Dear Brothers and Sisters. Approaching God is a very serious manner. We should always strive to approach Him and learn from His teachings. His teachings are everywhere. If we look at the stars, they tell of His glory. If we look at the ocean, it tells the depth of His grace. If we look at the mountains, they tell of His height. Yes, creation speaks and if we take the time to listen and understand, we too will also learn.
Today we heard of a rich young man approach Jesus and asked Him, “What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” This young man approached Jesus sincerely asking for advice on how to enter into heaven and spend eternity with God. He approached Him as a student wanting to get taught. This is how we ought to approach God. Why? Because we also want to enter heaven and spend eternity with God being enlightened by His glory, to glory, to glory. If we think about it, these days are in someway no different than those days. Back in Jesus’s time the people were talking about this subject and we still do till this very day, what should I do to inherit eternal life.
Everyone wants to be saved and no follower of Jesus wants to be left behind and face what he will face, without the help of our Lord and Saviour. There are many formulas that people have developed to comfort themselves or to make them feel good about themselves. Some formulize that all I need is faith and I am saved. As long as I have faith, I will be in heaven when the light fades from my eyes. Some formulize that, because I deny my body comforts it is pleasing to God and therefore, He will forgive my sins. While still others believe that they are predestined to enter heaven. Nothing they can do can add or subtract to this, your either in or out. If you’re out, I would suggest eating and drinking for tomorrow you die. Many formulas.
The Orthodox Church’s approach is let us fulfill the commandments that Christ taught in the Gospels. We have heard one of His teachings today. Christ will speak to the young man only how the young man can understand, through the commandments of Moses. “If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” And the young, supposing he keeps all the commandments says, “which ones.” Jesus names the commandments. But the young man replies that He keeps them and there is nothing left for him to do. That, by the way he follows them, they justify him and perfect his love for God. “What do I still lack.” But these did not perfect or justify him. He was in danger of not entering eternal life because he had strange gods that were before him. What were these gods? Simply put it, they were things. Things that the young man acquired and developed an unhealthy love for them. In other words, he loved them more than God. Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Let go of your idols that you love more than Me and when you have done that, follow me. But how hard this is when we begin to love our possessions. You can just feel it when we read this lesson. Listen to this, when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. He realized that he had a fight on his hands that he was most likely not going to overcome. He was going to lose and he knew it and walks away sorrowful. He loved his possessions more than God.
What things do we love? Our house and cars, so that the payment chokes out our spiritual life, our lifeline to God. Our food, so that even to fast we cannot bear it. If we love our possessions and what we acquired so much that God comes second to it, we to will walk away imitating the young man. If we, at the end of each day, look at our receipts and examine them, we too will know who we love more, God or things.
How hard will it be for people, who love things so much that God is second, to enter into heaven. It will be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. To enter the kingdom of God is heaven, and it will be eternal. What shall I do that I may have eternal life? If only we would ask ourselves this question each morning we wake up. May we constantly keep this in mind. When the moment arrives and every word, action and deed and thought will be tested by fire, we will only at this time understand, what we truly loved. Before this time, we don’t know.
Listen to what St John Chrysostom says, “Nothing can darken and confuse human thought as a total attachment to the things of the present.” So many people nowadays tell me that it is so confusing. With no doubts and full confidence, I can say Chrysostom is right, our thoughts have become darkened and confused because of our attachment to things. We need things, roof, car, other things, but we begin to love things that will not love us back.
Let us hear some of the most encouraging words in the Gospel. “With men this is impossible, but with God all things arepossible.” You my brothers and sisters, as long as we depend on ourselves or our strength or will or desire. We will fail. This is only done through the grace of God. Not, I believe in God therefore all things are possible. No. But I will empty myself, and when I am empty I will receive grace, this grace transfigures me and what used to be impossible is now possible. With God all things are possible.