There is that great movie starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson called The Bucket List. Two men who were dying but in temporary remission, one of them is rich so he decided to make out a list of the things they wanted to do before they died. In the middle of the movie there is an extremely beautiful scene. The Jack Nicholson character made the huge step and was reconciled with his daughter with whom he had been estranged for years. Then she showed him his little five-year-old grand-daughter. He gave her a hug and a kiss. When he left the house, he crossed off, “Kiss the most beautiful girl in the world.” So, The Bucket List is a good idea for us, an invitation to consider the things we want to do and need to do in our lives, a reminder of some other lists we need to compile. The question today’s readings ask us is simply, “What are the most important things on our lists?” In the first reading, Solomon responds to the invitation by God to ask for anything in return for his constructing the Temple in Jerusalem[1]. To the surprise of many, Solomon doesn’t ask for riches.  He asks for wisdom. Next to wisdom, he says, gold and silver are like mud. But when he possesses wisdom, the Wisdom of God, everything else comes to Him. In the gospel reading, the young guy is asked about his list.  He was sincere. He really wanted to have God’s life. He told Jesus he had kept the commandments all his life. Jesus knew he had and that’s why he offered him treasure in heaven.  What He said to the man shocked him.  It left the man in turmoil. Jesus told him to sell everything he had and give it to the poor, and then follow Him[2]. Jesus was offering the man a place among his apostles. The guy wasn’t ready for this. He was surprised, perplexed, and dismayed. So, what is on your list? What is on my list?  What is there that we could not live without? What is on that list that would leave us devastated if it were destroyed? If it is anything other than the lives of others, the presence of God in their lives and the Presence of God in our lives then we really don’t understand what it means to be a Christian! Some Catholics right now have lost everything they owned and are waiting to lose their lives. Others have refused to sacrifice their faith for the sake of advancing in business and are living far more frugally than ever but they possess all that matters in life: the friendship of Jesus Christ. So, the Liturgy of the Word today hit us to the core of our lives, it is an invitation to consider where we find meaning in life. All of us want to be happy. All of us want to live lives of meaning.  All of us want to finish our physical lives united to God.  To do all this we need to keep the priorities of life straight. God Himself will take care of the rest of our needs.  Solomon said that along with wisdom, all good things came to him. Jesus promises that those who live only for His sake and the sake of the Gospel will receive a hundred times more than they gave up in this age and eternal life in the next[3]. So, what is on our bucket lists, The Word of God, that two-edged sword, asks us today to consider where we are seeking happiness • AE

[1] Wis 7:7-11 [2] Mk 10:17-30 or 10:17-27 [3] Cf Mark 10:30.

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Fr. Agustin Schedule for Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Saturday, October 9, 2021.

3.30 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation

5.00 p.m. English Mass @ St. Dominic Catholic Church

Sunday, October 10, 2021.

7.30 a.m. English Mass @ St. Dominic Catholic Church

10.00 a.m. @ St. Dominic Catholic Church

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XXVIII Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo B)

Vivimos en una cultura donde tener es importante. Poco a poco el estilo de vida del hombre de hoy se ha ido orientando hacia el poseer. Para muchos es la única tarea rentable y sensata. Todo lo demás viene después. Ciertamente ganar dinero, poder comprar cosas y poseer toda clase de bienes produce bienestar. La persona se siente más segura, más importante, con mayor poder y prestigio. Pero cuando la vida se orienta en esa única dirección, el ser termina arruinándose. El tener no basta, no sostiene, no hace crecer. Sin darse cuenta, la persona va introduciendo cada vez más necesidades artificiales en su vida, olvidando poco a poco de lo esencial. Se rodea de objetos, pero se incapacita para la relación viva con las personas. Se preocupa de muchas cosas, pero no se fija en lo importante. Víctor Frankl hablaba del vacío existencial y de cómo, para desplegar su ser, el individuo necesita salir de sí mismo, servir a una causa, entregarse, amar a alguien, compartir. Es cierto: Sin esta autotrascendencia no hay verdadera felicidad. De este vacío no libera ni siquiera la religión cuando también ella se convierte en objeto de consumo. Y es que podemos vivir en una religión, pero con el corazón lejos de Dios. Podemos tener un magnífico catálogo de verdades que confesamos con los labios, pero podríamos no estar abiertos la verdad de Dios. Acumulamos méritos repitiendo mecánicamente momentos espirituales quasi-perfectos, pero quizá no estamos abiertos a amar de verdad. En el evangelio de este domingo un hombre que es rico se acerca a Jesús. No le pregunta por esta vida, pues la tiene asegurada. Lo que busca es que alguien – ¿Jesús? – le asegure la otra vida, la eterna. Jesús es claro: «Una cosa te falta: Ve y vende lo que tienes, da el dinero a los pobres y así tendrás un tesoro en los cielos. Después, ven y sígueme»[1]. A mí hoy me dice lo mismo, ¿seré capaz de mirarle a los ojos y responder algo? • AE

[1] Cf Mc 10, 17-30

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