The rich young man and our vocation

By  Engr. Carlos V. Cornejo

The Gospel tells us of a story of Christ’s encounter with a rich young man who was already fulfilling the Ten Commandments but felt it was not enough.

“As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. ‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good—except God alone.’  You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ ‘Teacher,’ he declared, ‘all these I have kept since I was a boy.’  Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.”  (Mark 10:17-22)

The Gospel concludes “He went away sad, because he had great wealth.” The rich young man was attached to his wealth and could not let it go. Christ asked him to give it up and give it to the poor because it would be a hindrance to following Him.  The young man could have been one of the apostles of Christ along with the twelve had he said “yes” to his vocation.

We all have a vocation. The word vocation comes from the Latin word “vocare” which means “to call”.  A vocation is a calling, a mission or the purpose of your life as God has created and put you here on Earth.

It is the key to the meaning of your life as Mark Twain would say, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Mark Twain meant that the course you choose in college, the professional career you have chosen or the company where you work is not as important as the state in life God has called you.

I love the definition of vocation in the Regina Brett’s book, “God is Always Hiring” which says, “Vocation is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”  Or Peter Drucker would put it, “The work the Good Lord has fitted one to do, and to do well.”

The rich young man in the Gospel was ready to find out his calling after he was fulfilling the commandments of God to the letter since childhood.  In fact, the Gospel says, “Jesus looked at him and loved him”, which tells us how much God loves those who follow His commandments.  God would reveal to us our vocation when we get close to Him or “send” us to a mission after we become more intimate with Him. Just look at the life of Abraham, Moses, David and the Apostles.

After “experiencing” God intimately, God sent them to share their “experience” to others.  It’s always a call to serve. “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.”(Matthew 5: 15) The calling can be to priesthood, religious life, single blessedness or marriage.  It does not matter what’s the call.

The important thing is we say yes to it.  If we are too busy with our lives that we don’t have time for God or time for prayer, the “noise of our lives” would drown out God’s message or calling for us.  A life of vice or sin would likewise hinder us from hearing God’s voice since sin makes us get absorbed to worldly things and be blind to spiritual things.  The solution is to come close to God by observing His commandments, and live a prayerful life.

The rich young man went away sad although he was rich. It tells us that money is not enough to make us truly happy. Regina Brett would say, that the rich young man never lived a fulfilled life because he was given a gift from God (his vocation) but he never opened the package.  When we don’t say “yes” to God’s invitation we too will go away sad, because it’s turning down God’s grace and blessing, it’s turning down God’s wonderful plan for our life.