Whether we are talking about slave holders or Nazi guards, it is very easy to look at these historical figures and say we would never participate in such atrocities. However, even a sliver of humility would cause us to pause before making such self-righteous proclamations. We all have blind spots, and history will judge us for what we are doing in our blindness. This is why humility is so crucial. In today’s Gospel from Mark 10:17-30, a young, rich man comes to Jesus and asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus looked at him with love and said, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” Then Jesus said, “Come and follow me.” We are told that the young man’s face fell and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Many times I have read this story and asked myself what I would do if I was the young rich man. I think it would be easy for me to abandon my material belongings because I don’t have many. But what if Jesus asked me to abandon my attachment to my plans, prejudices, ideologies, judgements, fears, psychological defenses and even my sense of self? Would I do it? This question haunts me and keeps me humble. We must notice in this story that “Jesus looked at him with love.” God, Jesus, and Yogananda look upon us only with love. Because they love us, they want only our highest good, happiness, and freedom. They offer us eternal life, divine life — not just in a future heaven, but here and now. They ask us to let go of our lesser gods so that we might have the experience of being possessed by God and God’s highest truth, beauty, and goodness. We will all eventually arrive at this blissful point of surrender; the only thing we get to choose is when. The sooner we choose, the less we suffer.
Beloved Jesus, Beloved Guruji,
What are you asking me
To abandon
So that you can fill me
With divine life?
