Reflection for August 17, Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 19:23-30

Gospel: Matthew 19:23-30

Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” 

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. 

What will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

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Reflection:

Can you achieve inner peace and serenity by chasing the offerings of this world? 

Fortune and even fame will not give us inner peace and serenity. We may have all the material wealth of this world but it amounts to nothing if we are without inner peace, serenity and if we don’t have God. We simply have to look at the many rich, famous and powerful people who committed suicide. 

In our gospel Jesus said to the disciples, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. This is in reference to the rich man who couldn’t give up his treasures in favor of the poor and his discipleship with Jesus. That rich man was actually invited by Jesus to become his follower but he declined the glorious offer because he held on to his wealth.

It’s not actually bad to be rich, but it becomes a hazard to our wellbeing when we make riches our God. That we are not willing to let it go for anything even for the sake of the kingdom of God. Therefore, when we are so in love with our fleeting wealth we become capable of doing anything that Jesus abhors.   

For example, allowing ourselves to be captured by wealth that we make it our God. Allowing our greed for wealth to engage in corruption just to have it and so forth.   

Jesus said in our gospel that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God. This statement of Jesus is simply a hyperbole that carries so much weight and meaning. 

Come to thinks of it, is it bad to get rich? Of course not for as long as we don’t make our earthly wealth our God.   Instead, why not use wealth to help advance the kingdom of God? For the simple reason that the more that we give away our riches  the more that we become fit for the kingdom of God. 

God created us to freely aspire for His kingdom in heaven and not to be permanently imprisoned by our riches in this world. - Marino J. Dasmarinas