Giving our all

THAT gospel story about a rich young man who asked Christ

how he can inherit eternal life (cfr. Mk 10,17-27) is a poignant

warning among the so-called good Christians who are already doing a

lot of good but still are unwilling to give all to God.

            It’s a story that effectively reveals what is truly inside

our heart. Is our heart really for God or is it actually just for

ourselves though it can be showy about being Godly? The man in the

gospel readily admitted that he had been observing the commandments,

as Christ articulated them again. But when he was told what he had to

do to merit eternal life, he could not take it.

            “You are lacking in one thing,” Christ told him. “Go, sell

what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in

heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this, the man’s face fell and went

away sad, for he had many possessions which he was unwilling to give

up.

            We have to be most wary of this scenario in our life,

which actually, and sadly, is quite common. There are good people who

are not truly good enough, because when the ultimate test is made,

they are not willing to give up all in order to have God.

            They forget what St. Teresa once said, “Solo Dios basta,”

(With God we have enough). They get too attached to the many good

things in their life such that these blessings from God are converted

into competitors of God themselves.

            They prefer a life in this world that is without

suffering, without self-denial, without the cross, as if a genuine

Christian life can be exempted from all these. It is as if they have

been born without original sin and have led their lives without

committing any sin at all.

            We have to be most careful with this most likely

phenomenon happening in our lives. Yes, we have to be well-guarded

against this temptation and do everything to combat it whenever,

wherever and however it arises.

            It would be a pity if after the many good things we may be

doing, we fail to pass the final test. We have to remember that love

is without measure. It is in its nature to give itself completely,

convinced that what seems to be lost would actually be regained a

hundredfold. In this, Christ has reassured us abundantly.

            We have to be wary of the tricks of the devil and of our

own wounded flesh that all try to block us in the last stretch in our

pursuit of love. They will try to convince us that we already have

given and done enough. We do not need to give more. They will try to

trick us to be self-satisfied with what we already have been giving

and doing.

            To be sure, to give ourselves completely to God and to

others is not easy. We need nothing less than the grace of God and our

generous and prompt correspondence to it. But it’s not impossible.

            We just have to learn to give ourselves to God and others

more and more each day. We can ask ourselves, for example, “Today,

what can I give more to God and to the others?” “What else have I been

keeping to myself rather than giving it away to God and to the

others?”

            For sure, we will have some answers to those questions and

start to act on them. In this way, the attitude and practice of giving

our all, even if in instalment basis, can be achieved.

            Let us look beyond our own comfort zones, and reach out to

others, conquering more areas of divine and human concerns out of

love. We will be repaid abundantly. God cannot be outdone in

generosity.