Daily Meditation: Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Renunciation - true Renunciation : get rid of everything which obscures our inner gaze

09/14/2004

To the rich young man who came to ask what rites he should observe in order to have eternal life, Jesus replied: ‘Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, then come, follow me.' And the young man went away grieving, for what Jesus asked of him was beyond him. Must we conclude then that, in order to follow Jesus, we must rid ourselves of all we possess and give it to the poor? Some have done this, but not all have become better disciples as a result. Material things weigh us down and obscure our view, but it is useless to renounce them if we do not at the same time rid ourselves of the thoughts, sentiments and desires that encumber us even further and cloud our inner view. It is commendable to make sacrifices and renunciations, but what should we renounce and what should we sacrifice? We must strive to clarify our ideas on this subject.