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Matthew 19:23-24 "And Jesus said to his disciples, 'Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, 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.'"

 

It's not hard for a rich man to get to heaven because he is rich, his riches are something God has blessed (or challenged) him with. It is hard because it is so extremely difficult for us human beings not to become attached to our wealth, and the more we have, the more attached we tend to be. This is true for a lot of things, not just money. 

 

I know there are a lot of interpretations of the camel and the needle, and mine is just one more, but it has helped me so much in seeing my attachments that I think it's worth sharing, so here is how I think about this saying of Jesus'. The Eye of the Needle was (is, actually) a gate in the defensive wall of Jerusalem (specifically leading into the Temple area). It was, naturally, quite narrow so as not to allow armed men on horses or other threats free access to the city. Traders came to the city with their camels laden with their wares and had to stop at the gate, remove all that the camel was carrying, lead it through the narrow entrance, retrieve their goods, and put them back on the camel for sale or distribution in the city.

 

We are the camels. God has given us certain things, wealth, hardships, families, health - everything we have comes from God. We tend to get attached to these things, we think of them as ours, we define ourselves by them, rely on them, adjust our gait through life as we carry them, good and bad. But our ultimate destination is the City of God, Jerusalem in the camel story. To enter that city, we have to be willing to let God take any of the things He has given us away. If we are too attached to them, if we refuse to allow this, we cannot enter the Holy City, we choose something else. (God will let us go, but will also keep trying to lead us back to the gate for as long as we are alive, and in our final moments.) 

 

Today's readings at Mass echo this. In Proverbs, the author asks God to "give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, 'Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God.'" (Proverbs 30:7-9)*. And in the Gospel, Jesus sends His disciples out to proclaim the Kingdom and heal the sick, telling them to "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics." (Luke 9:3) They were to trust that God would provide, without worrying about protecting what they were carrying with them.

 

What happens when the camel allows itself to be unburdened and led through the dark, cramped space of the needle, not really understanding what lies ahead? He is brought into the holy city of Jerusalem, a stand-in for the Kingdom of God; his owner then goes and gets his wares and brings them into the city, putting them back on the camel. The camel is then led through the city, freely parting with what his owner sees fit to distribute.

 

When we put everything on the table for God, allowing Him to take away what is keeping us from fitting through the narrow gate, and to lead us through it, we also will find ourselves in the Heavenly City. This is true both here and now, and at the end of our lives. If we do this while here, we will be in right relationship with God and with all our "stuff". We will be ready to part with it, or keep it and use it, whenever either serves His purposes. We will not be so attached to our riches, or anything else, that we are like camels who can't fit through the eye of the needle.

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*Stealing can become an attachment, too. When one is poor, and feels misused by life or society, rather than trusting God in her poverty, she can steal and first justify it, then grow attached to it. Whole criminal enterprises can spring from, or be nurtured in, this sense of entitlement.