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Gospel: Matthew 9: 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 the rich young man…and “loves” him.
The Lord must’ve delighted in his zeal for religion, and in his effort to be, “perfect as his heavenly Father is perfect.”
But what happens when Jesus “loves” him?
He peers into the young man’s heart, inviting him into even deeper holiness. “You are lacking in one thing,” Jesus 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 a pious man, the Lord occupied second – not first – place in his heart, a constant challenge for any believer.
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When Jesus gazes upon us, he “loves” us just the same. He sees our zeal for God and all of the good works we do to serve him in our neighbor.
But Jesus also sees those things that 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 might impede my own spiritual growth? What keeps me from growing in intimacy with God?
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Perhaps my prayer life has become rote or dry. Maybe I try compartmentalizing my life, allowing my faith to influence some – but not all – of my decisions. Maybe there’s a particular person, memory, or habit that keeps drawing me away from the Lord.
Maybe I don’t give God enough of my talent, trust, or time.
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Ultimately, the rich young man walked away from Jesus out of fear; he feared that following Jesus would not be enough; he feared leaving the security of his possessions behind, as if they could satisfy him more than Jesus.
We know that isn’t true. The Lord is more than enough. May we do whatever we must to keep the Lord where he belongs – in first place, at the very center of our lives.
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Image credits: (1) Grammye’s Front Porch (2) The Rich Young Man, Heinrich Hofmann (3) QuoteFancy