God's gaze

"Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, '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.'" Mk 1o:21

How powerful it is to hear the evangelist say that Jesus looked at the rich young man and loved him. He did not scold him or reject him. He loved him with the hope that the young man would be able to take his advice.The same is true of all of us, although we often ignore or forget this simple request. That God looks at us with love is too much to believe, but whether we believe it or not is beside the point. God believes in us and loves us day after day.

It is also true that we need to let go in order to fully appreciate God's loving gaze. Until we experience loss, emptiness and the powerlessness that comes from trying to help others without success, we will never fully understand Jesus' command to sell everything and follow him. In fact, we do not need most of what we have, and if we have the faith to let go even that which we think we need, life will be very different. God's gaze of love will sustain us in our emptiness and show us the path to a full gospel life.

Today, let God look at you with love.

Who has looked at you with unconditional love simply because it is the gospel thing to do.