Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, khi được hỏi làm thế nào để đạt được sự sống đời đời, Chúa Giêsu đã liệt kê những điều răn liên quan tới các mối quan hệ của chúng ta với những người khác; Ngài không hề đề cập đến những điều răn mà chúng ta phải có bổn phận hướng với Thiên Chúa. Khi những lời đáp ứng của Chúa không làm người đàn ông trẻ thỏa mãn, Chúa Giêsu đã đi xa hơn nữa là khuyên anh ta nên phục vụ tha nhân, và vẫn không hề đề cập đến Thiên Chúa: "hãy đi bán những gì ngươi có mà cho kẻ khó, và ngươi sẽ có một kho tàng trên trời, đoạn hãy đến theo Ta". .Ý Chúa muốn nói, Chúng nên bằng cách nào đó, chúng ta phải làm tất cả những gì chúng ta có thể để giúp cho những người xung quanh chúng ta đó là việc chúng ta phục vụ Thiên Chúa, là chúng ta bắt đầu đi theo Đức Kitô.
Mỗi người chúng ta có thể được tính trong số những người nghèo, những người cần được phục vụ: không ai trong chúng ta cảm thấy rằng chúng ta được biết đến, nhưng đúng hơn là chúng ta đang bị bỏ quên, bị hiểu lầm, và bị coi thường bởi những người khác. Mỗi người trong chúng ta cảm thấy không được thương yêu và chăm sóc đầy đủ. Nhưng trong đoạn Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu chủ động sai mỗi người chúng ta đến với những người mà chúng ta biết hay gặp, và Chúa Giêsu đã đến gặp gỡ chúng ta, cũng như chúng ta mở lòng với sự phục vụ và yêu thương những người khác. Chúng ta hãy cố gắng để vượt qua luật tình yêu của Chúa trong sự quên mình để quan tâm đến người khác và đó là cách chúng bắt chước Chúa Cha trên trời.
Jesus challenged the young man because his heart was possessive. He was afraid to give to others for fear that he would lose what he had gained. Those who are generous towards God and others find that they cannot outmatch God in generosity. God blesses us with innumerable spiritual goods - such as long-lasting peace, unspeakable joy, enduring love, abiding relationships and friendship that do not fade or fail - that far outweigh the fleeting joys of material possessions which fail to satisfy us beyond the present moment. God alone can satisfy the deepest longing and desires of our heart. Are you willing to part with anything that might keep you from seeking true and everlasting joy with Jesus?
Every one of us can be counted among the poor who need to be served: not one of us feels that we are sufficiently known but rather that we are neglected, misunderstood, and undervalued by others. And every one of us feels insufficiently loved and cared for. So in this passage Jesus actively sends each of us to every person we know or meet, and Jesus himself comes to meet us as we open ourselves to the service and love those others offer to us. Let us try to go beyond the law in a self-forgetting love and concern for others that is a true imitation of our heavenly Father. Heavenly Father, may we greatly increase our sacrificial giving to the poor.
“If 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 19:21–22
This is the conclusion to the conversation that Jesus had with a rich young man who came to Him and asked, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus went on to tell him to keep the commandments. The young man said he has done so from his youth and wanted to know what else he could do. So Jesus answered his question. But the answer was more than the young man could accept.
“If 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.” Do you want to be perfect? If so, then Jesus has set a high bar for such a goal. It seems that many followers of Christ are okay with simply being okay. In other words, it seems that it is rare to find a person who is wholeheartedly committed to perfection. Many may have good intentions, but it seems that there are few who fully commit themselves to all it takes to truly obtain the perfection to which we are all called.
It’s interesting to note that Jesus’ initial response to this rich young man explained the requirements for entering eternal life, that is, the minimal requirement for obtaining Heaven. Simply put, Jesus said that if you refrain from serious sin by keeping the commandments, then you will inherit eternal life. Of course, that also presumes that you have the gift of faith and are thus open to the gift of salvation. So is that what you are content with? Are you satisfied with doing the minimum it takes to get to Heaven?
The idea of perfection can appear to be beyond us. Too often we can think, “I’m only human.” But as a human who is called by God, we are invited to work toward the obtainable goal of greater holiness. Though we will always fall short, we must strive to become as holy as we can, holding nothing back.
