“MAY FOREVER BA?"

A personal reflection on Mark 10:17-30 (October 14, 2018)

I opened Facebook the other day & saw that twelve of my FB friends were celebrating their birthday. I opened the list to start greeting them. I was on Friend #3 when I suddenly realized that he passed away last year after a fatal heart attack. So I skipped him to move on to the next friend. I reached Friend #8 & remembered that cancer took her away several years back. When I was on Friend #11, I recalled how he passed away was 3 years ago due to a car accident. Wow! Three out of the 12 friends in the list has passed on. At lahat sila, below the age of 45 years old.

Life is short. We all know that. Well, to be exact - Life on EARTH is short. Walang forever sa mundong ito. That's the truth!

But why do we have this desire to live forever? That's what the man asked Jesus in today's Gospel when "a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" - Mark 10:17

Kahit noong panahon ni Kristo nais na ng tao na mabuhay habambuhay. Why do we want to live for eternity? The answer is simple. God designed us to live forever.

C.S. Lewis said that "If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

We were not meant to live forever in this world but to last for eternity in God's world. So what's the secret to living forever?

The answer that Jesus gave the man can be summed up in three points.

1. BE GOOD. It starts with you. In Mark 10:18 Jesus said to man, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” We are created in the image & likeness of God so we should God-like. Being good is being god-like. Every child takes on his or her father’s name. Every child of God should take on the Father’s characteristics. Aim higher than just being good. Go for sainthood. Jesus says in Matthew 5:48 "..be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
2. DO GOOD. It's all about how you treat others. In Mark 10:19, Jesus recites to the man the commandments. Simple lang naman ang mensahe ng mga utos ng Diyos. Be good. It will be hard to do because we are broken creatures. That’s why we rely on God because "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27). Every morning when you wake up always ask yourself - WHAT GOOD CAN I DO TODAY?
3. DON’T ACCUMULATE “GOODS”. Why collect things that you cannot bring outside this world? So instead of COLLECTING focus on GIVING. Jesus said in Mark 10:21 “..go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Do not treat money as evil. Instead treat is as a tool to show love to others.

Be good, do good & don’t accumulate “goods”. Starting today, aim to live for eternity. May you have a blessed week! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com