Ecclesiasticus 17:24-29 / Mark 10:17-27
The word "sacrifice" is not a popular word in today's culture. Neither is doing penance in reparation for our own sins and the sins of the world.
At best, they would sound rather pioustic and leaning towards traditional religious sentimentalism.
At worst, those words are abhorrent in a hedonistic culture, which can vary from the measure of the quality of life to the pursuit of pleasures and desires in whatever forms.
Even in the aspect of faith, sacrifice and penance don't go well together with God's blessings and providence.
As we heard in the gospel, the rich young man had an abundance of God's blessings.
Yet there is also a yearning for the ultimate blessing, and that is eternal life.
But when Jesus told him to sell everything he owned and give the money to the poor, and then he will have treasure in heaven, everything crumbled.
Yes, his face fell and he went away sad, because he was a man of great wealth. The sacrifice was just too great and it was like a penance too heavy to bear.
Yet the 1st reading reminds us of the great value of sacrifice and penance when it said: To the dead, as to those who do not exist, praise is unknown, only those with life and health can praise the Lord.
Just as the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross saved us from our sins, by our sacrifice and penance, we can also gain eternal life for ourselves as well as for others. That is the ultimate blessing.