
This is an encyclical that has already been described as ‘environmental’, i.e. concerning environmental issues
problems. But strictly speaking, the encyclical is not just about that; in my
In his speech, he sought to convey precisely this idea. The encyclical is about
values: what is more important to us in life – building
a pulp mill, or protect, say, a lake? To build
Build a reservoir, or save the village by not flooding it? And so on, and so
Furthermore, it is difficult to answer these questions. It is not possible to give a definitive answer straight away
It’s not easy. But in our own lives, too, we can’t always provide quick, definitive answers
to many questions. However, this does not mean that we should not
to respond. And that is our main problem. We, as Christians, are called to and
are obliged to make certain decisions at all times – decisions that carry responsibility. To make
A choice: what really matters most to us? Today’s featured person
he felt that, after all, the wealth he possessed meant something to him
is more important than following Jesus. Following Jesus is difficult, which is why Jesus
and exclaims: ‘It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than
‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.’ The eye of a needle – that was the name of one of the
entrances in the wall of Jerusalem. It was so small that, of course,
The camel simply could not get through, which is why Jesus uses this metaphor.
So what do the pupils say? ‘What are we supposed to do, then? After all, we’re still…’
We are bound by certain values; we are imperfect human beings; we cannot
Just to drop everything and head off into the unknown. What exactly should I do? Who on earth
‘Can anyone be saved, then?’ And here Jesus gives us hope and instils great
hope: ‘People can’t do that’… Yes, no matter how kind we may be,
were, no matter how much we shouted about it on every street corner and on every TV channel,
that we’re moral, that we have spiritual values, that we have who-knows-what – all of it
Even so, we won’t be saved by it. And that’s the most important thing. A person cannot, on their own,
We can never be saved. With God all things are possible, but not with man. We read about this in the Gospel
We have heard that God’s help – His grace – is necessary for salvation. God has no
Nothing is impossible, and this is the central message of today’s Liturgy of the Word –
that God Himself grants us grace. When they come to catechism classes, especially
To those who can’t attend for long, I simply tell them the most important truths
faith; one of these fundamental truths of faith is that salvation without
It is impossible to earn grace, no matter how good we may be. Only then
our good deeds will have meritum – a saving merit –
when they are performed whilst in a state of grace. Therefore, the Christian’s path is –
This is the path to attaining grace, to living in this grace of God. And this is
true wisdom, the wisdom we heard about in the first reading
from the Liturgy of the Word, taken from the Old Testament: ‘I prayed, and it was granted to me’
‘I called out to understanding, and the spirit of wisdom came upon me.’ What does ‘the spirit’ mean?
‘Has wisdom come down upon us?’ What are we seeking—true wisdom?
God’s. This wisdom does not lie in our managing to do without
preparing to sit an exam at short notice, but the wisdom lies in the fact that we
lived in a state of God’s grace, so that we might recognise the priorities in
our lives, our hierarchy of values. What is more important to us, what
is less important? Only then can we, with a clear conscience, and
To look into the eyes of both God and our neighbour with a pure heart. Amen.
Proverbs 7:7–11
I prayed, and understanding was granted to me; I called out, and the spirit of wisdom came upon me. I chose
her sceptres and thrones, and regarded wealth as nothing in comparison with her:
I did not compare the gem to her, because in her presence all gold is but a trifle
sand, whilst silver is but dirt in comparison to her. I came to love her more than health and beauty, and
chose it over light, for its light is unquenchable. And along with it came
All good things and untold riches come to me through her hands.
SECOND READING
Hebrews 4:12–13
The Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any double-edged sword: it penetrates
to the very division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and judges thoughts and intentions
the hearts. And there is no creature hidden from Him, but all things are laid bare and open before His eyes
Him: We’ll give him a report.
