Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 419
Reading 1
Ezekiel 24:15-23
The word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, by a sudden blow
I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes,
but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears.
Groan in silence, make no lament for the dead,
bind on your turban, put your sandals on your feet,
do not cover your beard, and do not eat the customary bread.
That evening my wife died,
and the next morning I did as I had been commanded.
Then the people asked me, “Will you not tell us what all these things
that you are doing mean for us?”
I therefore spoke to the people that morning, saying to them:
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
Say to the house of Israel:
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I will now desecrate my sanctuary, the stronghold of your pride,
the delight of your eyes, the desire of your soul.
The sons and daughters you left behind shall fall by the sword.
Ezekiel shall be a sign for you:
all that he did you shall do when it happens.
Thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
You shall do as I have done,
not covering your beards nor eating the customary bread.
Your turbans shall remain on your heads, your sandals on your feet.
You shall not mourn or weep,
but you shall rot away because of your sins and groan one to another.
Responsorial Psalm
Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20, 21
R. (see 18a) You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you.
You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing
and anger toward his sons and daughters.
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
“I will hide my face from them,” he said,
“and see what will then become of them.
What a fickle race they are,
sons with no loyalty in them!”
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
“Since they have provoked me with their ‘no-god’
and angered me with their vain idols,
I will provoke them with a ‘no-people’;
with a foolish nation I will anger them.”
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
Alleluia
Matthew 5:3
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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.
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Perfection
“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.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
ALL-WAYS
“What do I need to do further?” —Matthew 19:20
The essence of the Christian life is total abandonment to God’s will. The first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our hearts, all our souls, all our strength, and all our minds (Lk 10:27).
For each person, a certain act is representative of total abandonment to God. The young man in today’s Gospel reading would have given all to God if he had sold his possessions (Mt 19:21). Ezekiel gave all to the Lord by prophesying, even using the circumstances of his wife’s death to prophesy (Ez 24:15ff). Jewish Christians of the early Church gave God their all when they accepted Gentiles into their Christian community (see Acts 10:45ff). Gentiles gave their all to God by changing their lifestyle and observing certain Jewish practices (Acts 15:20). The older brother of the prodigal son could have given everything to the Lord by forgiving his brother (Lk 15:28ff). St. Matthew gave his all by leaving his secular job (Mt 9:9). St. Barnabas gave his all by selling his property and giving the money to the Church (Acts 4:37). Ananias and Sapphira failed to give their all in similar circumstances (Acts 5:1ff). The Blessed Virgin Mary gave her all by changing her plans and being the mother of God (Lk 1:34ff). St. Joseph gave his all by not divorcing Mary (Mt 1:19ff).
How does the Lord want you to live out your total abandonment to Him? “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn 2:5).
Prayer: Father, I am all Yours forever.
Promise: “You will then have treasure in heaven.” —Mt 19:21
Praise: St. John Eudes was a priest, the founder of two religious communities, and a promoter of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Reflection 3
Shared from God's Word
In the Kingdom of God, being perfect means being imperfect, being full means being empty. The rich young man who wants to grow in perfection has the path of the law before him. When Jesus shows him a new path, the path of love and renunciation, he is afraid to tread on it. He was aware of what he was doing. And was assertive enough to say ‘no’ to Jesus. We need to imitate this young man in knowing what we want, and to say yes or no accordingly. He walked half way, but could not continue further.
Prayers
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.
Lord Jesus, you alone can satisfy the deepest longing in my heart. No other treasure can compare with you. Keep me free from all discontentment, possessiveness, greed and selfishness, that I may have joy in knowing that you alone are my true Treasure and my Portion.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 231: Binding the Hands of Punishment
If you were a criminal, incarcerated for some crime, you would most likely see life from a perspective that is very different from others. You would daily long to have your punishment removed and your status of freedom restored. However, an act of mercy of this sort is rarely offered by secular society. Instead, harshness and judgment is the norm. But God is much different. God is perfectly aware of everything you have ever done in violation of His law. He sees even the minutest sin. And in the end, He will administer His strict justice upon all those who have not been bathed in the justice of His Mercy. So bathe in Mercy now and help others to do the same. God offers this Mercy in varied ways. One specific way God offers the Mercy which appeases His judgment is through your heart. By daily offering your heart to our Lord and by daily offering it for others, God’s judgment is transformed. He sees your holy heart, enters it, and then allows you to offer it for the sanctification of others. In this way you are able to win many souls for God on account of His perfect justice of Mercy (See Diary #1193).
When you look at others, what do you see? Do you see a sinner who deserves punishment for their sins? If so, be careful because this is how God will in turn see you. Strive to see the sins of others as opportunities to pray for them and as opportunities to become an instrument of the Mercy of God. God invites your participation in this act of atonement and withholds nothing when you commit yourself to this act of love.
Lord, please transform the way I see others, especially the sinner. Help me to withhold my own judgement and, in turn, to offer my heart filled with love as an act of Your Divine Mercy. Cleanse every soul, dear Lord, and forgive every sin on account of my love for You. Jesus, I trust in You.
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