Jesus replied, “Do not kill; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and mother.
And love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “I have kept all these commandments. What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell all that you possess, and give the money to the poor;
and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.”
On hearing this, the young man went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.
REFLECTION:
The rich young man is frustrated with Jesus’ answer to his question: “What do I still lack?”
He is asking for what more there is to achieve and to possess. Jesus, however, implicitly tells him:
“There is nothing more to possess. In fact, you have so much of them making you unhappy.”
It is not about lack, it is about having too much.
It is quite telling in the Gospel that the young man does not know what makes him happy.
Despite the many things he has, he cannot point to any of those possessions as source of joy.
He has the wrong possessions. Jesus is telling him and also all of us that happiness is not about having more.
It is about having less or even just one—and is the right one. Jesus can be the only one we have and we cannot ask for more.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2020