Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
(Ezekiel 24:15-23; Matthew 19:16-22)
The rich man in today’s gospel leaves Jesus. He probably despairs of ever attaining
eternal life. Thoughtful commentators
have observed that the command to sell everything is made to him as an individual. Everyone does not have to do as much to be
saved. Yet Jesus’ teaching on the need
to be poor to enter the kingdom has universal application.
People make themselves poor by making God, not their
money, the highest priority in their lives.
They are to recognize that all good comes from Him and to love Him above
all. Such a disposition requires using
one’s resources to care for others. It also
presumes humility in one’s relations.
Jesus does not want his community of disciples to lord over one another as
the rich sometimes do.
Too often we want to use our money or accomplishments to
carve out standing in society. We don’t
want to give God thanks, much less recognition, for whatever good we have accomplished. But only by doing so can we be children of
God with a place in eternal life.
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