GOSPEL POWER l AUGUST 16, 2021

20th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Mt 19:16-22 

16Someone came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good deed must  I do to have eternal life?” 17And he said to him, “Why do you ask  me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you  wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18He said to him,  “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not  commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness;  19Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as  yourself.” 20The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what  do I still lack?” 21Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell  your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have  treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22When the young man  heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions. 

Jesus reorients the young man’s commercial notion of  eternal life by shifting his attention from “good things” to  the “Good One.” Eternal life is not a commodity obtained in  exchange for doing good things. Rather, it is the fullness of relationship  with the Good One — a relationship that begins here on earth. The  commandments are not only duties to be carried out perfectly. Rather,  they offer a way to respond faithfully to the Good One and thus grow  in one’s relationship with him. The young man does not realize that  when he asks, “What do I still lack?” the answer is precisely this  relationship with the Good One. From the perspective of the Kingdom,  it is not by gaining, but by losing, that one tends toward perfection.  It is when the Good One alone suffices and the good things of the  earth become relative and dispensable that one begins to glimpse true  perfection.  Lord Jesus, may we appreciate eternal life as an undeserved gift that we an only open our hearts to receive from the Good One. Amen.