THE GOSPEL
Mark 10:17–30
At that time: As Jesus was setting out on his journey, a man ran up to him, knelt before him and
asked him: ‘Good Teacher! What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus
said to him: ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. Do you know
The Commandments: ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery’; ‘Thou shalt not kill’; ‘Thou shalt not steal’; ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness’; ‘Thou shalt not
‘Honour’; ‘Honour your father and your mother’. He replied to Him, ‘Teacher, all these
which I have kept since my youth. Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One
You are lacking: go, sell everything you have, and give the proceeds to the poor; and you will have
a treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me, taking up your cross. But he, feeling embarrassed by
Having said this, he went away sad, for he had a large estate. And, looking
There, Jesus says to his disciples: ‘How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter into
The Kingdom of God! The disciples were horrified by His words. But Jesus replied to them once more:
Children! How hard it is for those who hope for riches to enter the Kingdom of God! It is easier
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. They
were greatly astonished and said to one another, ‘Who then can be saved?’ Jesus,
Looking at them, he said: ‘This is impossible for human beings, but not for God; for all things are possible with God.’
Then Peter began to speak to Him: ‘Look, we have left everything and followed You.’ Jesus said
In reply: Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left home, or brothers, or sisters,
or his father, or his mother, or his wife, or his children, or his land, for My sake and for the sake of the Gospel, and has not received
if only now, at this time, amidst persecution, there were a hundred times more homes, and brothers, and sisters, and
fathers, and mothers, and children, and the earth, and in the age to come, eternal life.
Can we calmly look another person straight in the eye: in
in the eyes of parents, children, fellow churchgoers, and neighbours on the same block of flats
in a cell, our fellow passengers on public transport, our colleagues at work, in general
to a stranger, a friend, a girlfriend, etc.? We know that if we
Our intentions are pure; if our conscience is clear, then we can rest assured
to look our neighbour in the eye. But if we feel guilty towards them, if
we’re trying to deceive him if we’re trying to do him harm –
It is by no means always that we can look him straight in the eye, calmly. Children
They often blush when, having done something wrong by their parents, they are unable to
look someone in the eye. This is one of the most popular teaching methods:
A child has done something wrong, and his parents ask him: ‘Did you do it or not? And
‘Come on, be honest, look me in the eye.’ And the child starts to look away,
begins to blush. Yes, only with a pure heart can one look calmly into
look into your neighbour’s eyes, and in that gaze there will be sincerity; in that gaze there will be
love. But can we look into the eyes of Jesus Christ with the same sincerity,
…with a clear conscience, too? The hero of today’s Gospel reading, judging by
text, he managed to do so. What is more, he fell to his knees before the great
A teacher came up to Him and asked Him… And he asked a very important question: ‘What
‘What must one do to inherit eternal life?’ This is an extremely important question. This
The man didn’t even ask for anything: healing, the casting out of spirits; he didn’t ask for anything—
anything specific. Nor did he ask about the interpretation of the Torah, the Law, and yet
Disputes over the interpretation of the Law and the Commandments were widespread amongst
Jews: which commandment is the most important, and how should one interpret this or that one
a commandment? After all, the Torah is precisely the source of true wisdom, in
Obeying the commandments is the source of salvation. One might think that this was
is well known to the Jews. But, apparently, such things were not enough for this man
statements. That is why he rightly turns to Jesus with the most important
the question of human life: ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’
'eternal?' It would seem that he had received an answer to this question, in principle, along the lines of
Jewish tradition. But this man realises that something is missing. After all,
He observed these commandments in a formal sense, as we heard in the Gospel. Not
did not commit murder, did not commit adultery, did not steal, did not bear false witness, honoured
his parents – he seemed to be a good, decent person, a person
of good will, to put it in modern terms. A person with whom
It’s a pleasure to deal with them, because we love meeting people like that –
A normal, likeable person. But there’s one problem. What exactly is this
What is the problem? At first glance, it might seem that this is because
He possessed material wealth. Yes, he was rich, as is evident from the Gospel, and
Naturally, it was difficult for him to turn down such wealth. But that’s not quite it
a superficial view. It is not about wealth as such, but about
attachments. That is the root of this person’s problem. The root
The problem is that he wasn’t free enough. It turns out that it’s possible to
to look another person in the eye, and even then not to be
quite free. You could say to God: ‘I’m a good person, after all; I’m
‘Lay me on the altar right now, say Holy Mass over me – I am a saint!’ And often many
The parishioners think of themselves like this: ‘Well, I haven’t stolen anything, I haven’t killed anyone, and that’s all.’ But as for
Come to think of it – are we truly free? Only
A free person is capable of looking at things with complete sincerity and love
to look into Jesus’ eyes and to look into the eyes of one’s neighbour. And that is why the hero
In today’s passage, he could not bear the Saviour’s loving gaze.
