“TEACHER, WHAT GOOD MUST I DO TO GAIN ETERNAL LIFE?” MT 19:16-22
Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary and Joseph.
Prayer Prompt before reading MT 19:16-22: Come, Holy Spirit, teach me how to pray, interpret the Scriptures for me so that I may know the Truth about who God the Father and Son are so that I may know who I am.
The young man asks the golden question, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus says, “If you wish to enter into life, keep my commandments.” This gives great proof of the Old Testament, our Jewish ancestry, and that the 10 commandments were given to Moses and the Israelites.
To “enter into life” means to be a saint, a.k.a. holy, enter a holy place called heaven-eternal life. God is most intelligent. He knows what we need. He knows what will keep us happy, healthy, and safe or out of misery and at peace by following the 10 Commandments.
The choice in this beautiful life God has granted us is where the treasure of your heart truly lies. The young man’s treasure was in the security of his possessions. Many of us including myself find security in money and possessions. In and of itself not bad, but if we do not recognize where these possessions come from and we allow them to control us it could be devastating for our soul. There are no possessions where we are going only love.
It is not good enough to just keep the commandments. The young man says, “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.”
Jesus is teaching us to detach ourselves from possessions that keep us from God (money, power, popularity, honors, win at all cost, electronics-cell phones, video games, addictions, family, friends). We may wonder why God gave us good things, then. One saint said that we have good things so that we have something to give up to offer a sacrifice up to God.
Last, Jesus teaches us to be His followers we will have to pick up our daily crosses. This requires sacrifice. Love always does. The struggle is real! St. Augustine’s sermon in the early period of the Church says that we love this life so much we are afraid to depart from it.
In this life, we suffer and toil, work, have worry and anxiety. Why do we want to cling to these things? We will have none of them when we “enter into life”. We will have peace and joy, we will experience love and being loved at it’s highest level, the heart’s deepest longing.
Today’s challenge: Spend some time in silence recognizing what “possession” is holding us back from giving ourselves completely to God. Make a plan to little by little get rid of this possession that is holding us back.
Be a servant, be a saint today!
#Christian YOLO
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