It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. Matthew 19:24
This scripture verse came to mind when the Powerball Lottery recently jumped to 1 billion dollars for some lucky or perhaps unlucky person. Most of us are not rich and won’t win the lottery, so I suppose we can all give a collective sigh of relief that Jesus’ words about the camel going through the eye of a needle don’t apply to us. But before we skip past that gospel passage too fast, it would be wise to stop and ask, just what is the Kingdom of God? Fundamental to “God’s” kingdom is that God is in charge, not us. To enter the Kingdom of God then requires that we all let go of our little kingdoms, our attachments to things, our demands for control, our desires for riches, and our belief that all of these things can make us whole, happy, and complete.
Jesus tells us throughout the gospels that Entering the Kingdom of God is not just something that happens when we die; it begins right here and now in our own lives, and it’s a prerequisite to participating in the Resurrection; it’s not optional, it’s not an elective. Jesus is not saying that God doesn’t like rich people; he is using the rich to show how an overabundance of wealth and riches makes it much more difficult to submit to God’s will and Kingdom. The Poor have an easier time submitting to God’s will. In the Beatitudes, Jesus reminds us of that saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” But why the poor? Perhaps because the poor are more accustomed to submitting to the will of another to survive. The poor always have to do what someone else says. On the other hand, the rich can do what they want and have it their way.
We may not be rich, but we are certainly not poor. So, the disciples also voiced their fears and ours to Jesus, “Then who can be saved?” Leaving all our pleasures, securities, belongings, and attachments behind seems impossible, and it is. Even Jesus tells us in the gospel, “For human beings, this is impossible,” but for God, everything is possible. A wise monk once said, “An overloaded boat will sink not because it cannot float but because the weight is more than it can carry. We can find God when we empty ourselves of our burdens and allow our hearts to float in God’s grace. The truly astonishing thing is that Christ keeps telling us it’s not something we have to wait for but something we can already begin to receive here on earth, in our lives.
So, while we may daydream of being billionaires, it might be helpful to consider St. John of the Cross’s mystical essay, The Ascent of Mount Carmel, which gives us a stunning yet straightforward path to opening our hearts to God’s grace.
The Ascent of Mount Carmel
To reach satisfaction in all, desire its possession in nothing.
To come to the knowledge of all, desire the knowledge of nothing.
To come to possess all, desire the possession of nothing.
To arrive at being all, desire to be nothing.
To come to the pleasure which you have not, you must go by a way in which you enjoy not.
To come to the knowledge which you have not, you must go by a way in which you know not.
To come to the possession you have not, you must go by a way in which you possess not.
To come to be what you are not, you must go by a way in which you are not.
When you turn toward something, you cease to cast yourself upon the all.
For to go from the all to the all, you must leave yourself in all.
And when you come to the possession of the all, you must possess it without wanting anything.
In this nakedness, the spirit finds its quietude and rest.
For in coveting nothing, nothing raises it up and nothing weighs it down, because it is the center of its humility.
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