To Enter, Keep.

Matthew 19:16-22 (NRSV) – The Rich Young Man

Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honour your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” The young man said to Him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

“What must I do to have?”

“To enter, keep.”

Eternal Life is not something we obtain, and certainly not the result of our good deeds. Rather, it has been given to us freely by the Father. To enter, we must simply remain. The Lord gave us the Commandments to help us, not to control us. They are a guide to Happiness, a way to life in Him: Eternal Life. When we rebel against the Commandments, we rebel against Christ. We turn away and deny His Love. Why? We are so caught up in pride, always thinking our “brilliant” plans of obtaining riches and success will lead us to Happiness. But we do not even understand what Happiness is.

Happiness is Life in Christ!

To turn away from Christ through sin will not lead us to Happiness, but to Despair. To hopelessness, fear, emptiness, death. When we stray away, God does not rejoice or feel indifference; His Sacred Heart aches for us. But He does not leave it at that and give up on us. He died for us! He sacrificed Himself for our sins. Of course, we are not forced to accept this courageous act of His Love. We still have the gift of free will and it is our choice to freely accept Him. Sometimes we don’t; we sin. We choose death. But Jesus still does not give up on us. He is waiting with open arms for us to return to Him. He gave us the sacrament of confession so that we may be absolved of our sins. No sin is too great that He cannot defeat, that He cannot rid from your soul. The devil wants you to think that you are worthless, that God would never Love you after what you did. God Loves you now! He always has. And He always will. He is not denying us His Love; we are denying His Love. Go back to Him. Go to confession. Repent of your sins. Allow Jesus to cast them away. Be made new. In Him. You are called to sainthood. Respond to that calling. Jesus is with you. Be with Him. To enter, keep.