MONDAY AUGUST 19, 2024
MONDAY OF THE TWENTIETH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME B
St John Eudes, P. (Opt. Mem.)
Ezekiel 24:15-24
Matthew 19: 16-22
MAKING GREAT STRIDES IN SPIRITUAL PERFECTION IN FAITH AND LIFE
The desire for perfection is always in all human being. The need to strive and struggle to be a better person each day is always in us. So, it is not surprising to find this young rich man asking Jesus what more he needed to do to become perfect. Although, he claimed to have kept the entire commandments of the law, yet he was a very rich man who seems to be attached to his riches.
His request on what more he needed to do to become perfect received an answer that brought him great sorrow and sadness. He was told to get detached from his wealth. Jesus tells him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
The challenge of perfection calls us to radical action and change of lifestyle that may necessarily affect our pleasure, our talents and our wealth. The young man was called to get detached, to loose hold of his wealth and to sell all and give out the proceeds to the poor and then join Jesus in the mission of saving souls. This was not acceptable to the young rich man and so he went away sad.
The road to perfection is one that demands total, unalloyed allegiance to God, with great faith, and commitment to Christ. It is one that takes all attention from us and places high premium on the kingdom of God. It can only be attained by serious attention to the word of God and commitment to keeping, following and walking according to God’s words.
In the first reading the prophet Ezekiel was given a vision and a very stringent instruction to act it out. And in reality, his wife will die, and he will bury her and act as if there was nothing wrong. This, the prophet did. He accepted a condition and was a sign to the people of Israel on the impending doom of the captivity and destruction of their temple, which to the israelites was, the pride of their power, the delight of their eyes, and the desire of their soul.
As the word of the prophet Ezekiel was accomplished in the time of the prophets, so the word of God is in our time. It may be hard, demanding and exerting our energy, proposing something impossible to accomplish but adherence to God’s word is of necessity and of great importance for us.
We must learn to accept instructions, study the word and live by the word of God. It does not matter what the instructions maybe, what matters is our openness to accept, accommodate and try to live and abide in God’s words. There lies our happiness, our joy and our salvation such that we may never be sad, disappointed and dejected in life as the rich young man.
The rich young man teaches us never to be afraid of digging deep into the recesses of perfection. But beyond that, we must like Ezekiel be ready to conform, accept and be courageous in the face of the challenges of perfection.
Detachment is a virtue for all who desire perfection. Detachment is not inimical to material things but teaches us never to hold material things as end in itself. It means never allowing material things to control our psychic and our lives. But they must be of service to the poor and the needy. And at a time, we must let go of them entirely.
Heavenly Father grant us the desire & grace for perfection of life in you. May your word be our delight, our way and our rule. Help us to be detached from material possessions and seek riches in spiritual goods and set us on the road of acquiring virtue and perfection through Christ our Lord
Fr Norbert Uchuno
