Take heart, no good deed or act of kindness is unnoticed by God. Most of us are not called to do spectacular things worthy of news. The kingdom of God is built from countless points of light - kindness, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness - even if they don't appear in the media. In the same way, no act of cruelty, dishonesty, or selfishness passes unnoticed. The good and the bad, the light and the darkness all become part of who we are. And we are assured by Sirach that it is never too late to repent of our darkness. Surely, there is an aspect of our lives that needs to be reckoned with, a sincere acknowledgement that we need to be freed from our selfish aggrandizement in order to inherit eternal life. Wealth is never a true measure of our identity.

The rich young man who approached Jesus had a good record - he had done everything right since his youth. But there was something missing. He wanted eternal life - he wanted God. Jesus told him to sell everything, give it to the poor, and then to come follow Him. The man was crestfallen, for he was rich and had many possessions. Jesus wasn't condemning him - He looked on the young man with love. But He sensed that the young man's identity and security came from his wealth - leaving it behind would set him free to discover his true self. What do we cling to? What gives us our identity and security?