"What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

(11th Sunday after Pentecost) (Matthew 19:16-26)

Four years ago today, terrorists attacked New York City and Washington, D.C. Thousands of people were killed. We are still living with the aftermath today.

Two weeks ago today, Hurricane Katrina came ashore in the central Gulf Coast. Hundreds of people were killed; perhaps thousands. We will be living with the aftermath of this storm for years to come.

If nothing else, the remembrance of these events should stir us to consider anew the question with which the rich young man approaches our Lord Jesus Christ: What good thing shall I do, that I may inherit eternal life? This is in keeping with the instruction we have from the Fathers, who teach us that we must, without becoming obsessed with the idea, be ever mindful of the reality that each of us will, one day, depart from this life, and come into the presence of God, to give an account of how we lived, and be judged on that basis.

Who among us can say, with the rich young man, that we have kept all of the commandments of God from our youth? Who among us is not concerned at all about the things of this world, about ease and comfort that requires us to have many things? Such people are exceedingly rare. Now, you might say, “Father, I’m not rich.” Well, maybe you’re not like an actress I read about recently who, when she travels, requires a hotel room for her shoes, in addition to the suite she stays in (at a price of $3,500 a day); and who, while waiting for her luggage at an airport, had her purse stolen from her – with $200,000 of jewelry in it. OK, no one here is rich in that sense; but, in comparison to most of the people who have lived, and most of the people living now, we are rich: we live more comfortably, with more convenience and leisure, than most people have ever experienced. It is the material prosperity of our country and culture that leads people to hide in packing crates and shipping containers, or to walk through the desert, in an attempt to enter this country, and partake of the lifestyle we take for granted, all the while thinking that we need more before we can call ourselves, “rich.”

What must I do to inherit eternal life? Our Lord gives the rich young man the bottom line: Give up all that you have to benefit those in need, and follow me. Some of us are called to this ascetic path today – to give up everything, and follow Christ. Most of us are not capable of doing this in a literal way: if nothing else, we have others who are dependent upon us to provide them with the things necessary for life; we are not free to sell everything we have, and enter a monastery, or devote ourselves entirely to ministering to those in need. But we must still follow Christ; and we have, in the Orthodox way of life, the path and the means to do this. We must pray; we must fast; we must struggle against our passions, and labor to replace them with their opposing virtues – and we must give, so as to set ourselves free, at least in some way, from our possessions. We are called to give our tithes for the support of the Church; and we are called to make offerings for those in need – such as those who have lost everything in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Maybe we can’t yet part with every earthly possession; but we can make tithes and offerings, and so begin to do at least part of what is needed to allow us to follow Christ, rather than depart from Him in sorrow, as did the rich young man, whose possessions, we are told, were great.

Brothers and sisters: We do not know at what hour our life in this world will come to an end; and so we must develop in ourselves a sense that urgent preparation is needed, lest that day be today, and we be found lacking in what God requires of us. What must we do to inherit eternal life? We must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and God, and Savior; and this, not only in word, but also in deed. We must direct our lives so that what we say and what we do testify alike to the reality that Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives, and we are His servants. As His servants, we must do what He does: live without sin, and confessing our sins when we fall; we must be patient, and merciful, humble; we must love our neighbors, and so desire their salvation that we are willing to give of ourselves, of our time, our talents, and our treasures – that the hungry may be fed, the naked clothes, the homeless sheltered, and the sick and the prisoners be comforted. Our Lord calls us, as He called the rich young man: Be free of all your earthly possessions, and come, and follow Me.