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| “St. Bernard” (detail) by Georg Andreas Wasshuber, 1700s. |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Ezekiel 24:15-23
Commentary on Ez 24:15-23
Ezekiel becomes a sign for the people, and is given a metaphor of the fall of Jerusalem. He is told not to observe the customary mourning ritual (see Jeremiah 16:7). The message to the people of Jerusalem would be that they would be forced to flee without being able to say farewell and the young they leave behind (presumably to defend the city) would die without mourners.
From a theological perspective the last verse provides recourse: sins unreconciled will cause the death (rot) of the soul. It is only through reconciliation with God that life and peace are possible.
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Responsorial Psalm: Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20, 21
R. (see 18a) You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
Commentary on Dt 32:18-19, 20, 21
This passage from Deuteronomy is taken from the last discourse of Moses, a section called the "Song of Moses." The great leader laments that the people have turned away from the God who saved them. In this selection the warning against forgetting God (the Rock on which they were founded) is issued. If they turn from God, God’s grace is no longer with them (“I will hide my face from them”) and they become “no-people” to him.
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Gospel: Matthew 19:16-22
Commentary on Mt19:16-22
Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man is also captured in Mark 10:17-31. In St. Matthew’s account the young man asks Jesus what “good” he must do to attain “eternal life” (equivalent to entering into life or being saved as used in other parts of St. Matthew’s Gospel – see Matthew 19:17 and Matthew 16:25). Following the Lord’s grammatical clarification (“There is only One who is good” a statement implying only God possesses the ability to act without sin – completely good), the young man asks which commandments he must follow.
“The first five commandments cited are from the Decalogue (see Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20). Matthew omits Mark's "you shall not defraud" (Matthew 10:19; see Deuteronomy 24:14) and adds Leviticus 19:18. This combination of commandments of the Decalogue with Leviticus 19:18 is partially the same as Paul's enumeration of the demands of Christian morality in Romans 13:9.” [4]
The Lord’s concluding remarks tell the Christian community that wealth can be a barrier to achieving eternal life. This thought is continued in verses 23-30.
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Reflection:
Have you ever thought, when looking back at your recent past: “I have done very well in God’s eyes;” or “I am on the right path;” or “I’m pretty sure God will be happy with me”? We probably all have at some point. We certainly try to please God with our actions and even if we are very good at humility, there are probably times when we feel pride at what we have done in the Lord’s name. These are the times when we should hear the Lord’s chiding voice “There is only one who is good.” (Matthew 19:17)
This is not meant by Jesus to be discouraging. The young man in the story admitted that he came to Jesus with a pretty clean slate: “All of these I have observed.” We can almost hear the pride in his answer (pretty bold considering Jesus had just told him: “There is only One who is good”). So the Lord sees into the young man. Jesus sees deeply into the young man’s heart and understands he has done his very best to follow Mosaic Law, including the Decalogue and the “Great Commandment” from Leviticus Jesus had just quoted. But there is one flaw and it is significant.
The young man is of the privileged class with wealth and position (lest we think this is an impossible obstacle, look at all the saints who have come from the same kind of background and given it all up to follow the Lord – perhaps the most famous being St. Francis of Assisi but also St. Bernard of Clairvaux whose feast we celebrate today.) Jesus, probably with deep compassion, answers the question the young man should not have asked: “What do I still lack?” The Lord answers and tells the young man that he must do what his disciples have done; give up all that holds them to the secular world and follow Jesus.
What a great lesson for all of us who strive to follow the Lord. About the time we start feeling like we have made it, we should remember that question in our prayer: “What do I still lack?” Listen carefully to the Lord’s answer and we will find such a long way still to go. We take that message to heart today. Worldly values are still at war with us, striving to command all our attention. We listen to the Lord’s call above that din: “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.”
Pax
[1] The picture is
[4] See NAB note on Matthew 18-19.
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