Here is a reflection I wrote for the Notre Dame Alumni Association's Daily Gospel Reflection, located at faith.nd.edu.
Gospel: Matthew 19: 27-29
Then Peter said in reply, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life."
Reflection
401k. IRA. Social Security. Roth. Pension. Invest. Save. For many of us, a constant drumbeat of professional life and financial advising seems to center around saving for retirement. There are projections about how much we want to be able to spend in retirement and about how long we will live. The most dreaded question about the whole conversation seems to be, “Will I have enough to retire?” And while sound financial planning and saving for the future are laudable goals, I sometimes wonder if we can too easily lose sight of an even more important return on our investment.
Today’s Gospel for the Feast of St. Benedict has Peter reminding Jesus about how much the disciples have given to follow the Lord. Peter, like us, sees things from a limited view regarding the cost of discipleship here and now. Conversely, Jesus provides an eternal perspective and promises that all that we have sacrificed here for him will come back to us a hundredfold and lead to everlasting happiness in heaven.
St. Benedict and countless others who have given their lives to monastic life have heeded this advice well, knowing that in offering their lives to Christ, they will receive back more than they could have ever produced alone. They inspire all of us, even if we are not called to this sort of life, to think about the sacrifices and gifts to God and others we could make. After all, a small gift in the hands of God can become something truly powerful.
So instead of only focusing on if we will have enough to retire, I would suggest another question worthy of consideration: will I inherit eternal life? This is the return on the investment of our time, efforts, and finances that matters most. For no matter how well we have planned for retirement, bodily death is inescapable. Instead of letting that thought fill us with fear, however, we live in trusting hope that the words of Jesus will come true and that by giving our lives over to him, we will receive an eternal reward.
