Today's Reflections
The Rich Young Man
Mt 19:16-22
16Someone approached [Jesus] and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” 17He
answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who
is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall
not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall
not bear false witness; 19honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 20The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” 21Jesus
said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and
give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come,
follow me.” 22When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life? A
young man, described as having many possessions, comes to Jesus asking
what he must do to gain eternal life. He has everything he needs in this
life, but deep in his heart he knows it is not enough.
In
reply, Jesus spells out for him five of the commandments and adds
loving one’s neighbor as oneself. The young man assures Jesus that he
has done all those and asks what he still lacks. The answer Jesus gives
him, however, proves too much for this man. He could not conceive of
ridding himself of his material possessions. He has yet to realize that
these are dragging him down and keeping him from being truly happy and
at peace.
It is not one’s possessions but the presence of God in one’s life that brings happiness and peace in this life and the next.
The
more blessings God bestows on us, the more we should share these with
others. This is how we could keep our heart from being possessed by
material things and at the same time make room for God in it.
“Those who trust in their riches will fall, but like green leaves the just will flourish” (Prv 11:28).
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