THE EYE OF A NEEDLE On a first glance, today’s Gospel may appear difficult to comprehend but with a little insight to the geography of Jerusalem, everything becomes clear. There are twelve gates to the city of Jerusalem and each of these gates had a name such as East Gate, Fountain Gate, Valley Gate, Sheep Gate, Fish Gate, etc and one of these gates was called the Eye of a Needle due to its size. In other words, a camel could actually pass through this gate but since the gate was really small, the camel would have to bend, squeeze, cry, kneel, push, struggle and may even require someone to pull it through. In fact, for the camel to come out of the other side, it must drop whatever load it is carrying, it has to stretch and force its way. From this understanding, the message of Jesus becomes very clear. For a man who is rich to enter heaven, he would have to drop his bag and baggage, that is, he has to become detached. Then, he would have to bend, squeeze, kneel, push and struggle. Wealth often comes with a feeling of pride, a feeling that one is greater than others, the feeling that one has achieved what others are still aspiring for and pride itself is a major obstacle for any camel to pass through that small gate. Only a camel who is willing to bend to the command of his rider will afford to attempt it. In the first reading, God condemns the prince of Tyre for his pride and arrogance. Due to his military prowess and abundant riches, this man had started seeing himself as a god, wiser than anyone that ever lived. God told him through the prophet Ezekiel that he shall go down and be killed by foreigners because of his pride. Dear friend, as much as we all desire the blessings of God that maketh rich and added no sorrow, let us refrain from pride and arrogance and bear in mind that unless we are detached from worldly riches, we cannot enter heaven. And anyone who has left Father and Mother, houses and riches for the sake of following Christ will surely be rewarded with eternal life. Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 04:40:57 +0000
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