Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”

 

Gospel Reading: 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.

 

What is it that we all seek? I think the simple answer is everlasting happiness. In today’s world, the definition of happiness is redefined by what the media wants us to understand as happiness. In today’s Gospel reading, a man poses this question to Jesus, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus first replies, “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” The young man replies that he is obeying all the commandments, so what else must he do. In his heart, he realizes that just keeping the commandments is not enough.  Then Jesus gives him the most difficult task of all, “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.” The man left sad because he could not let go of his treasures.

 

The young man in today’s story was blessed with many treasures including significant wealth and security but yet this was not enough to make him happy. These things that he treasured kept him from fully uniting with God. Why, because he loved these treasures more than he loved God. At first read, one may think that being wealthy is a sin and that God is calling us all to become poor. This story is quite the opposite. In fact it has nothing to do with monetary wealth, but with spiritual poverty. It has to do with the releasing the treasures we hold closer to heart then God so that we can abound in the joy and happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

God gives each of us many talents and many gifts. If we do not use these gifts for the glory of God, then we place these gifts higher than God. If these gifts cause us to become possessive and greedy, then we are not truly aligned with God. These treasures could be our friends, our car, our clothes, our stereo. Right now – what is the most important thing in your life? Think hard. what do you treasure more than anything else? What is it that you can’t do without? If you answered anything else beside God, get rid of it. It is keeping you from the Kingdom of Heaven. It is causing you sadness. The gifts that God gives us will reign down on us if we release the treasures that cause us to become possessive. God always provides more to us then we give. The more we give, the more of God’s love will overflow in us. “Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” Again, if the answer to “What is the most important thing in your life” is not God, then you need to get rid of it to let God more fully into our lives.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

Lord Jesus Christ, you have blessed me with so many gifts,

I know that you are the source of all happiness,

Give me the strength to get those things out of my life that I possess more than you.

Help me to make you the greatest treasure in my life.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon