Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time, August 17, 2026

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

I found this quote to be interesting, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?...If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He asked him, “Which ones?”. I always wondered why the young man asked this question because shouldn't the answer simply be all of them? I think this question reveals something about the young man. He is looking for a minimum requirement. He wants to know what he has to do to gain eternal life, but approaches faith almost like a checklist to be crossed off. While Jesus does initially meet him there in listing the commandments, he still responds, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”. This follow up question shows that, on some level, the young man already knows that following the rules is not the same thing as completely giving oneself to God. He has obeyed the commandments, but he senses that something is still missing. Maybe the young man has followed the commandments, but when Jesus asks him to surrender the thing he values most, he cannot let go. This makes me question whether we sometimes approach our faith in the same way. Are we simply following the rules, or are we truly willing to surrender what holds us back from God?