It turns out that, in order to look Jesus in the eye, one must truly
to free oneself from attachments. In our lives, there may be the very
various attachments. Yes, we need the blessings of this world: food,
water, fresh air; we need a home, we need clothes; we need
spiritual blessings – our human dignity, our good name; we
We also need a peaceful sky. We need all of this; this is
There is absolutely no doubt about that. But there is a certain hierarchy amongst these benefits, these values.
What is most important to me? Last week, at the centre
‘Pokrovskie Vorota’ hosted the presentation of the Pope’s new encyclical, *Laudato si’*.
This is an encyclical that has already been described as ‘environmental’, i.e. concerning environmental issues
problems. But strictly speaking, the encyclical is not just about that; in my
In his speech, he sought to convey precisely this idea. The encyclical is about
values: what is more important to us in life – building
a pulp mill, or protect, say, a lake? To build
Build a reservoir, or save the village by not flooding it? And so on, and so
Furthermore, it is difficult to answer these questions. It is not possible to give a definitive answer straight away
It’s not easy. But in our own lives, too, we can’t always provide quick, definitive answers
to many questions. However, this does not mean that we should not
to respond. And that is our main problem. We, as Christians, are called to and
are obliged to make certain decisions at all times – decisions that carry responsibility. To make
A choice: what really matters most to us? Today’s featured person
he felt that, after all, the wealth he possessed meant something to him
is more important than following Jesus. Following Jesus is difficult, which is why Jesus
and exclaims: ‘It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than
‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.’ The eye of a needle – that was the name of one of the
entrances in the wall of Jerusalem. It was so small that, of course,
The camel simply could not get through, which is why Jesus uses this metaphor.
So what do the pupils say? ‘What are we supposed to do, then? After all, we’re still…’
We are bound by certain values; we are imperfect human beings; we cannot
Just to drop everything and head off into the unknown. What exactly should I do? Who on earth
‘Can anyone be saved, then?’ And here Jesus gives us hope and instils great
hope: ‘People can’t do that’… Yes, no matter how kind we may be,
were, no matter how much we shouted about it on every street corner and on every TV channel,
that we’re moral, that we have spiritual values, that we have who-knows-what – all of it
Even so, we won’t be saved by it. And that’s the most important thing. A person cannot, on their own,
We can never be saved. With God all things are possible, but not with man. We read about this in the Gospel
We have heard that God’s help – His grace – is necessary for salvation. God has no
Nothing is impossible, and this is the central message of today’s Liturgy of the Word –
that God Himself grants us grace. When they come to catechism classes, especially
To those who can’t attend for long, I simply tell them the most important truths
faith; one of these fundamental truths of faith is that salvation without
It is impossible to earn grace, no matter how good we may be. Only then
our good deeds will have meritum – a saving merit –
when they are performed whilst in a state of grace. Therefore, the Christian’s path is –
This is the path to attaining grace, to living in this grace of God. And this is
true wisdom, the wisdom we heard about in the first reading
from the Liturgy of the Word, taken from the Old Testament: ‘I prayed, and it was granted to me’
‘I called out to understanding, and the spirit of wisdom came upon me.’ What does ‘the spirit’ mean?
‘Has wisdom come down upon us?’ What are we seeking—true wisdom?
God’s. This wisdom does not lie in our managing to do without
preparing to sit an exam at short notice, but the wisdom lies in the fact that we
lived in a state of God’s grace, so that we might recognise the priorities in
our lives, our hierarchy of values. What is more important to us, what
is less important? Only then can we, with a clear conscience, and
To look into the eyes of both God and our neighbour with a pure heart. Amen.