Word to the Wise
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 - Tuesday in the 20th Week in Ordinary Time
[Judg 6:11-24a and Matt 19:23-30]"'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 humans this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." [Matthew]
The Gospel According to Matthew is very demanding. An uncompromising faith is expected of the disciples of Jesus. Divided loyalty is the same as none at all! Today's gospel passage follows the incident in yesterday's about the rich young man who asks Jesus what he must do to gain eternal life. When Jesus told him that the "more" that the young man was looking for meant he had to do with "less" in material wealth, the young man went away sad "for he had many possessions."
The issue here is not about wealth itself. In Jesus' day, material wealth was considered a sign of God's blessings. The issue is "divided loyalty." Faith in Jesus means faith in nothing or no one else. When Peter responds that the disciples had given up everything to follow him, Jesus promises that they will be cared for. (This may reflect the shared possessions of the early Christian community. cf. Acts 4:32-35.) Wealth will not save a person. Only God can do that. But wealth can be an obstacle to true discipleship when it demands a loyalty that competes with faith.
Students returning from a "mission trip" to poverty-stricken areas are sobered by the generosity and faith of families who will give them the last food in the house! Destitution and utter deprivation should not be the fate of any human being. In today's gospel, it is a matter of where we place our priorities. How can we be "complete" or "perfect" disciples? AMEN