TREASURE IN HEAVEN …
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Mark 10:21-22
Today’s Gospel reading contains this unsettling passage. Jesus is happy with us when we follow the commandments, but He’s calling us to aim even higher. What are we clinging to that makes us hesitate to give Him our all? It might be material goods, like the young man He spoke to in the Gospel; or it might be something else, like our comfort or our pride.
I love it when a priest points out in his homily that we don’t know the end of the young man’s story. Did he think it over and realize that he’d rather have Jesus than any of his possessions? Did he come running back later to joyfully tell Jesus he was ready to give up everything for Him? We have every hope that he came to his senses before too long!
And there’s hope for us, too, of course! Little by little, we practice letting go of the things that stand between us and Jesus. We donate money to those in need, we give up an hour or two of comfort to pray on the sidewalk, we decide to stop worrying about what others think of us. That’s so pleasing to Jesus and it’s good for us, too–we’re storing up treasure in Heaven! Jen
Keep Reading for Today’s Sidewalk Stories…
Vince, Rich, and George, 7-9 AM
I am blessed to have two brothers from my KoC council, who get it. Brothers Rich & George have been at my side, on behalf of the unborn, filling in the gaps as needed on more occasions than I could count. While we were praying this morning, I was thinking about the “Miracle of the Sun” which took place 107 years ago, today! I marveled at the beautiful weather we were having as the sun shone. As the shift was winding down, the rain rolled in. I shared my thoughts with Jen & Pat as we were preparing to pass the baton and said a quick prayer asking our Lord to bless Pat & Jen with the same weather. By the time I had gotten to Epiphany Church, the Sun was back out! So we had our own “Miracle of the Sun”! Praise God!
So grateful that Rich and George took the early shift this morning to pray with Vince! God bless all three of you!
Pat and Jen, 9-11 AM
It was wonderful to pray with Pat this morning. We went through all the mysteries of the Rosary, meditating on the Gospel beginning to end, and said a Chaplet of Divine Mercy, too. The Rosary Walkers added their prayers, interceding for all who have been affected by abortion and begging God to bring it to an end. Then we handed over the reins to wonderful volunteers, Don and John. They saved the day by offering to keep the vigil going without a team member to “manage” the shift. THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH!
Don and John, 11 AM-1 PM
Fairly light foot traffic most of the time. One older gentleman stopped when he saw the baby models. He thought they were fantastic and asked to take a picture of them with his phone. Also one other gentleman stopped and complimented us for being there because we save lives. He said he had a baby on the way so he was grateful for our witness to life.
Andrew, 1-3 PM
We had a great group from St Luke the Evangelist from 1:00-3:00. Prayed 15 decades of the Rosary and a Divine Mercy Chaplet. One positive comment from a young couple
Andy, 3-5 PM
Andy served by himself this afternoon. Please pray for Steve and Denise, his usual partners…Steve is in the hospital with a leg infection! Happily, Andy had the Jericho March to keep him company.
Mid-Point Jerich March…
