Reflection:
First Reading (Wisdom 7:7-11). This is a passage in praise of wisdom, presented as a speech of Solomon.
Second Reading (Hebrews 4:12-13). God’s word is effective and is a source of true wisdom for us.
Gospel (Mark 10:17-30). The case of a good young man who cannot follow Christ because he is unwilling to part with his wealth.

Wisdom teaches us how to live rightly, and enables us to use the things of this world in the way that will help us achieve the end for which God put us on earth. Wisdom, therefore, should be prized even more than gold (First Reading). Today’s Gospel is a discipleship story. The Jews believed that the prosperity of the rich was a sign of God’s blessing, but Jesus presents wealth as a stumbling block to the kingdom. Love of material possessions and comforts is one of the chief obstacles in the way of discipleship. Those who trust in themselves and their possessions cannot surrender fully to the will of God. When Jesus says, “Sell what you have…” he doesn’t mean that a disciple must be destitute. The life of the poor, with its hardship and suffering, is not set forth in Mark’s Gospel as an ideal for the Christian disciple, but neither is the desire for possessions and the accumulation of wealth.