A reading from the holy Gospel according to 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: "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."
What do you treasure the most? Is it wealth, position, friends, family, job, lifestyle, security, health and the freedom to do all we want and enjoy the better things in life? We all have possession of one of these treasures if not all. But what does our soul treasure the most? It might treasure joy, peace, happiness, enduring love, and friendships. And for the wise people, the love of God is their neverending treasure.
Our treasures will be left behind when we die. It is good to have money to pay for food, shelter, clothing. It is good to have a job. It is healthy to have friends, to laugh, dance and make merry. It is very good to have a family and to create with God. But we cannot be possessive of them for they are all gifts from God. They are not ours to keep.
There is only one thing that is given to all of us that we can never lose --that is the love of God. No love has ever been felt more than the bond between God and man. We know there is something lacking in our lives, and the young man asks the question for us. "What do I still lack?" We have Jesus as our guide with the commandments as the road map. Let us turn to God and ask for eternal life and love.
