...There also will your treasure be.

Mark 10:17-30
17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: `Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." 21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." 28 Peter began to say to him, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you." 29 Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.

What gives hope and satisfaction to our desire for happiness and security? A young man who had the best the world could offer – wealth and security – came to Jesus because he lacked one thing. He wanted the kind of lasting peace and happiness which money could not buy him. The answer he got, however, was not what he was looking for. He protested that he kept all the commandments; but Jesus spoke to the trouble in his heart. One thing kept him from giving himself whole-heartedly to God. While he lacked nothing in material goods, he was nonetheless possessive of what he had. He placed his hope and security in what he possessed. So when Jesus challenged him to make God his one true possession and treasure, he became dismayed. Why did he go away from Jesus with sadness rather than with joy? His treasure and his hope for happiness were misplaced. Jesus challenged the young man because his heart was possessive. He was afraid to give to others for fear that he would lose what he had gained. He sought happiness and security in what he possessed rather than in who he could love and serve and give himself in undivided devotion.

Why does Jesus call his disciples to "sell all" for the treasure of his kingdom? Treasure has a special connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the place of will and focus. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure. The Lord himself is the greatest treasure we can have. Giving up everything else to have the Lord as our treasure is not sorrowful, but the greatest joy. [See Jesus' parable about the treasure hidden in a field in Matthew 13:44.] Selling all that we have could mean many different things – letting go of attachments, friendships, influences, jobs, entertainments, styles of life – really anything that might stand in the way of our loving God first and foremost in our lives and giving him the best we can with our time, resources, gifts, and service.

Those who are generous towards God and towards their neighbor find that they cannot outgive God in his generosity towards us. God blesses us with the priceless treasures of his kingdom – freedom from fear and the griping power of sin, selfishness and pride which block his love and grace in our lives; freedom from loneliness, isolation and rejection which keep his children from living together in love, peace, and unity; and freedom from hopelessness, despair, and disillusionment which blind our vision of God's power to heal every hurt, bind every wound, and remove every blemish which mar the image of God within us. God offers us treasure which money cannot buy. He alone can truly satisfy the deepest longing and desires of our heart. Are you willing to part with anything that might keep you from seeking true joy with Jesus?

Why does Jesus issue such a strong warning to the rich (as well as to the rest of us who desire to be rich)? Was he really against wealth? We know that Jesus was not opposed to wealth per se, nor was he opposed to the wealthy. He had many friends who were well-to-do, including some notorious tax collectors! One even became an apostle! Jesus' warning reiterated the teaching of the Old Testament wisdom: Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is perverse in his ways (Proverbs 28:6; see also Psalm 37:16). Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to desist (Proverbs 23:4). Jesus seems to say that it is nearly impossible for the rich to live as citizens of God's kingdom. The camel was regarded as the largest animal in Palestine. The "eye of the needle" could be interpreted quite literally or it could figuratively describe the narow and low gate of the city walls which was used by travellers when the larger public gate was locked after dark. A normal sized man had to "lower" himself to enter that gate. A camel would literally have to knell and crawl through it. Why is Jesus so cautious about wealth? Wealth can make us falsely independent. The church at Laodicea was warned about their attitude towards wealth and a false sense of security: "For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing" (Revelations 3:17). Wealth can also lead us into hurtful desires and selfishness (see 1 Timothy 6:9-10). Look at the lesson Jesus gave about the rich man and his sons who refused to aid the poor man Lazarus (see Luke 16:19ff). They also neglected to serve God. The scriptures give us a paradox: we lose what we keep and we gain what we give away. Generosity will be amply repaid, both in this life and in eternity (Proverbs 3:9-10, Luke 6:38). Jesus offers us an incomparable treasure which no money can buy and no thief can steal. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure. Material wealth will shackle us to this earth unless we guard our hearts and set our treasure on God and his everlasting kingdom. Where is your treasure?

"Lord Jesus, you have captured our hearts and opened to us the treasures of heaven. May you always be my treasure and delight and may nothing else keep me from giving you my all."

(c) 2009 Don Schwager
http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/oct11.htm

Where the heart is...

What can I say to stop the pain? What words are there to ease the sadness?

I have lost all that I had.
I always thought I had little more than nothing.
Then, I lost everything.
And around me,
everywhere,
people have lost more.

I have looked to the faraway place of my dreams, and now I weep for home.

Detours

It has become increasingly difficult for me saving money for my eventual date with destiny. And even with religious tips in my jar, it'd take me at least 4 years to get the money that I need to fly. What more with debts to pay, my new addiction to online vintage shopping, annual interest and the ever unpredictable inflation. I'm starting to have serious doubts I could ever get to il mio cuore.

