Word to the Wise
Monday, August 17, 2009 - St. Hyacinth of Poland, O.P.
[Judges 2:11-19 and Matthew 19:16-22]"If you wish to be perfect, go, well 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.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus defines perfection as going beyond the observances of the law to a genuine love of God above all things. As he points out in his teaching on divorce - which stunned his disciples, but there's more yet that will stun them - the living out of the kingdom is an invitation and a gift that brings with it some demanding responsibilities. The young man who approaches Jesus does so with a good heart. He acknowledges Jesus' authority by calling him, "Teacher!" He reveals that he has done the basic things that Jesus outlines which would be the foundation for any righteous Jew. Then Jesus offers the gift/invitation: "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!" Uh, oh! If "perfection" is the love of God above all else, the young man is being asked to give up the big "ELSE." This incident has been plagued by misinterpretation that narrows its meaning to folks who "give up everything" and join a religious order! It's a favorite of vocation directors. One can see why this is so, but the fact remains that the invitation is to all disciples and it doesn't necessarily mean joining a religious order or going into full time ministry in the Church. The challenge here is to discover the ELSE that we value as highly (or more highly!) as we value love of God, and set it aside in our priorities. We are not told of the subsequent life of the young man. We ARE told about his feelings! He "went away sad, for he had many possessions." That is a normal response but a revealing one. Obviously he was hoping to "have it all" and make no sacrifices of that which he valued the most. There was a "more" that he desired, but it turned out to be "more" than he could handle. It takes courage to ask Jesus, "What good must I do to gain eternal life?" But we already know the answer! AMEN
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