QUENCHING THE THIRST FOR «MORE»
Wisdom 7:7-11; Hebrews 4:12-13; Mark 10:17-30
In “The Success Syndrome”, Steven Berglas writes that individuals who “suffer” from success crave more. He cites the case of Dennis Levine, who was convicted of insider trading in the 1980s. Levine did not need the money from insider trading but said that when his income was $100,000, he hungered for $200,000; when he was making $1 million, he hungered for $3 million. Berglas comments: “People, who find that $200,000 did not make them happy, strangely never ask themselves why they thought $300,000 would make them happy… but keep craving for more.”
None of us are big-league cravers, but all of us are constantly seeking more. This desire for “more” is at the heart of today’s liturgy.
The young man in the gospel comes to Jesus seeking something more. He has kept the commandments and led a righteous life. Deep down he knows something is missing. How can he fill this void? Jesus’ solution: “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor…; then come follow me.”
But the man fails in his quest for “more” on three counts:
First, he had many possessions. He is “rich” not because he is wealthy but because he is dependent on himself and his resources.
Second, he lived selfishly. He was rich but was unwilling to share his resources.
Third, he fails to understand the incomparable grace of following Jesus. He is unlike Solomon, who (in the first reading) discovers that Wisdom is superior to all else in his life.
Like Dennis Levine and the young man, we constantly want more.
How do I quench this desire for more: with people? with things? with gadgets and gizmos? with habits and addictions?
What are my “possessions”? It might seem strange but clinging to worries/frustrations; unhappiness/ inferiority… could well be my “possessions”!
Today’s liturgy reminds us that our craving for “more” can be satisfied only by God.
Berglas’ prescription for a cure for the success syndrome: “What’s missing in these people is deep commitment or religious activity that goes far beyond just writing a check to a charity.” What’s missing, in a word, is God!
Blaise Pascal puts this beautifully: “There is a vacuum in the heart of every man [and woman]; a God-shaped vacuum which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus”!
May I allow God to fill the vacuum in my heart; may I quench my thirst for more with him and his love.
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