An upright man comes to Jesus with a great desire. He yearns for eternal life. Jesus lovingly tells him to let go of his possessions. Unfortunately, he cannot do this and so this man goes away sad.

What if this man did not turn away so easily? What if he honestly acknowledged to Jesus that he is having difficulty letting go of something? How would Jesus respond to him?

Today we remember St. Augustine of Canterbury, a Benedictine monk who lived in the 6th Century. He was asked to leave Rome and become a missionary to far away England. Augustine said 'yes' and eventually brought thousands of people to Christ. He is known as the Apostle to England. In order to do such great things, however, Augustine had to first let go of his familiar life in Rome.

Am I called by Christ to let go of something that is putting distance between Jesus and I - a relationship, a possession, a behaviour? What would it be like to honestly converse with Jesus about this?