October 10th - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Wis 7:7-11; Heb 4:12-13; Mk 10:17-30)
Wisdom was written in Greek about one hundred years before the coming of Christ. God hears the king’s pleas and bestows on him prudence and the “spirit of wisdom.” He sees that wealth and luxuries to not enrich his life in the ways that wisdom does. Holiness and wisdom often go hand in hand. Genuine holiness will tend to lead to wisdom, and genuine wisdom to holiness. We receive wisdom as the gift of the Holy Spirit at our Confirmation. Our Psalm asks “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” In Hebrews the word “heart” represents the mind, the place where a person weighs options and makes decisions. We should allow the story of Israel, its successes and failures, to examine our consciences and remind us of “the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.” In Mark’s time it was believed that the Ten Commandments were written on two tablets of stone that were given to Moses. The commandments of the first tablet related to the love of God, and the commandments of the second tablet related to the love of neighbor. When Jesus begins his answer to the rich young man by saying that God alone is good, Jesus is reminding him and us that love of God is the starting point of eternal life. Only God can accomplish our being saved.