“The word of God is living and effective, sharper than
any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit,
joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts
of the heart” (Heb 4:12), our second reading today tells us.
Words themselves have great power. With words, we can
share our minds or persuade others. Well-chosen words can
leave a lasting impact on someone. If you don’t believe
that a person’s words can endure far beyond his own death, just
make a visit to a library.
If normal human words have such power, then how much powerful is
the word of God. To see this, we need look no further than
Christ’s words in today’s Gospel. The rich young man runs
up to Jesus, eager to learn from him what he must do to inherit
eternal life. Their Conversation ensues, until Our Lord
looks at the young man with love and says, “You are lacking in
one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give it to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
“The words of the Lord pierce through the rich young man’s soul
like a two-edged sword. He can choose to act on this word
or not, but he cannot remain indifferent. He can either
follow the Lord with his whole being, or he can walk away
sad. Unfortunately, he chose the latter.
Jesus’ words were spoken once, at that precise moment in
history. Yet, they have continued to resound throughout
the centuries, with the very same power they had when he first
spoke them. Countless saints have heard those same words,
and, unlike he rich young man, they have chosen to leave behind
everything to follow the Lord.
A great example is St. Anthony of the Desert, who lived in Egypt
in the third and fourth centuries. He lost his parents
when he was about 18 or 20 years old, and he was left to care
for his younger sister. One day, as he was walking to Mass, he
happened to be thinking about how the apostles left behind
everything to follow Christ when he called them.
With an exhilarating thought, and what a blessed life.
This was in his mind when he walked into Mass. And that
day, he heard the same words of Christ that we hear in today’s
Gospel: “If you want to ‘be perfect, go and sell all you have
and give the money to the poor; you will have riches in
heaven. Then come and follow me.”
He felt that the words of the Gospel had been spoken directly to
him. Like a two-edged sword, those words pierced his
soul. He immediately gave away the property he had
inherited, sold his other possessions, and gave the money to the
poor. He gave a portion of it to provide for his younger
sister, and he entrusted her to the care of holy women her to
the care of women in a convent.
As for himself, he began a life as a hermit in the desert of
Egypt. He sought to follow Christ by a life of prayer,
asceticism, meditation on the words of Sacred Scripture, and
spiritual combat with demons, in imitation of Christ who
conquered Satan’s temptations in the desert. He learned to
live free of those possessions that can distract us from
God. He learned to live with God alone.
The transformation wrought by the grace of God was apparent in
Anthony. People came to him seeking wisdom. They
recognized real holiness in him and even miraculous healing
power in his intercession. The word of God, the Gospel
that Anthony heard that one day at Mass, changed his life
forever. And the word of God continued to charge his life
as he meditated on it in the desert.
Do we read the word of God expecting to be changed by it?
Do we come to Mass expecting that the Lord will speak to
us? Do we have an open disposition to the Lord’s words,
willing and ready; to be transformed by them? Whether
or
not God is calling you to live as a hermit in the desert like
St. Anthony, there is no question that he desires to raise you
to the heights of sanctity. And for that, radical
transformation is necessary. What attachments are holding
you back from that? Are you willing to let them go, or
will you walk away sad like the rich young man?