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Theo Tigno•
8/18/2003 4:41 am
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Monday, August 18th 2003 |
Matthew 19: 16-22
A young man approached Jesus and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, "You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "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.
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for the unemployed.
What do I lack?
Have you ever been at a job where you follow all the rules and you do exactly what you are told to do, but in your heart was not into the work that you were doing? Have you ever been in a relationship where you did and said all the right things yet your heart wanted to do things your way?
In today's reading, we see a young man who was not willing to give everything he had over to God. Rather, he was content with just following the rules. When he asks Jesus what he lacked, Jesus called him on the one thing that he truly lacked: trust in the Lord. He could go through the motions, but his heart was not willing to change; he still wanted to have control over his life. His possessions were more important than the call Jesus had for him. I take a look at my life and I wonder what things have I placed before the calling that Jesus has before me. Have I been a good steward of my calling? Have I been a good steward of faith, hope and love? Have I been a good steward of all the things God has given me?
We must always be aware that all things we have are given to us by God. Therefore, if God asks for them back, what holds us back from truly giving it back to Him? We look back at the cause of Original Sin, which is the Original Lie spoken to Eve: God does not love you. The rich young man was not willing to give up his possessions. He did not trust that God loves him so much that the material goods he gives up is the greatest way he could love. In our lives today, we are called to give up so that we can give them back to God, and in this we learn to love. Look at the parent who would rather buy clothes and food for their children rather than buying new clothes and appliances for themselves. It is not receiving that we learn to love, but it is in giving. It is in giving of ourselves back to God and it is in giving of everything that we have back to God that we learn to love God. The only thing we truly have in this world is our ability to choose whether or not we follow God. The only thing that we are given that we should be concerned about is the love that God gives to us. This is the only thing that we should trust in.
Okay, I know it's getting a little long, and you have to get back to work. I pray that all will be well with you today. Take care and God Bless.
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