28th Sunday Ordinary (B)/Camel Enters the Eye of a Needle
 

Wisdom 7:7-11/ Ps 90:12-17/ Heb 4:12-13/ Mk 10:17-30
   
  Introduction
        There are two ways to go to heaven. Either you are so afraid of hell and always running away from it, and then suddenly you find yourself in heaven; or you love heaven too much that you keep on searching for it, and when you find it, you realized that you are saved away from hell. The first one has already been done by the rich man in the Gospel, but he is still asking Jesus how he can do the second one.  
   
  Background
 

For the last two centuries it has been common teaching that there is a gate in Jerusalem called “the Eye of the Needle.” It has big rounded top and narrow bottom which was shaped according to the body of a camel. When a camel was loaded it could hardly pass through it unless it stooped and first had all its baggage be removed. After dark, when the main gates were shut, travelers or merchants would have to use this smaller gate, through which the camel could only enter unencumbered and crawling on its knees!

 
     
  Reflections  
  1. To unload ourselves with many things challenges us to be poor (either spiritually or materially). Perhaps it is hard to be rich. They have so many obligations to attend to, so many bills to pay for and so many people to deal with. Perhaps 24 hours a day/7days a week is not enough just to maintain all their business demands. It is simply very hard for them to stop for an hour and simply focus all their attention to God, and to god alone.  
       
   

If entering into the Kingdom is being with God in prayer then it is very hard for them to enter into deep communion with the Divine. Unless we learn to “unload” ourselves of “sacks of worries and fears” and fall on our knees in deep humility, believing that we can not do it simply by ourselves, we can not enter into that “gate” of the “Eye of the Needle” in the life after.

 
       
  2. There is another technique that other traders used if they were having hard time to into that gate. They simply stop a longer time in front of the said gate and carefully arrange every piece of the loads on their camel. Then when they got the shape of the gate, then they can slowly pass through it.  
       
   

Therefore the rich people can still enter into the Kingdom of God as long as they know how to arrange their wealth properly. So when you are doing your monthly budget, don’t forget to arrange it well, by putting “God first!”

  
       
  3. He is a good man. He a devout Jew who faithfully follow the commandments of God. He is just, defraud no one and treat everyone fairly. Jesus looked at him with love. But there is still something that he is searching for “something is still lacking.” He approached Jesus asked him what he has to do next?  
       
   

He is good by doing no harm to others. When he called Jesus “good” Jesus answered, “Why do you call me good?” He has other meaning of being good, for Jesus good means not only to avoid sin but to do something good. When Jesus challenged him to sell all that he had and give it to the poor, he went away sad. He is “good” against “sin of omission,” but failed in the “sin of commission.”

  
       
  4. “Then who can be saved?”. . . “For human it is impossible but not for God.” Going in heaven is beyond human power, only the Son of God who came down from heaven can enter the Kingdom by his own power through his death. And only Jesus can share it freely as a gift, to anyone he chooses. Salvation is a grace and it can not be achieved by simply human effort.  
     
  Conclusion  
  Jesus is not simply asking us to leave everything behind, he is giving that great assurance, that if we know how to let go, we can gain them all back again . . . far better!