I used to be able to save up quite easily for whatever I wanted, whether it was a vacation, the holidays, a new cellphone, a piece of furniture, or some new family emergency. Though it must be said that I have never been able to save a whole lot because something always came up. And logic states that money saved is money spent so, "Thar she goes!" My savings go under and I am left staring like Ahab wondering if it was all just some phantasm disturbing my consciousness.

Given this increasingly apparent failure of mine to currently jumpstart my fundraising for my eventual trip to Italia, I had to find a creative solution so as not to completely sound pathetic and unfaithful to the cause. I have resolved to prepare myself mentally instead, educating myself on common Italian phrases I would need to survive in the streets of Italia. I am also planning to read up on my Italian history, food, and the local culture of the places I wish to visit -- starting with Toscana.

That being said, I am hoping I can finally get rid of the guilt that has been eating me up as I slowly use up my savings.

I know, I know. It doesn't really solve my problem. It's just...

Right now, I feel the need to treat myself to something. Something that's immediately tangible. I need something to hold on to. I need my happiness to be apparent right now. Even if it is in something quite material and trivial and vain. I just need something to get me by.

Parlare l'Italiano

• Hello! - Ciao!
• Good morning! - Buon giorno!
• Good afternoon! - Buono pomeriggio!
• Good evening! - Buona sera!
• Good night! - Buona notte!
• How are you? - Come lei è?
• My name is (your name). - Mi chiamo (your name).
• What is your name? - Che è il suo nome?
• Which way is Rome? - Quale maniera è Roma?
• Thank you! - Ringraziarla!
• You are welcome! - Lei è benvenuto!
• Goodbye! - Arrivederci!

How to Speak Italian

Italian Pronunciation Tips

1. The first step to learning how to speak Italian is knowing how to pronounce the words. Once you know how to pronounce the vowels and certain consonants, you can say any word.
2. Indo-European Languages has a list of how to pronounce vowels and consonants here.

3. Figure 1: Indo-European Languages Italian Pronunciation Guid

4. About.com includes practice words in its pages on how to pronounce Italian Vowels, Consonants, Double Consonants, and also General Word Pronunciation.
5. The "r" in words is always trilled.
6. Italians stress the second to last syllable in words, even if the word only has two syllables. So "Signore" would be pronounced "Seen-YORE-ay", and "Scusi" would be pronounced "SKOO-see".
7. For a fun, 10 minute video on pronunciation, go here.

Tutte le strade conducono a Roma

One fine day, I'll fly away. Don't you know that Rome wasn't built in a day.

The Art of Mendicancy

It is only three more days until I can sufficiently support my simple lifestyle of eat-sleep-breathing. It's surprising how far I've come whilst completely staying clear of spending. It is during these times of complete and utter stupidity-thus-resulting-to-pitiful-disgrace that one appreciates the simple things in life many usually ignore and take for granted.

Over the past few days, I have learned to appreciate the substantial nutritional value of soda crackers and the crisp smooth feel of crystal clear water on an empty stomach. They provide one with the necessary energy boost just when the heavy curtain of sleepy hypoglycemia threatens to overcome you in the middle of processing the tallest pile of papers this side of the world has seen. Just take note not to overindulge in all that crystal cleariness as it could very well bring about a searing ulcer that would burn a very unpleasant hole in your vain stomach.

Leftovers may also very well turn out to be one's greatest ally in this Darwinian fight. Raiding the fridge doesn't seem all that gross anymore once your stomach has emitted its most ornery rumble that the thickest sweater and arms crisscrossed twenty times can no longer muffle. It's also good to note with gratitude that one's stomach does not bear any capacity for visual perception, thus saving it from possible revulsion towards the kind of former edibles one can find seeking shelter in the cold, dark recesses of the refrigerator.

And of course, the human factor is perhaps the greatest contributor to one's chances in surviving the next few days.

Humans are a wasteful animal. A wise and patient hunter need only to sit quietly and wait for the veritable feast dropping from a human walking by and going along its own life, heedless of others. A slice of cake, a cookie, half a sandwich, and candies are just some of the treats one can snag from humans always buying too much, in too large a quantity, or humans on perpetually ineffective diets. Manifesting a worried brow, a wide-eyed melancholic stare, or the softest sigh might even score one a bonus of a completely unopened treat.

In the end, insurmountable as it may seem getting through the next three days in utter privation, we are all well equipped to fend for ourselves and suffer the consequences of our extravagant vanity.