Eye of the Needle

            Jesus is uncompromising when it comes to the topic of money: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Wealth, Jesus reminds us, is like a heavy burden that can weigh us down, preventing us from entering the fullness of life that God intends for us. Consequently, Jesus instructs one young man to “sell all that you have and give to the poor,” and advises the rest of his followers to “give to everyone who asks from you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.” Faced with the everyday realities of life, Jesus’ ethical directives seem not simply heroic, but almost absurd and irresponsible. If I give to everyone who asks of me, how am I going to pay my rent (or, student loans!)? Riddled with anxiety, we begin to look for an “out.”

            Maybe as college students you do get a pass in this area. During my college years, I often did not have enough money to go out on a Friday night, let alone to horde away in an offshore bank account. It’s difficult to be greedy when you barely have enough to get by, right? We should be careful, however, about dismissing Jesus’ words too easily. No matter where we are at in life, we always have the opportunity to deepen our faith and to grow in generosity. The path to sainthood, I would argue, necessarily begins with little, concrete steps. The challenge is to respond to God’s call from where we are here and now, rather than putting off this demand for another day, when we will supposedly be in a better place to answer the challenge. 

            So, at the start of this school year, I would like to set before all of us Jesus’ teachings on this matter. What would it look like at SLU if you and I lived out the radical generosity to which Jesus calls us? For some of us, this might mean fasting from a meal or two each week, so that we have a bit more money to give to those in need. For others, it will involve letting go of the prejudices that we have based on how our colleagues dress or what car they drive. For all of us, it will mean clinging less tightly to those material things with which God has already blessed us. In turn, this newfound freedom will revolutionize the way that we relate to each other on campus, and (by God’s grace) the surrounding community will know we are disciples by our love for one another (John 13:35).

Bud Marr

Campus Ministry Graduate Intern