Love... lived in service: “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

This past weekend I was blessed to travel to Tampa, Florida to visit friends of mine. I attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church for mass on Sunday, a parish run by the Holy Name Province in downtown Tampa.

The above quote is from the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 10, which was read this past Sunday. If you've ever been to mass, you've probably heard this reading. We hear it all the time, especially among Franciscan circles (who inordinately (just kidding) value poverty). The man to whom Jesus is speaking, we find out, leaves saddened by the newest commandment of discipleship from the Messiah.

While agreeing that “possessions” means tangible, the visiting priest equally argued that perhaps more of what gets in the way of our discipleship of Jesus are the intangible things that we cling to: anger, greed, sadness, prejudices, stereotypes, jealousy, ideologies. It is these things that individually and collectively obscure our ability to be Christ-like and to follow Christ. Fr. Jack posited that when Jesus commanded the man to do this, it was a greater call to abandon everything that makes it hard for us to see Jesus, not just our physical possessions.

Imagine what it would be like, for example, if the national view of welfare shifted from one of a handout to a hand up... if our own greed didn’t impede our ability to give to others who may need it. What if there was no “race card” to be pulled? What if, instead of harboring anger towards a long-lost family member or friend, we sought reconciliation and love?

I think it would be easier to give up all my tangible possessions than to change those things that I have let distance me from others, even if it wasn’t intentional.

So what did I learn on my trip to Tampa? That I want to move there and enjoy the 90 degree weather in October (especially when it’s about 45 degrees here)? Well, yes. But more importantly that perhaps our call to simplicity in discipleship is wrapped more tightly around the soul of each of us and not in our physical possessions. It’s not easy, I’ll give you that. But we were never told it was going to be.

Here are some pictures from my trip, just in case wherever you are, it's raining and you could use some sunshine: