Giving Our All

 

Gospel: Mark 10: 28-31

Peter proclaims: "We have given up everything to follow you! What is our reward?" We might well ask if seeking a reward is in fact leaving everything to follow the Lord, but more to the point is the question to ourselves as to whether we in fact have left all to follow, and what does this even mean. Those who enter religious life often claim this act is giving everything up, though houses of religion are quite comfortable, all is provided, vacations, pensions, insurance.  Not a lot of risk here.  But for some it may in fact represent leaving something important and valuable behind to follow God.

What does it mean in our own lives? Very often we hedge our bets with God just in case things don't work out as we planned or would like.  We have an insurance policy in our back pocket, an escape hatch to bail when things get rough.  There is always something we do not quite want to leave behind, something we would not like God to take from us.  It is that for which we must pray that we have the grace to let it go if God ask it of us.  

Peter had not yet given up everything.  He still had the family fishing business, his fall back position to which he returns after Jesus' death and resurrection.  Peter will eventually leave it behind, and leave even his own life behind in facing execution in Rome.  For Peter, and us, this giving up of everything is a process, one we have to make each day in the journey to the kingdom of God.