On what path?

Last night in bible study we looked at that frustrating passage in Mark where a young man falls before Jesus asking "how to inherit eternal life". Jesus responds that this man could have eternal life if he gave up all earthly security and instead trusted in Jesus and followed him.

It was a hard discussion. What does it mean to give up all earthly security (which is mainly wealth)? And as Christians are we all called to do so? Or is it just specific calls on certain individuals? The discussion last night seemed to lean towards specific calls. Yet a part of me questions that.

There are so many faith giants such as Francis of Assisi, Mother Teressa, Dorthy Day, and others I'm forgetting, that whether knowingly or not did end up forsaking just about all earthly wealth in pursuit of following Jesus. They understood what security in Jesus meant and it comes out in their writings so crystal clear. There is something about living life and following Christ that they understood that I'm not sure I do.

I mean just think about some of these quotes:

Grant me the treasure of sublime poverty: permit the distinctive sign of our order to be that it does not possess anything of its own beneath the sun, for the glory of your name, and that it have no other patrimony than begging. - Francis Assisi

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. -Mother Teresa

I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich could get for money. No, I wouldn't touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I willingly cure him for the love of God. -Mother Teresa

The works of mercy are the opposite of the works of war, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, nursing the sick, visiting the prisoner. But we are destroying crops, setting fire to entire villages and to the people in them. We are not performing the works of mercy but the works of war. -Dorothy Day

I left last night thinking that part of the problem today isn't necessarily that wealth gets in the way (although I know it does)...it's more so that most of us do not hear or recognize the call of Christ. That we do not hear him say "follow me". And when we do hear that call, we do not believe that call is worthy enough or powerful to follow. Is Jesus's call worth that much to me? Do I trust the power of Jesus's salvation enough to know that the best and only place for me is to follow him? I wish I was strong enough to say yes. Earthly security has a powerful hold.