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Gospel: Matthew 19: 16-22
A young man approached Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
He 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.”
He 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;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him,
“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus 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.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Jesus looks upon this rich young man…and “loves” him.
He must’ve delighted in his zeal for religion, and in his effort to be, “perfect as his heavenly Father is perfect.”
But look at what happens as the Lord “loves” him.
Jesus peers into the rich young man’s heart, and invites him into deeper holiness. “You are lacking in one thing,” he says. “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor…then come and follow me.”
The man walks away sad, “for he had many possessions.” Though he was pious, the Lord occupied second – not first – place in his heart, a constant challenge for any believer.
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Like this rich young man, Jesus looks upon us and “loves” us. He sees our zeal for God and all of the good works that we do to honor him in our neighbor.
But he also sees those things that may impede our spiritual growth. That’s what love does by its nature; it seeks to remove things that block further intimacy between two souls.
What impedes my spiritual growth or keeps me from growing in intimacy with the Lord?
Perhaps my prayer has become ordinary; routine; dry. Maybe I try compartmentalizing my life, allowing faith to influence some – but not all – of my decisions. Maybe there’s a particular person, memory, or habit that draws me away from the Lord.
Or I simply don’t give God enough time.
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Unlike the rich young man who walked away sad, may we try to let go of our “riches” and follow Jesus today.
Doing so always makes us happier, holier people.
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Image credits: (1) OnReligion, Pantocrator (2) Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, Heinrich Hofmann (3) Hungry for God’s Word?