Word to the Wise
Tuesday, August 20, 2024 - Tuesday in the 20th Week in Ordinary Time
[Ezek 28:1-10 and Matt 19:23-30]"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." [Matthew]
AUGUST 20 ST. BERNARD, doctor of the church
Peter's question is natural enough: "What's in it for us?" Jesus has just told the rich young man, who wants to be more than just an observer of the commandments, to sell all he has and give the money to the poor and then follow him [Jesus]. Peter notes that this is what he and the other disciples have done. What's next?
Jesus promises an exalted role in "the new age!" He also promises that those who have given up everything for his sake and the gospel will receive a "hundred times more." Some scripture scholars think this latter promise is a reflection of the sharing of goods that the early Christian community practiced. [Cf. Acts 2:44-45]. It really comes down to a matter of faith that God will provide for those who put aside personal gain for the sake of the gospel.
This does not mean that one abandons common sense in the process! That early Christian community had to be organized to accomplish the challenge. The same is true in our own day. But the challenge remains in the face of a consumer-oriented culture. What does faith and discipleship mean if our dependence is really on what we want rather than what we need? AMEN