The Gospel reading speaks of a man yearning to possess God’s Kingdom. He kept the commandments. His untiring efforts in doing so seems to have failed. May have felt ‘why is all my self effort not working out?’ Seeks the Lord, who reveals the secret in entering the Kingdom. Two things stand in his way. Firstly, he thinks he could work out his salvation by himself. Secondly, he places his security on his wealth. The Lord reveals that the power of God is needed. Where is our security coming from? Is it in our possessions or on our dependence on God? My Fixed Deposits earlier gave double digit interest, now single digit. Naturally I have less income to live on. My tax too is so high that most of my income is swallowed up. Yet I refuse to be anxious or stressed out. Knowing my Lord takes care of me and family. Surprisingly, I have enough, even to give for various charities. We are saved by grace to possess God’s Kingdom, not by our good works alone.

PRAYER: Abba Father, empower me to deny self and find new life in you. Amen.