Mar 3 2025

First reading Ecclesiasticus 17:20-28

Return to the Lord and leave sin behind

To those who repent, God permits return,

and he encourages those who were losing hope.

Return to the Lord and leave sin behind,

plead before his face and lessen your offence.

Come back to the Most High and turn away from iniquity,

and hold in abhorrence all that is foul.

Who will praise the Most High in Sheol,

if the living do not do so by giving glory to him?

To the dead, as to those who do not exist, praise is unknown,

only those with life and health can praise the Lord.

How great is the mercy of the Lord,

his pardon on all those who turn towards him!

Responsorial Psalm 31(32):1-2,5-7

Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the Lord imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the Lord,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
For this shall every faithful man pray to you
in time of stress.
Though deep waters overflow,
they shall not reach him.
Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.

Gospel Mark 10:17-27

Give everything you own to the poor, and follow me

Jesus was setting out on a journey when a man ran up, knelt before him and put this question to him, ‘Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You must not kill; You must not commit adultery; You must not steal; You must not bring false witness; You must not defraud; Honour your father and mother.’ And he said to him, ‘Master, I have kept all these from my earliest days.’ Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him, and he said, ‘There is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.

Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!’ The disciples were astounded by these words, but Jesus insisted, ‘My children,’ he said to them ‘how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were more astonished than ever. ‘In that case’ they said to one another ‘who can be saved?’ Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he said ‘it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God.’

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Loved

In the encounter between Jesus and the wealthy man, we read of Jesus’ unconditional love toward him. “Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him” even before the man responded to His invitation. Regardless of the outcome, the man was already fully loved. In the same way, each day, Jesus looks steadily at each of us and loves us without condition. In prayer, let us allow His gaze of love to sink deep into our hearts.

Only from the security of being deeply loved by Jesus can we have enough courage and trust to heed His invitation to love. He invites us to be free to love God and others, even if that means giving up the tangible worldly possessions we cling to for security or our intangible possessions like pride, worry, fear, etc. It is an invitation to love like Jesus. He was free to love others fully, even at the expense of His own life. By our human will and strength, “it is impossible; but not for God: because everything is possible for God.” Today, may we live and love freely with Jesus.

Reflective question:
Do I believe that Jesus loves me without condition?

Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.