Many years ago, when I was living in Madison and ran a successful business I attended a Jesuit run workshop at Marquette University on business ethics and business and Ignatian spirituality (Spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola, found of Jesuits.) I was in Milwaukee for business that day so I was wearing my business suit, like most of the other business persons at the workshop.

The moderator, a Jesuit, asked the group of how they understood the Gospel parable of the rich young to mean. In the story the rich person asks Jesus what he can do to follow God. Jesus tells him to follow the commandments of his faith and he says he is already doing that. He asked Jesus what else he could do. Jesus answers him by telling him to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor and follow him. The rich young man cannot do and walks away. Jesus is saddened.

There were all kinds of explanations by the business people about interpretation of the Gospel. I raised my hand, and not knowing what overcame me, said that maybe Jesus meant what he said. The moderator looked at me and said something to the effect that I was saying this while dressed up in a fine suit. Everyone had a good laugh and later the moderator apologized to me for his humor. I told him there was no need to apologize and what I said is what I meant: the rich young man, who had done his religious duty, could only do more by giving up his possessions to follow Jesus.

Later on when Pat and I sold our business, home, cottage, boat in Madison to move back to Milwaukee I would jokily say that I did half of what Jesus asked, sold my possessions. but did not give the money to the poor. Rather I used the money, am still am, to do the ministry I felt called to, without having to worry about money.

Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Catholic social teaching all state that every “human being has the right to necessities of life”. If someone like the rich young man of Gospel is doing everything that God calls him to do what more can he do than sell everything he has, give money to the poor and follow Jesus.

I cannot do this but have been blessed to know people who have and live in voluntary poverty with the poor. Today young people might treat this statement of Jesus as a joke just as when I said Jesus really meant what he said at the workshop. I look at it has a goal to strive for. Maybe we cannot give away our wealth but at least we can do our best in seeing that all human being has the right to necessities of life.”

Quite often we rationalize teachings of Jesus, “love your enemies” or “it is hard for rich to achieve kingdom of God” but maybe he was serious showing us the Way and meant what he said.

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