Am I like the rich young Man?
What a tragic story! The rich young man who approached Jesus was the best candidate for discipleship. He asked the most fundamental question one can ask: “What good must I do to gain eternal life?” He was not asking for fame, for a high position in society or material gains but for the only thing that really counts: eternal life.
And he tells Jesus what probably nobody among us could tell honestly, namely to have obeyed all of God’s commandments. He seems to be perfect — too perfect, if you ask me. Jesus must have been very happy with this young man. He saw an extraordinary, mature person. And so He tried to lead him even further towards perfection.
The young man failed, and so would we. Wasn’t Jesus demanding too much? Wasn’t He asking for the humanly impossible? It is not easy to give up what we have acquired and what gives us comfort, unless we are exceptionally filled with special graces like the saint whose feast the Church celebrates today: St. Bernard. He also came from a wealthy family and had a life of luxury and pleasure ahead of him. But the words and the call of Jesus struck him. At the age of 22, he entered the community of the Cistercians, one of the strictest and most austere religious orders. Not satisfied with this, he brought four of his brothers and 25 of his friends with him into this life of extreme discipleship.
Another saint was struck by the story of the rich young man: Anthony of Egypt, also a rich young man. He was 20 years old when today’s Gospel was read in church. The words of Jesus struck him so much that he left the church, sold everything he had, and went into the desert where he lived a life as a hermit.
Saints Anthony and Bernard make us aware that Jesus was not asking for the impossible. It all depends on how much we love and trust the Lord so that we can respond generously to His invitation to climb to a higher spiritual level. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD
REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you listen to the Gospel as if Jesus is talking directly to you? Are you ready to put into practice what Jesus demands?
Lord, too often I just hear Your words but don’t do what You ask me to do. Make me love You more that I may be able to accept whatever You ask me to do.
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