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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: Dt 32:18-19, 20,
21
"You have
forgotten God, who gave you
birth."
*Gospel
Reading: Mt
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.
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**Reflections:
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What gives hope and satisfaction to our desire for happiness and
security? A young man who had the best the world could offer – wealth and
security – came to Jesus because he lacked one thing. He wanted the kind of
lasting peace and happiness which money could not buy him. The answer he got,
however, was not what he was looking for. He protested that he kept all the
commandments; but Jesus spoke to the trouble in his heart. One thing kept him
from giving himself whole-heartedly to God. While he lacked nothing in material
goods, he was nonetheless possessive of what he had. He placed his hope and
security in what he possessed. So when Jesus challenged him to make God his one
true possession and treasure, he became dismayed.
Why did he go away from Jesus with sadness rather than with joy? His treasure
and his hope for happiness were misplaced. Treasure has a special
connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the place of will and
focus. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure. The Lord
himself is the greatest treasure we can possibly have. Giving up everything else
to have the Lord as our treasure is not sorrowful, but the greatest joy. See
Jesus' parable about the treasure hidden in a field (Matthew 13:44). Selling all that
we have could mean many different things – our friends, our job, our style of
life, what we do with our free time. Jesus challenged the young man because his
heart was possessive. He was afraid to give to others for fear that he would
lose what he had gained. Those who are generous towards God and others find that
they cannot outmatch God in generosity. God blesses us with innumerable
spiritual goods – such as longlasting peace, unspeakable joy, enduring love,
abiding relationships and friendship that does not fade or fail – that far
outweigh the fleeting joys of material possessions which fail to sastify us
beyond the present moment. God alone can satisfy the deepest longing and desires
of our heart. Are you willing to part with anything that might keep you from
seeking true joy with Jesus?
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**Prayer:
"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."
Amen.
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