Here is the text of the homily that I prepared and shared with those who came to pray with us today, inspired by the encounter a young man had with Jesus.
My grade 6 teacher had a great impact on my life because he saw potential in me and he did everything he could to encourage me to live up to it. He did the same for every one of the students in our class, and we have always loved him for that.
Jesus also had a gift for seeing the potential in people, and for encouraging them to live up to that potential. In the gospel account we have heard today, a man ran up to him, knelt before him and asked him, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life' (Mk 10:17). Jesus immediately welcomed his enthusiasm and saw great potential in him. He encouraged him by recalling the Commandments, the lessons that the young man – and all Jews – had learned from their early childhood (cf Mk 10:19) and the young man was eager to point out: I have kept all these from my youth (Mk 10:20). Like the good teacher that he was, Jesus looked at him, loved him, and then challenged him further: you lack one thing; go, sell what you have and give the money to the poor (Mk 10:21). We are told that the man was saddened by this advice, and that he walked away, but we do not know whether he ever came back, or whether that question continued to challenge him long after that encounter.
This is the way it goes whenever we encounter Jesus, whenever we express a desire to follow him: he welcomes our enthusiasm, he encourages us and then he challenges us to grow.
On many occasions, Jesus used this approach with his disciples too. After the enthusiastic young man had left them, Jesus turned to his disciples and challenged them with his observation: How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! (Mk 10:23). Up to this point, the disciples had understood that Jesus was preparing them for a new kingdom, but their concept of this kingdom was defined in terms of human understandings. Then, as if in answer to their questioning glances, he used a very intriguing comparison. He said: It is easier for a camel to go though the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God (Mk 10:25). This was Jesus’ way of saying to them and to us that entering into the kingdom of God is a free gift that is offered by God, for whom all things are possible (Mk 10:27).
Even today, Jesus offers us the gift of understanding, which is spoken of in the Book of Wisdom (cf Wis 7:7). Understanding is one of the gifts that is given at Confirmation: an ability to comprehend the world around us not in terms of earthly logic but by the light of heavenly guidance. It is this spiritual gift that allows us to recognize the face of Jesus in the poor, the sick, the orphan, the widow, the elderly, the weak, the refugee, in anyone who is in need of help ... and it is this gift of understanding that allows us to look beyond the limits of external power, prestige and beauty to discover the true potential that lies within every person.
This week, let us pray for the gift of divine understanding, and let us ask for the grace of being able to perceive the potential in those we meet, so that when our turn comes to render an account for the way we have lived our lives, we can honestly say that we sought out the face of Jesus in those we encountered.
Potential
My grade 6 teacher had a great impact on my life because he saw potential in me and he did everything he could to encourage me to live up to it. He did the same for every one of the students in our class, and we have always loved him for that.
Jesus also had a gift for seeing the potential in people, and for encouraging them to live up to that potential. In the gospel account we have heard today, a man ran up to him, knelt before him and asked him, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life' (Mk 10:17). Jesus immediately welcomed his enthusiasm and saw great potential in him. He encouraged him by recalling the Commandments, the lessons that the young man – and all Jews – had learned from their early childhood (cf Mk 10:19) and the young man was eager to point out: I have kept all these from my youth (Mk 10:20). Like the good teacher that he was, Jesus looked at him, loved him, and then challenged him further: you lack one thing; go, sell what you have and give the money to the poor (Mk 10:21). We are told that the man was saddened by this advice, and that he walked away, but we do not know whether he ever came back, or whether that question continued to challenge him long after that encounter.
This is the way it goes whenever we encounter Jesus, whenever we express a desire to follow him: he welcomes our enthusiasm, he encourages us and then he challenges us to grow.
On many occasions, Jesus used this approach with his disciples too. After the enthusiastic young man had left them, Jesus turned to his disciples and challenged them with his observation: How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! (Mk 10:23). Up to this point, the disciples had understood that Jesus was preparing them for a new kingdom, but their concept of this kingdom was defined in terms of human understandings. Then, as if in answer to their questioning glances, he used a very intriguing comparison. He said: It is easier for a camel to go though the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God (Mk 10:25). This was Jesus’ way of saying to them and to us that entering into the kingdom of God is a free gift that is offered by God, for whom all things are possible (Mk 10:27).
