Matthew 19:16-22

Ezekiel 24:15-23

Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20, 21

Matthew 19:16-22

“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”

He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good?

There is only One who is good.

If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

He asked him, “Which ones?”

And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill;

you shall not commit adultery;

you shall not steal;

you shall not bear false witness;

honor your father and your mother;

and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The young man said to him,

“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”

Jesus said to him, “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.”

When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,

for he had many possessions.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I will follow your Son to the Cross, knowing that it is the path that leads to the glory of the resurrection and eternal life with you. Help me to keep the Commandments, detach myself from the things of this passing world, and serve my brothers and sisters in need.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Ezekiel’s Understanding of the Exile: After teaching us on Saturday that every person will be held accountable for their own actions and conduct, Ezekiel takes up a lamentation for the princes of Israel (Ezekiel 19:1-14). He compares Judah to a lioness and her kings to young lions. One young lion, the son of the warrior-king Josiah, Jehoahaz, was taken into exile to the land of Egypt (2 Kings 23:31-34). The other young lion, was the son of King Jehoiakim, who was taken into exile to the land of Babylon (2 Kings 23:36-24:15). In exile, Judah is no longer a lioness, but a withered vine, too weak to produce a scepter for a ruler (Ezekiel 19:10-14). In August 591 B.C., Ezekiel again hears the word of the Lord. He recalls the oath God swore with Israel that the Lord would bring Israel out of slavery and they would cast aside the idols of Egypt. The Lord fulfilled his oath and brought Israel out of Egypt. He led the people into the wilderness and gave them his statutes and his sabbaths as a covenant sign. But Israel rebelled against the Lord, did not follow his statutes, and profaned his sabbaths (Ezekiel 20:1-13). Instead of destroying Israel, God spares Israel and withholds his hand for the sake of his name. He chooses to scatter Israel among the nations, recognizing as well that the statutes and ordinances he gave the people in the Old Law were not able to bring them to eternal life (Ezekiel 20:25; Galatians 3:21). Ezekiel then asks the elders of Israel: Will you also go astray and defile yourselves through idolatry? (Ezekiel 20:30). If the people listen to God, he will gather them one day on his holy mountain and they will serve the Lord.

2. The Sign of Not Mourning Ezekiel’s Wife: Three years later, in January 588 B.C., Ezekiel is told that the king of Babylon will lay siege to Jerusalem that same day. This happens because the people needed to be purified and cleansed from the filth of their idolatry (Ezekiel 24:13). Today’s First Reading builds on this event. Ezekiel’s wife, the delight of his eyes, dies, and the prophet is commanded by God not to weep for her. Ezekiel then interprets the meaning of his actions for the people: God’s sanctuary, the delight of the eyes of the people, will be profaned; and like Ezekiel, they are not to mourn. In these stories about the fall of Jerusalem, we contemplate the original vocation of Israel, called to be a holy nation, a royal priesthood, and a light to the nations. Yet, time and time again, the people failed and rebelled against God and his commandments. They chose to worship pagan idols instead of the one true God. Because of this they needed to be purified and taught how to return to the Lord their God, who has the power to restore them and give them life.

3. The Path of Eternal Life: Today’s Gospel echoes several of these themes. The rich young man asks Jesus about the full meaning of life. The answer to the young man’s question – what good must I do to have eternal life? – is found by turning the mind and heart to God who is good. “To ask about the good, in fact, ultimately means to turn towards God, the fullness of goodness” (John Paul II, Veritatis splendor, 9). God’s commandments show us the path of life and they lead to it. The commandments are linked to a promise in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. “In the Old Covenant the object of the promise was the possession of a land where the people would be able to live in freedom and in accordance with righteousness (cf. Dt 6:20-25). In the New Covenant the object of the promise is the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’” (John Paul II, Veritatis splendor, 12). The Kingdom is referred to in the expression “eternal life,” which is a participation in the very life of God. The rich young man knows that, even though he keeps the commandments, he is still far from the goal. He still lacks something. To be perfect he needs to grow in freedom, walk by the Spirit, and serve others in love. He cannot stop at the minimum demands of the Law but rather needs to live them in their fullness. This is made possible by grace, which enables us to possess the full freedom of the children of God (see John Paul II, Veritatis splendor, 18).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, teach me the path that leads to eternal life. Show me where I am still attached to earthly things. Enlighten my mind and move my heart to see how I can help others today.

Living the Word of God: Today, Jesus asks us simply and directly to follow him and imitate him along the path of love. This imitation reaches to our core and, by his grace, we are conformed to him. “Sharing in the Eucharist, the sacrament of the New Covenant, is the culmination of our assimilation to Christ, the source of eternal life, the source and power of that complete gift of self, which Jesus [...] commands us to commemorate in liturgy and life” (John Paul II, Veritatis splendor, 21).