Monday, August 19, 2024

Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ezekiel 24:15-23; Matthew 19:16-22)

It’s essential to understand that today’s gospel applies to all Christians and not to those entering a convent or a novitiate.  All must give up excess affluence to support the poor.  Pope Leo XIII stated this truth in his ground-breaking encyclical Rerum Novarum.  He wrote: “But when the demands of necessity and propriety have been met, it is a duty to give to the poor out of that which remains.”

Pope Leo went on to explain that this is not a principle of justice but of charity.  In other words, if people are to love as Jesus commanded his followers, they must share their bounty.  Failing to do so comprises a refusal to follow him.

We sometimes struggle with worry about “a rainy day.” Certainly, some provision for contingencies is prudent.  Done to an excess, however, we deny the Providence of God.  We should regularly examine our treasures with an eye on parting with some of it for the good of those in need.

Monday, August 21, 2023

 

Memorial of Saint Pius X, pope

(Judges 2:11-19; Matthew 19:16-22)

Today’s gospel gives the impression that one has to become a monk to inherit eternal life.  Indeed, St. Anthony of the desert, the epitome of hermit monks, did precisely what Jesus prescribes here.  But such a reading betrays the tradition of Christian spirituality.

Christians have always held that there are many ways to eternal life.  Not only monks and nuns are on their way to salvation.  A political leader like St. Louis of France became a saint as did the Italian doctor Gianna Beretta Molla.  Sanctity requires that one places God first and foremost and always treats others with love.

The young man of the gospel receives a literal calling from Jesus to sell everything and follow him.  He must respond to it or be lost.  He goes away sad because like the seed among thorns, he is strangled by his wealth.  However, he is not hopeless.  Perhaps in time he will reconsider the call and became a disciple.

Monday, August 17, 2020

 

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.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Judges 2:11-19; Matthew 19:16-22)

The rich young man approaches Jesus with arrogant self-confidence.  He calls him, “Teacher,” despite the fact that Jesus has told his disciples not to use that title.  He also talks about “gain(ing) eternal life” as if it were a stocks acquisition.  He will learn that eternal life is not a business dealing.

Jesus quickly dispels the man’s pretentiousness.  He tells him that only God is good; that is, only God is without sin.  He also quotes from the “second tablet” of the Decalogue treating of relations with other people.  He concludes the list of commandments with his summary -- a variation of the “golden rule.”  Then he surprisingly equates gaining eternal life with “be(ing) perfect.” By this term he does not mean an obsessive perfectionism.  Rather he indicates that one can learn perfection in his company.  One finds eternal life in reorienting one’s life to follow himslef.

The rich young man is unwilling to make the sacrifice.  He insists like the “Great Gatsby” and other egotistical literary heroes, to do things his way.  Let us not make their mistake.  Rather we should want to submit to Jesus’ way.  Like him we are to bend to become humble, generous, and most of all loving.  In short, we are to give of ourselves for the good of others.

Monday, August 20, 2018

Memorial of Saint Bernard, abbot and doctor of the Church

(Ezekiel 24:15-23; Matthew 19:16-22)

In today’s gospel Jesus calls the rich young man to a rich spiritual life.  He invites him to go beyond the basics of keeping the commandments.  He wants him to be “’perfect as (his) heavenly father is perfect.’”  The young man must dispossess himself of his riches and walk with the poor man Jesus.  It may seem like a hard row to hoe, but the man has asked for the formula for eternal life! 

St. Bernard not only lived this “body and soul” spirituality but, like Jesus, called others to it.  As abbot he regularly warned monks about satiating the palate with delicacies and pampering the flesh with fur.  But he also recognized that holiness is more a matter of sacrifice of spiritual excess than of material excess.  Pride can be a greater temptation than gold.  Sloth may prove a larger pitfall than “surf and turf.”

Jesus does not call all of us to religious observance but he does invite everyone to sanctity.  We must deny ourselves in order to love God and neighbor.  We cannot live for power, pleasure, or prestige.  Rather we must sacrifice these ego-gratifying glories to serve others.  Doing so, we will be beneficiaries of God’s eternal glory.

Monday, August 17, 2015

Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Judges 2:11-19; Matthew 19:16-22)

Many prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation by reviewing the Ten Commandments.  Understanding that these commandments imply a way of life much more involved than the eight prohibitions and two obligations that meet the eye, they can make a worthy confession.  However, they should keep in mind as well that God will have a specific command for each of them to do.  In today’s gospel we hear of Jesus’ radical call to the young man who inquires about eternal life.

The episode begins on a note of defiance.  The man calls Jesus “Teacher,” an appellative which he will forbid his disciples to use.  Then the man seems to continue insolently as he pictures eternal life as a personal accomplishment, not a gift from God.  He asks, “… what must I do” to attain it.  Still Jesus most likely does not mean to dismiss the man by proposing an impossible mission.  More likely, he sees in the man’s earnestness a spirit that can find happiness in the rigorous life of a disciple.  However, the man decides not to accept the challenge.  As in many cases, he is deterred from doing the Lord’s will by the prospect of losing money.

We too should approach Jesus with the question of eternal life.  He is likely to be demanding of us as well, but we should not recoil in fear.  Rather let us be assured that Jesus will never demand more of us than we can accomplish and will assist us in the quest at each step.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Memorial of Saint Bernard, abbot and doctor of the Church

(Ezekiel 24:15-23; Matthew 19:16-22)

St. Bernard of Clairvaux might have gained fame as a layperson. He was very intelligent and came from a well-connected family. But unlike the young man in today’s gospel, Bernard chose to follow a path of radical discipleship. Wise and eloquent, he became the conscience of Europe advising kings, bishops, and at least one pope. His reward has not just been a significant standing in history but every true Christian’s goal of eternal life.

This gospel will trouble many. It calls everyone out of complacency. Jesus seems to challenge the young man with a call to radical discipleship because he so easily fulfilled the commandments. He indicates that if we are to enter into God’s realm, we must transcend our own expectations. Perhaps the anticipation of making the effort is more difficult than actually doing it. Once we give ourselves over to Jesus, he will support us through any trouble we encounter.

Homilette for Monday, August 18, 2008

Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Matthew 19:16-22)

A team of psychologists recently analyzed data of surveys given to college students over the last twenty years. They report that there is an increasing amount of narcissism among American youth. Although a positive self image is desirable, the psychologists claim that narcissism, which is an exaggerated self-image, often results in social pathology. Difficulty forming meaningful relationships, materialism, and greater likelihood of infidelity, substance abuse, and violence are all associated with narcissism. Is it any wonder then that contemporary marriages often fail?

The young man in the gospel demonstrates a bit of narcissism. He appears both sincere and good-hearted as he confronts Jesus. No doubt he keeps all the commandments as he says. But eternal life means following Jesus through the cross to glory. For this earnest young man the journey requires dispossessing himself of his riches. It is a price too steep to pay because the young man enjoys his wealth.

Jesus’ words test all of us. Although he does not ask most people to sell everything for the sake of the poor, he does call everyone to follow him. He wants us to reflect over the words of the gospel and to effectively act on them. Is it hard? Perhaps. But, of course, we can count on Jesus to help us with the load.