[Finding Hope in God’s Kingdom] Day 35 – A Stumbling Block to Finding Hope

Farmer of Hearts - Finding Hope in God’s Kingdom

During the previous day’s retreat, we explored the following questions: “Where do we invest our energy and life? What exactly are we asking of God?” Today, we continue this topic.

I hope you still remember that we previously talked about the Gospel story of the rich young man (cf. Matthew 19:16–26). After that story, there’s a short episode that is also worth reflecting on. The rich young man, unwilling to part with his possessions, failed to respond to Jesus' call and went away grieving.

Jesus then said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:23–27)

Peter then spoke up and said to Jesus: “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” (Matthew 19:27) (cf. Mark 10:28)

Jesus answered: “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29–30)

Here we see that even Peter, the chief of the apostles, couldn’t help but ask Jesus what the reward would be for following Him. Jesus wasn’t the least bit offended or displeased by the question. He didn’t rebuke Peter but instead responded seriously. His answer shows that if someone is willing to generously give up everything for His sake and for the sake of the Gospel, not only will they gain eternal life, but they will also receive a hundredfold reward even in this life! Of course, not everyone is called to give up everything to follow Jesus. But Jesus’ response teaches us that if we’re willing to let go of material things and worldly pleasures for His sake, God will never treat us unfairly in this life, in fact, He will reward us abundantly. In short, if we are generous with God, He will be even more generous with us. He is never outdone in generosity!

You might have noticed that Jesus even included “persecutions” as part of the reward! You may be thinking: No way!

This isn’t because Jesus purposely wants to make life hard for us. It’s because He knows that anyone who truly follows Him will face some level of rejection, resistance, opposition, exclusion, or even hatred and persecution from the world. This is actually unreasonable treatment, but because the followers love the Lord so deeply that they are willing to endure all kinds of persecution for His sake. This is why St. Paul the apostle firmly said in his second letter to Timothy, chapter 3, verse 12, “Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” This ties into what we discussed earlier, how suffering on our earthly pilgrimage is something that benefits us spiritually.

Let us remind ourselves once again that the foundation of the virtue of hope is trust in Christ’s promises. Our level of trust in God is reflected in how willing we are to let go of our dependence on worldly things, and how much we are willing to surrender our “possessions” in order to choose God. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

If our hearts are not with God, then we are not living in the Kingdom of God. As Jesus warned His disciples, the more we trust in riches, and the more we accumulate and cling to, the harder it is to enter God’s Kingdom (cf. Mark 10:24).

When we don’t yearn for or live in God’s Kingdom, we cannot find true hope. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines hope as follows: “Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1817)

No wonder the rich young man, unable to let go, ended up losing his hope, went away grieving. (cf. Mark 10:22)

Reflection

Do you have things in your life that you struggle to let go of, things that hinder you from responding to God’s call or seizing the opportunities He gives you? How would you like to begin changing that?

Where do you want your reward and your treasure to be? What are you really seeking?

Have you ever felt lost or even felt that your life has lost its meaning because you didn’t choose God or the path to His Kingdom? In prayer, ask God to show you the path He desires for you to take.

Today’s Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for once again drawing me into that moment of Your encounter with the rich young man, and allowing me to experience the tension between Your invitation and my attachments. My mind tells me I should choose You, but my weak will always prevents me from giving up what I possess. My reason tells me all of this comes from You and should rightfully be returned to You, but I still can’t let go.

I know this reveals my lack of trust in You, a lack of the security that should come from being rooted in You. That’s why I haven’t chosen You or the path You want me to take.

Lord Jesus, what should I do? Please fill in the gaps of my unbelief. Don’t let me remain stuck, wavering and indecisive, disappointing You once again!

Help me to follow St. Peter’s example, to dare to ask, to dare to seek, and to dare to accept the answer You give me, even if it’s not what I wanted. But because I love You, I am willing!

--------------------

Fundraising Appeal

Thank you for participating in this 40-day Lenten spiritual journey. We hope you have been inspired and have benefitted from it! For the spiritual benefit of all of you, Fountain of Love and Life devotes a lot of time and effort in producing various spiritual projects every year, and all our ministries are sustained by the generous donations of our supporters. We hope you will support us with prayers and donations. Please make an online donation using the button at the top of the website Lent.FLL.cc. Thank you very much for your support. God bless!

The following is the “Farmer of Hearts: Finding Hope in God’s Kingdom” team, including FLL staff and volunteers.
Please kindly pray for them. May God protect them and sustain their physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

Writer: Paul Yeung
Project Manager: Michael Lam, Rosa Tse
Editors: Bonny Chan, Rosa Tse
English Editors: Bonny Chan, Paul Yeung
Mandarin Editor: Anthony X.
Cantonese Narrator: Margaret Woo
English Narrator: J. Johnson
Mandarin Narrator: C. Zhou
Audio Editors: Cyan Cheung, Sander Lee, Margaret Woo
YouTube Editors: Arnold Chan, Cyan Cheung, Sander Lee
Graphics: Francis Lai, Carmen Tsang, Rosa Tse
Website: Patricia Young, Angela Wong
Podcast: Angela Wong
Social Media: Yollie Leung, Carmen Tsang, Rosa Tse

Theme Music:

"3 MINUTES RELAXATION MUSIC | 4K Scenic View of Tuscany" by Introvert Pianist https://www.youtube.com/@introvertpianist

“Sea of Memory” by Aakash Gandhi https://www.youtube.com/@88keystoeuphoria

★ Support this podcast ★