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.
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Reflection:
The story is told about a man who was seeking peace within himself.
Because he was wealthy he thought that his wealth would give him peace of mind
but it did not. Until he saw an advertisement in his smart phone that said: “Follow
Jesus if you want to find peace in your life.” So he disregarded his wealth and
he followed Jesus. And true enough the man finally found peace of mind that he
was longing for a long time.
Are your possessions in this world your sole obsession for living? The
young man in our gospel was obsessed with his possessions for he couldn’t give
it up in exchange for his discipleship with Jesus. He was seemingly a
good man but how come he couldn’t give up his wealth? If this young man was all
good, he would have given up his wealth for the Lord but he did not.
Does this young man represent many of us today? Yes! For there are many
of us who are enslaved by wealth. Yes, many of us do good but sometimes the
good that we do is for others to see. When nobody sees us anymore we once again
allow ourselves to be possessed by wealth. We work hard for wealth some of us even
sacrifice our honor for wealth as if it will give us peace, contentment
and happiness.
Who can give us peace, happiness and contentment in this world? It’s only
Jesus, He alone can give us peace and contentment. The rich young man in the
gospel did not see it in Jesus that’s why he sacrificed his once in a lifetime
opportunity in favor of his possessions/wealth.
How about you? Who would you choose the glitters of material wealth and
power or the life of peace and contentment with Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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