Word to the Wise
Monday, August 21, 2023 - Monday in the 20th Week in Ordinary Time
[Judg 2:11-19 and Matt 19:16-22]A young man approached Jesus and said, "Teacher, what must I do to gain eternal life?".....Jesus said to him, "If you wish to enter life, keep the commandments.....f 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. [Matthew]
The young man who approached Jesus was looking for something "more." He discovered that to be "perfect" he would have to do more than simply following the Ten Commandments. The latter would be sufficient to gain eternal life. He was already doing that, but he still felt something was missing. Jesus' response disappointed him because he wanted "more" without doing with "less!" The young man discovered that spirituality and lifestyle do have a relationship to each other.
It can be a very revealing exercise to ponder what that relationship might be in one's effort to follow Jesus. How is my relationship to God shaped by my lifestyle expectations? Does it impact my image of God? In a secular, consumer-oriented, society, how is my faith and action influenced by what advertising tells me is the "latest" thing for whatever need they convince me that I have? The young man had many possessions and the challenge to "sell what you have and give to the poor.." and find his "treasure in heaven," was clearly not what he was expecting to hear. Jesus was teaching him the difference between what he really needed and what he really only "wanted." It may seem counter-intuitive, but having "more" in our faith and relationship with God can mean doing or having "less." AMEN