Even today, Jesus offers us the gift of understanding, which is spoken of in the Book of Wisdom (cf Wis 7:7). Understanding is one of the gifts that is given at Confirmation: an ability to comprehend the world around us not in terms of earthly logic but by the light of heavenly guidance. It is this spiritual gift that allows us to recognize the face of Jesus in the poor, the sick, the orphan, the widow, the elderly, the weak, the refugee, in anyone who is in need of help ... and it is this gift of understanding that allows us to look beyond the limits of external power, prestige and beauty to discover the true potential that lies within every person.
This week, let us pray for the gift of divine understanding, and let us ask for the grace of being able to perceive the potential in those we meet, so that when our turn comes to render an account for the way we have lived our lives, we can honestly say that we sought out the face of Jesus in those we encountered.
Le potentiel
Mon enseignant de 6e année a eu une grande influence sur ma vie, car il reconnaissait en moi du potentiel et il a tout mis en œuvre pour m'encourager à en faire autant. Il a fait la même chose pour chacun des élèves de notre classe et nous l'avons toujours aimé à cause de cela.
Jésus avait aussi le don de reconnaître le potentiel des gens et de les encourager à être à la hauteur d’eux-mêmes. Dans le récit évangélique que nous avons entendu aujourd’hui, un homme accourut et, tombant à ses genoux lui demanda: «Bon Maître, que dois-je faire pour avoir la vie éternelle en héritage (Mc 10,17). Jésus a immédiatement accueilli son enthousiasme et a vu un grand potentiel en lui. Il l'a encouragé en rappelant les commandements, les leçons que le jeune homme - et tous les juifs - avait apprises dès leur plus tendre enfance (cf Mc 10,19) ce que le jeune homme avait hâte de souligner: tout cela je l’ai observé depuis ma jeunesse (Mc 10,20). Comme le bon enseignant qu'il était, Jésus le regarda, l'aima et lui lança ensuite un défi: une seule chose te manque; va, vends ce que tu as et donne-le aux pauvres (Mc 10,21). On nous dit que l'homme était attristé par ce conseil et qu'il est parti, mais nous ne savons pas s'il est revenu de nouveau, ou si cette question a continué à le défier longtemps après cette rencontre.
C’est ainsi que nous vivons chaque rencontre avec Jésus, chaque fois que nous exprimons le désir de le suivre: il accueille notre enthousiasme, il nous encourage et ensuite il nous met au défi de grandir en soi-même.
À maintes reprises, Jésus a également utilisé cette approche avec ses disciples. Après que le jeune homme enthousiaste les ait quittés, Jésus s'est tourné vers ses disciples et leur a lancé un défi: Comme il sera difficile à ceux qui possèdent des richesses d’entrer dans le royaume de Dieu! (Mc 10:23). Jusque-là, les disciples avaient compris que Jésus les préparait à un nouveau royaume, mais leur conception de ce royaume était définie en termes de compréhension humaine. Puis, comme pour répondre à leurs regards interrogateurs, il utilisa une comparaison très intrigante. Il a dit: Il est plus facile à un chameau de passer par le trou d'une aiguille qu’à un riche d'entrer dans le royaume de Dieu (Mc 10,25). C’était ainsi que Jésus leur disait qu’entrée dans le royaume de Dieu est un don gratuit offert par Dieu, à qui tout est possible (cf Mc 10, 27).
Même de nos jours, Jésus nous offre le don de l’intelligence, dont on parle dans le Livre de la Sagesse (cf Sagesse 7,7). L’intelligence est l’un des dons de l’Esprit Saint donnés lors de la Confirmation: une capacité à comprendre le monde qui nous entoure, non pas en termes de logique terrestre, mais à la lumière de la sagesse céleste. C’est ce don spirituel qui nous permet de reconnaître le visage de Jésus chez les pauvres, les malades, les orphelins, les veuves, les personnes âgées, les faibles, les réfugiés, chez tous ceux qui ont besoin de notre appui ... et c’est ce don de l’intelligence qui nous permet de regarder au-delà des limites du pouvoir extérieur, du prestige et de la beauté visible pour découvrir le véritable potentiel de chaque personne.
Cette semaine, prions pour le don de l’intelligence divine et demandons la grâce de pouvoir percevoir le potentiel de ceux que nous rencontrons, de manière à ce que lorsqu’arrive notre tour pour rendre compte de la façon dont nous avons vécu notre vie, nous puissions honnêtement dire que nous avons cherché le visage de Jésus dans ceux que nous avons rencontrés.
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