Yesterday we heard the story of the rich young man and in today’s Gospel, we see Jesus saying it is nearly impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. It would be easy to think that Jesus condemned men with wealth, but that isn’t the case. Why then does He say it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a man of wealth to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? First off, it’s much harder to be aware of needs when all of them are being met. It’s also harder to be aware of the suffering of others when your life is comfortable and unafflicted. As the disciples asked then, “How then can anyone be saved?” With God, all things are possible, even the impossible.
There is a tale that is associated with this that makes it a little easier to understand. Legend has it that there were 12 gates in Jerusalem that allowed entry into the city. At night all but one was barred. That gate was called the Eye of the Needle. It wasn’t as big as what we would think of as a gate for the city, in fact, it was rumored to be just large enough for a man to pass through. That means that a camel would have to kneel down and crawl to go inside. Not only this, but camels were the “pack animals” of the time. So merchants who brought their camels would have to remove anything that burdened them. All the packages, bags, saddles, and so forth. Only then could the camel pass through the Eye of the Needle into the city.
Now, do we know if this tale is true? I’m not sure. What I do know is it makes the parable very clear. The only way we will get to Heaven is by detachment. By removing all of those things that burden us down, the inordinate attachments that have taken the place of God. Addictions, bad habits, prejudices, and hates. We have to drop them to the ground so that we can fit through that narrow gate that is only big enough for that which is good in our souls to go inside. That seems a daunting task, doesn’t it? If it were easy to get rid of them, all of us would be perfect already. Back to the image of the camel. It’s very hard for a camel with his hooves to untie the packages and drop them to the ground, to take off the saddle and bags. He has to count on His Master to do it for him and then lead him through the gate.
The same is true for you and me. We need to follow Jesus, and allow His grace to work in our lives that He can begin to unburden us so that we who are made in His image more fully reflect that likeness. That’s where the Sacraments come in, especially Confession. It’s in the Confessional that we encounter Jesus with our burdens and ask Him to help us remove them. It’s in the Eucharist, received worthily, that we again encounter grace to strengthen us against picking them again, as we often do. Remember that Jesus is the straight and narrow gate by which we enter into eternity, and it is only by conforming ourselves to Him that we will fit. (It’s also why we believe in purgatory, but that’s a reflection for another day.)
A reflection on the readings for Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time: August 18th, 2020