26/10/25
So What Happened Next?
Our story today begins in Portland where the wise old supervising priest sends me out to visit a home where he knows I will be well received. He knows that I will be fed delicious cream cakes and caramel slice and maybe washed down with a refreshing beverage. ‘Only one mind Fr. David. Mrs. Gonzales makes a very serious G n T.’
Chat about the wedding photo you’ll see on the mantelpiece and you won’t be stuck for conversation.
And my supervising priest bless him, was absolutely right.
The cream cakes were delectable, the caramel slice to die for and yes, one G n T was more than enough. He was also right about the wedding photo on the mantelpiece. It sparked a jocular, witty conversation and Mrs. Gonzales looked smashing in her wedding photo whilst the striking gentleman by her side actually turned out to be the first of three husbands she had the pleasure of sharing her life with.
You would never know this in the singular photo of the first wedding. It takes yummy treats and a heady G n T to deliciously tease out what happened over the years.
All that is just a very jaunty way of explaining that in the gospel we are only given a snap shot of what happened in the story. It’s very much like a photo or a short reel of action. Nothing less, but certainly nothing more .. We are left to our imagination and speculation as to what happened the next hour, the next day, the next year.
This can be both infuriating as we wonder what happened and it can be a lot of fun as we are not limited in any way to the future scenarios. Everything and anything is up for grabs.
Todays gospel story about the rich young man is a classic example of this kind of tease.
Here’s a few wild guesses about what I think may have happened after the business broker goes away sad.
Given the virtuous status of the rich man when he arrives at the feet of Jesus, the way Jesus sees into his heart and looks at him with love, the instant recommendation from Christ that he leave everything and follow Him, I don’t think we can ever safely conclude that the young man never accepted Jesus’s offer. In fact, I think quite the opposite would be more likely. How swiftly we can dismiss others on the cursory experience of a first meeting.
What if next week or next month or even at the end of the financial year, the wealthy young man cashed in, sold up, went down to Anglicare and did what the Master asked of him.
Jesus was always ready to teach His disciples new lessons on what it meant to be His follower, He knew what words would most effectively benefit the young man for his salvation, as well as the words which would help His disciples understand His mercy and love for them.
The rich young man had everything going for him. Not because he was wealthy, but because of the virtue he had acquired through following the commandments of God faithfully all his life. Jesus already knew him through and through. He must have known, too, that he would not be able to embrace His challenge immediately like Matthew, the tax collector. But that was okay. It gave Jesus the opportunity to reach out to those around Him and through time to you and me. Jesus revealed what the power of His grace and mercy is like. If our heart is open to grace, God’s mercy can accomplish in us what would otherwise be impossible for us to accomplish on our own.
The Master gives the rich young man no less a chance for salvation than you and I when He says that “for humanity, [attaining salvation] is impossible, but not with God.” The really good news is that Our God does not turn His back on those who strive to be faithful. He is most eager to help those who have fallen out through weakness. Did the rich young man return to take up Jesus’ challenge? I like to believe he did. It gives me hope in the unfathomable mercy of an ever faithful Father, who never tires of drawing us to Himself in persistent love.
Just like with the rich man who went away sad, discouragement will get the best of everybody. This will happen many times during our lives when challenges in life seem too ferocious. The important thing is to bounce back in faith, to continue to practice virtue to the best of our abilities. Thereby we remain open to the workings of grace in our souls. In the end, our eyes are cast on the inestimable treasure we were able to store up in heaven, not just for ourselves, but for many others as well.
What happened next with the wealthy young man is a great question. The better question is what happens with you and I.