A story is told about a King who
gave out a challenge to all his subjects. He announced that anyone who can
cross a river full of crocodiles will be rewarded. The winner can choose either
One Billion Dollars or the hand of his beautiful daughter – the princess of the
kingdom.
On hearing it, the people were
challenged. The thought of glory and wealth brought great excitement on every
corner of the kingdom. But nobody volunteered because the challenge was just too
difficult. The river was so wide and the crocodiles were hungry and wild.
One day, however, a man leaped on
the cold and dangerous waters of the river. He swam so fast that the crocodiles
were not able to catch him. He succeeded in crossing to the other side! The
king, then, rewarded him for such an incredible feat. “What will you choose?”
asked the king – One Billion Dollars or the hand of my beautiful daughter?
The guy replied: “I have no need
of your rewards, O king. I just want to know.. who pushed me to jump into the
river?”
One lesson we can learn from this
Sunday’s Gospel (Mk 9:38-48) is Paying the Price. Jesus tells us, his
disciples, of a very challenging demand. To paraphrase his words, He says: If
your hand causes you to sin or your foot lead you to evil, cut it off. Better
go maimed or crippled in heaven than be in hell. If your eye will lead you
astray, pluck it out. Better go blind than lose your soul.
Definitely, Jesus did not mean
these words to be literal. He was actually using a hyperbole to make a point
about sin. As in other teachings of Jesus, he would use exaggerated and
forceful language to make an unforgettable image in the mind of his listeners. In
history, though, Church historian Eusebius of Ceasarea (263-339 AD) reported
that Origen – a brilliant writer and 3rd century Christian thinker
castrated himself after reading Mt. 19:12. Being the son of the martyr St.
Leonides, he played a great influence on Greek monasticism. This was never the
point of Jesus.
Jesus wanted to teach us two
things:
1.
There is a
need to pray the price to enter heaven.
In a similar way, if one would
like to enjoy, relax and see a movie, one has to pay the entrance fee. Last
week, I was invited to a blessing of a new condominium at Fuente Osmena. It is
just beside Crown Regency – the tallest building in Cebu City. The condo’s location is on the 27th
floor way up above the skies. As I observed, it is not very spacious but its very
elegant with two bedrooms, a sala and kitchen. Its exhilarating height gives
you a panoramic view of Mactan Island and the sea. How much does it cost? P12.5
Million. Heaven costs even more!
There are certain demands to go
to heaven. We need certain spiritual attitudes. Jesus speaks of sacrifice and
self denial. He strikes us deeply by suggesting that whatever causes us to sin
should be removed in us. He cautions us to cast away what is causing us to sin
and even sever the connection. It can also mean taking ourselves out of the
situation because for Jesus spiritual health is more important than physical
wellbeing.
2.
There is a
need to choose a greater good.
In order to choose Jesus, we need
faith and love. Faith is needed to believe that we have chosen rightly. It is
believing that God will reward our choice. We also need love. Much love is
needed for us to overcome courageously all the demands of following Jesus. Love
bears all things, believes all things and endures all things. Love never fails.
October 1st is the
feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. She found, in her own little way, a
path of childhood that will lead to heaven. She chose the path of love. In her
autobiography “The Story of a Soul,” she wrote: "Love proves itself by
deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way
I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little
sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for
love." For her, it was enough to “rejoice to be little because only
children will be admitted to the heavenly banquet.” Such is her path of
childhood and her way of love.
Let us ask Jesus to shower us with more faith and love so that we can
pay the price for heaven.
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