Besides being a very interesting story, today’s Gospel has rich spiritual advice for us. Jesus is teaching us that God is worth more than anything else. A rich young man asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life.” In response, Jesus replies, “Go, sell everything you have, and give it to the poor.” If selling all he has, and giving it to the poor is what the rich young man needs to do to inherit eternal life, what about the rest of us? Do we have to do the same? The solution is in the description of the young man. He was rich. His gifts lay in his wealth.
Gifts are highly various-gifts of learning, of music, of art, of kindness, of patience, of understanding, of sympathy, of forgiveness etc. Whatever a person’s gifts are, they are meant to be used in service of the Lord. To inherit Eternal life, we need to follow Jesus, and use our gifts to the full. Then Jesus will look at us, and love us.