Today,
the Gospel presents us —through two personages— a quality
the good disciple of Jesus must have: to dispense with all material
goods. Before, however, St. Matthew's text points out to a detail I
would not like to overlook: «When Jesus saw the crowd press
around him...» (Mt 8:18). Crowds gather around the Lord
to listen to his words, to be healed of their material and spiritual
sicknesses; they are seeking their salvation and a breath of eternal
Life amidst a world in conflict.
As at that time,
something similar happens in today's world: more or less consciously,
we, all, need God's help, to satiate our heart with true spiritual
goods, such as a better knowledge of Jesus Christ and a life of
friendship and love for Him. Otherwise, we risk tumbling into the
trap that fills out our heart with other “gods” giving no
meaning to our lives: mobile phones, Internet, tourist holidays to
the Bahamas, a frantic work to make more money, a better car than
your neighbour or a gym where to excel with the best figure of them
all... Right now, this is what is happening to many of us.
In sharp contrast,
though, John Paul II's outcry to the youth, full of force and
confidence, resounds: «It is possible to be both modern and
profoundly faithful to Jesus Christ». It is needed, for this,
as the Lord says, our breaking away with what may link us to a much
materialized way of life that serves no purpose other than closing
the doors to the Holy Spirit.
«The
Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head (...) Follow me» (Mt
8:22), says today's Gospel. And St. Gregory the Great reminds us:
«Let temporal things be used, while keeping eternal realities
in our desire; let earthly things be utilized for our trek, while
desiring the eternal ones for the end of our journey». This is
a good criterion to examine whether we are properly following Jesus.
