Reflection for August 17 Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 19:16-22

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 of a man who was searching for peace within himself. Because he was wealthy, he thought that his riches would give him peace of mind, but they did not. One day, he saw an advertisement on his smartphone that said, “Follow Jesus if you want to find peace in your life.” He took these words to heart, set aside his attachment to his wealth, and followed Jesus. And true enough, the man finally found the peace of mind he had been longing for all along.

Are our possessions in this world becoming our sole obsession in life? The young man in our Gospel was deeply attached to his possessions, and he could not give them up in exchange for a life of discipleship with Jesus. He seemed to be a good man, but why couldn’t he let go of his wealth?

He had followed the commandments and appeared to be living a good life, yet his possessions still had a hold on his heart. When Jesus invited him to leave everything behind and follow Him, he could not take that final step.

Perhaps this young man represents many of us today. There are times when we, too, can become enslaved by wealth and material possessions. We may do good things, but sometimes we do them because we want others to notice and praise us.

When no one is watching, we can easily return to our attachment to wealth, possessions, status, and worldly success. We work hard to accumulate riches, and some of us may even sacrifice our honor and principles for the sake of wealth, as if money and possessions could give us lasting peace, contentment, and happiness.

Yet, deep within our hearts, we know that no amount of wealth can completely satisfy the deepest longing of our souls. We may have comfortable homes, good possessions, financial security, and everything that this world considers valuable, but if our hearts are far from God, something will still be missing. The world can offer us many things, but it cannot give us the peace that only God can place within our hearts.

Who, then, can truly give us peace, happiness, and contentment in this world? It is Jesus. He alone can give us the peace and contentment that our hearts deeply desire. When we allow Him to become the center of our lives, we discover that true richness is not measured by what we possess but by how deeply we allow ourselves to be possessed by God's love.

The rich young man in the Gospel failed to recognize this. He stood before Jesus, who was offering him something far greater than material wealth, yet he chose to hold on to what he possessed. In doing so, he missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to follow Jesus more closely. His possessions were not merely things he owned; they had become things he could not let go of.

And perhaps this is where the Gospel gently speaks to each one of us. What are the things we find difficult to surrender to God? Is it our money, possessions, career, success, reputation, comfort, or desire for recognition? What occupies our hearts so deeply that we struggle to place God above it?

Let us remember that everything we have is temporary, but God's love for us is eternal. Wealth can disappear, possessions can be lost, status can fade, and earthly achievements can be forgotten. But when we choose Jesus, we gain a treasure that no earthly wealth can ever equal.

May we have the courage to loosen our grip on the things of this world and open our hands and hearts to God. May we never allow our possessions to possess us. And may we always remember that the greatest treasure we can ever have is not what we own, but Jesus, who alone can give our hearts the peace, joy, and contentment for which we long.

How about us? If Jesus were standing before us today and asking us to let go of the one thing that keeps us from following Him wholeheartedly, what would we be unwilling to surrender—and are we ready to let it go so that we may gain the treasure that can never be taken away: Jesus Himself?—Marino J. Dasmarinas