Though the invitation given to this young man to “go, sell what you have and give to the poor” is not a requirement that our Lord places on everyone, He does call some to do this literally. But for everyone else, the invitation still remains—but in a spiritual sense rather than a literal sense. This is the spiritual call to interior poverty of spirit. Everyone of us is called to be interiorly detached from the things of this world in a complete way, even though we retain our possessions. We must have as our single possession the love of God and the service of His will. This depth of spiritual detachment means that God and His holy will is all we desire in life. And if He ever were to call us to literally give everything up, we would do it without hesitation. And though that may seem extreme, it is, in fact, exactly what will benefit us the most. It is the only way to become fully human and fully the person we were meant to be. And the end reward is not only the attainment of Heaven but an incomprehensible amount of glory in Heaven. The holier we become here on earth, the greater will our eternal reward be in Heaven. Do not hesitate to do all you can to build up that treasure that will be with you forever.
Reflect, today, upon the high calling to perfection given to you by God. Ask yourself in a very sincere way whether or not you are simply okay with being okay or if you want so much more. Do you want the greatest riches in Heaven? Do you want your eternity to be one in which the spiritual treasures you build up now are with you forever? Do not hesitate to accept this high calling from Jesus. Allow His invitation to this rich young man to echo within your heart as His personal invitation to you, also. Say “Yes” to Him and know that you will be eternally grateful you did.
My loving Lord, You invited the rich young man to strive for perfection. You also invite me and all Your children to this holy and high calling. Give me the grace I need to detach from all that hinders this goal so that I can make You and Your holy will the central and only goal of my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I will follow your Son to the Cross, knowing that it is the path that leads to the glory of the resurrection and eternal life with you. Help me to keep the Commandments, detach myself from the things of this passing world, and serve my brothers and sisters in need.
1. Gaining Eternal Life: The story of the rich, young man is found near the beginning of the fifth major section of the Gospel of Matthew. The narrative (Matthew 19-23) leads up to the “end-times discourse” (Matthew 24-25). The young man has a question about how to gain eternal life. As a good teacher, Jesus poses a riddle to the young man instead of answering him directly. Jesus asks: “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good.” Notice that Jesus doesn’t say: “I’m not good; only God is good.” No. What Jesus is doing is inviting the young man to ponder his identity. In hindsight, we could respond to Jesus’ riddle: “Yes, Lord, I believe you are the One who is good.” When Jesus tells the young man to “keep the commandments,” the man asks for a clarification. There were 613 Laws of Moses. Which ones were the most important? Jesus highlights five of the “ten words,” and a commandment from the Book of Numbers about love of neighbor. The rich young man was confident that he had kept these commandments from his youth.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I will follow your Son to the Cross, knowing that it is the path that leads to the glory of the resurrection and eternal life with you. Help me to keep the Commandments, detach myself from the things of this passing world, and serve my brothers and sisters in need.
1. Ezekiel’s Understanding of the Exile: After teaching us on Saturday that every person will be held accountable for their own actions and conduct, Ezekiel takes up a lamentation for the princes of Israel (Ezekiel 19:1-14). He compares Judah to a lioness and her kings to young lions. One young lion, the son of the warrior-king Josiah, Jehoahaz, was taken into exile to the land of Egypt (2 Kings 23:31-34). The other young lion, was the son of King Jehoiakim, who was taken into exile to the land of Babylon (2 Kings 23:36-24:15). In exile, Judah is no longer a lioness, but a withered vine, too weak to produce a scepter for a ruler (Ezekiel 19:10-14). In August 591 B.C., Ezekiel again hears the word of the Lord. He recalls the oath God swore with Israel that the Lord would bring Israel out of slavery and they would cast aside the idols of Egypt. The Lord fulfilled his oath and brought Israel out of Egypt. He led the people into the wilderness and gave them his statutes and his sabbaths as a covenant sign. But Israel rebelled against the Lord, did not follow his statutes, and profaned his sabbaths (Ezekiel 20:1-13). Instead of destroying Israel, God spares Israel and withholds his hand for the sake of his name. He chooses to scatter Israel among the nations, recognizing as well that the statutes and ordinances he gave the people in the Old Law were not able to bring them to eternal life (Ezekiel 20:25; Galatians 3:21). Ezekiel then asks the elders of Israel: Will you also go astray and defile yourselves through idolatry? (Ezekiel 20:30). If the people listen to God, he will gather them one day on his holy mountain and they will serve the Lord.
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