Annointment

It is rare for me to be moved during homily, but this parish priest in our small church has consistently gotten through to my sensibilities for all those times I've heard his sermons.  He is a brilliant speaker in the vernacular and knows exactly how to drive his point.

This evening he talked about how this rich man approached Jesus and asked what he needed to do to gain eternal life, and Jesus replied that he should sell everything he has and follow Christ.  The rich man, saddened, left and Jesus told his disciples that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.  Preachy stuff.  Anyway, the priest told the handful of people who attended that everyone is given his/her own spiritual challenge and asked that we examine our lives and figure out what is holding us back from achieving eternal life.  Sins, material possessions, mistakes in the past, were some of the few things he mentioned.

And when I tried to examine my life in this context, I couldn't find an answer.  Sure I thought of the usual things, which I saw as human needs - the need to acquire material things, the fear of being poor, sex, my dreams and aspirations.  Despite these things having weight, I did not feel fully convinced of my answers.  Personally, I think we were placed in this world to experience how it is to be human.  I couldn't stop thinking that even if there is life after death, how significant is our earthly existence in the greater scheme of eternity?