Today the liturgy presents us with a Gospel that is difficult to remain indifferent to if we approach it with sincerity of heart.

No one can doubt the good intentions of that young man who approached Jesus Christ to ask him a question: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mk 10:17). From what St. Mark tells us, it is clear that in that heart there was a need for something more, because it is easy to assume that — as a good Israelite — he knew very well what the Law said on the subject, but inside him there was a restlessness, a need to go further and, for that reason, he questions Jesus.

In our Christian life we must learn to overcome that vision that reduces faith to a matter of mere compliance. Our faith is much more. It is a heartfelt adherence to Someone, who is God. When we put our heart into something, we also put our life into it and, in the case of faith, we then overcome the conformism that seems to grip the existence of so many believers today. Those who love are not satisfied with giving just anything. Those who love, seek a personal, close relationship, take advantage of details and know how to discover in everything an opportunity to grow in love. Those who love, give themselves.

In reality, Jesus' answer to the young man's question is an open door to that total gift of love: "Go, sell what you have and give to the poor (...); then come, follow me" (Mk 10:21). It is not a matter of letting go for no reason; it is a letting go that is giving and it is a giving that is a genuine expression of love. Let us, then, open our hearts to that love-giving. Let us live our relationship with God in that key. Praying, serving, working, improving ourselves, sacrificing ourselves... all are paths of giving and, therefore, paths of love. May the Lord find in us not only a sincere heart, but also a generous heart open to the demands of love. Because - in the words of St. John Paul II - "the love which comes from God, a tender and spousal love, gives rise to profound and radical demands.”