FITTING THROUGH 

THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, B, is, “Fitting Through The Eye of the Needle.”

People have been thinking of the metaphor or image that Jesus gives us in today’s gospel for almost 2000 years now. What’s your take on what Jesus says: “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” [Mark 10: 24-26]

Some commentators say Jesus is referring to a small gate near a main gate in a city through which a camel couldn't fit. Some have said that a few Greek gospel manuscript writers used the word KAMILOS [cable] instead of KAMELOS [camel] Most manuscripts use the Greek word for camel. Whatever. I say that because it's still the same message of how difficult it is to get into the kingdom of God. [1]

Joachim Jeremias - my favorite commentator on The Parables of Jesus - refers to a rabbinical proverb that Jesus might have been familiar with: “You clearly come from Pumbeditha, where an elephant can go through the eye of a needle.” [2]

Either way - Jesus is saying, “It takes an effort to get into the kingdom of God.”

I would add, “Here and hereafter.”

The hope of my homily is that you realize the life choice Jesus is talking about - and how life can be different for us - once we fit through the eye of the needle and experience the Kingdom of God - the Vision of Jesus - the Delight in Life - that Jesus had - along with the cross. Notice how he slid that into today’s gospel. Sneaky. [Cf. Mark 10:30]

SHORT FILM CLIP

I once saw a short film clip of a someone walking down a street with two suitcases and a backpack and some plastic bags in hand as well. The man comes to a narrow doorway and  tries to fit in - stuff still in hand. He doesn’t fit. So he backs out from the little he got in and continues down the street. As the film shows the man walking away, a little kid comes running up the street - past the man - with just himself - and goes right into the house - through that narrow opening.

End of film. End of scene. End of parable.

In the background one could hear the words from today’s gospel about it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

THE MAN IN THE GOSPEL

The man in the gospel who runs up to Jesus asks Jesus the big question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  What’s the secret of life - happiness. What’s it all about?

We then find out that he keeps the commandments.

We then find out that Jesus looks at him with love.

We find out that Jesus then says, “You are lacking in one thing. Go sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

We then find out that the man’s face fell - that he walked away sad - because he had many possessions.

It’s then that Jesus says how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God.

It’s then that Jesus tells us about the camel finding it difficult to go through the eye of the needle.

It’s then that Jesus tells us about true riches.

It’s being brother and sister to every person on the land.

It’s seeing all land as everyone’s land.

That’s what Jesus says is yours on the other side of the needle - in the here and in the hereafter.

But first you have to dump the suitcases, the bags, and the backpack and be like that little kid - fitting through the Narrow Way that leads to life.

THOMAS MERTON

Now a question hits me: as I read the rest of today’s gospel when Jesus calls his disciples to let go of everything and come follow him, how do we apply this to everyone - not just nuns and religious.

That’s my question.

The other day I read a great quote from Thomas Merton and I said, “I’ll have to use that some day in a sermon.”  Surprise! I can use it tonight.

Years ago there was a famous Trappist Monk named Thomas Merton. He left everything and surprised everyone with his choice of entering a very strict monastery - where everything is held in common and where there is hardly any talking - except for prayers and emergencies. There is sort of, “Total Silence” so as to hear God.

Someone I know tried that life but didn’t make it. He said one of the toughest experiences for him was all wash was thrown together and when it dried you just went down and grabbed your next supply.

I don’t know what the toughest part for Merton was - but in the following quote he tells us an other side of the needle experience.

Merton was in the monastery for a few years and he had to go to the doctor or dentist or for something, so he went to local town for the first time. He was overwhelmed with what he saw. He had gone through the eye of the needle.

Merton wrote about that experience - that trip back to the other side of the needle he had gone through.

“It is a glorious destiny to be a member of the human race, though it is a race dedicated to many absurdities and one which makes terrible mistakes: yet, with all that, God Himself glorified in becoming a member of the human race. A member of the human race! To think that such a commonplace realization should suddenly seem like news that one holds the winning ticket in a cosmic sweepstake. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around like the sun … There are no strangers… If only we could see each other as we really are all the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed… I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other … the gate of heaven is everywhere.” [3]

There it is both sides of the eye of the needle.

It would be like walking to downtown  Annapolis and seeing all those people at this week’s boat show, seeing all those weekend people in Annapolis, that we’re all one. It would be like seeing everyone in traffic - in the next car - all those people on TV - all those people at a football game - and realizing I’m one with all of them. They are my brothers and sisters and God is our Father.

To me it’s like walking into a  wedding banquet. The place is packed 100 or 150 or 200 people - more or less. I know for starters only the bride and groom.  Slowly I get to at least say hello to parents and families and friends. Soon I’ve gotten to know a tiny bit about 20 or so of the people as I mingle. As I look around for starters others might know 25 people at the celebration. They branch out and get know 40 to 50 by the end of the night - discovering different people’s connection to the bride or groom. What helps is that everyone is there for the same reason.

Well, once we let go of preconceived ideas that we possess - attitudes about others that weight us down - and prevent us from getting to meet and greet and get to know each other - we are living in a walled world. But once we let go of self and security - which might actually be insecurity - once we go through the eye of the needled and discover that we are all one - young, old, tall, short, Moslem, Atheist, Mormon, Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, tattooed or wrinkled old lady. We’re all one - on the other side of the needle.

That by the way is what the word “Catholic” means. It’s from the Greek.  “Kata” means “all” - and  “holos” - means whole. On the other side of the needle we are all one people - made in the image and likeness of God - and we’re here to celebrate the Marriage Feast of Life because the Son is with us.

And we’re all related. And we’re all connected.

CONCLUSION

At this Mass be like the man in today’s gospel. Have Jesus walk up to you or you walk up to Jesus and ask him how to inherit eternal life. See him look into your eye - see him slip through your eye - and enter into deep communion with you - and experience a whole new way of seeing and doing life.

That’s the kind of wisdom that God calls us to - that wisdom we heard about in today’s first reading from the book of wisdom.

That’s what today’s word can do. It’s like a knife as we heard in today’s second reading - it can cut open our soul and we can fit through the eye of the needle. Amen.

OOOOO

NOTES

[1] C.S. Mann, Mark, The Anchor Bible, Doubleday, New York, 1986, page 402, # 25

[2] Joachim Jeremias, The Parables of Jesus, Revised Edition, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1963,   page 195, footnote 11.

[3]  Timothy Ratcliffe, OP, What Is The Point of Being a Christian?, Burns and Oates, A Continuum Imprint, New York, N.Y., 2005, page 141.