August 20, 2018 Monday, 20th Week in
Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Ezk 24:15-23
Gospel: Mt 19:16–22
A young man approached him and asked, “Master, what good work must I do to receive eternal life?” Jesus answered, “Why do you ask me about what is good? Only one is Good. If you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments.” The young man said, “Which commandments?” Jesus replied, “Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.”The young man said to him, “I have kept all these commandments, what is still lacking?” Jesus answered, “If you wish to be perfect, go and sell all that you possess and give the money to the poor and you will become the owner of a treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.”On hearing this answer, the young man went away sad for he was a man of great wealth.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
In his ‘Thoughts on Va-rious Subjects’, Alexander Pope wrote: “We may see the small value God has for riches by the people he gives them to.” He was, of course, referring to material riches. Such reference is a great consolation to the poor, for if indeed God looks highly upon accumulation of riches, he could have bestowed them lavishly upon those he called “blessed”.
The New Testament contains so many passages pointing to Jesus’ higher priorities, and accumulation of earthly riches is not among them. “My bread”, he said, “is to do the will of my Father in heaven.” He advised his listeners not to work for material things that perish but for treasures that no moths can destroy. He only gave importance to riches in the context of their usefulness in winning friends, as when he said, “Use filthy money to win for your serves friends”.
Consider Jesus’ advice to a young man in today’s Gospel. He learns from Jesus that he could not have his cake and eat it too. Either he lets go of his material riches and possesses heaven, or clings to riches and loses heaven. This catches him between the devil and the deep blue sea. Will he give up material riches he had been concretely enjoying in favor of heaven that is yet a theory he isn’t even sure of?
We probably pity the young man in today’s Gospel for making the wrong choice. Surely we’d do better if made to choose between heaven and earthly possessions. Well, that’s baloney. As Logan Pearsall Smith wrote in his Afterthoughts, “To suppose as we all suppose that we could be rich and not behave as the rich behave, is like supposing that we could drink all day and keep absolutely sober.” – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M. Email: [email protected].
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