Inner view

Get rid of everything which obscures it

October 5th 2017
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 feeling sad, for what Jesus asked of him was beyond him. Must we conclude then that, in order to follow Jesus, we must truly 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. 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. 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, feelings and desires that encumber us even further and cloud our inner view.