THE WORD
Ez 28,1-10 / Mt 19,23-30
Jesus then said to his disciples, “I assure you: it will be very hard for rich young people to enter the kingdom of heaven. I repeat: it is much harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.”
When the disciples heard this, they were completely amazed. “Who then can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked straight at them and answered, “This is impossible for human beings, but for God everything is possible.” Then Peter spoke up,
“Look,” he said, “we have left everything and followed you, What will we have?” Jesus said to them, “you can be sure that when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne in the New Age, then you twelve followers of mine will also sit on the thrones, to rule the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake, will receive a hundred times more and will be given eternal life.” But many who are now first will be last, and many who are now last will be first.
IN OTHER WORDS
The gospel of the rich young man describes in a vivid and tragic manner the danger of riches and material possessions. This is known as the gospel of the great refusal about which Jesus teaches an unforgettable lesson: “It will be difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus uses a simple simile. It will be as difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven as it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. Jesus does not say it will be impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. But that unless and until a person renounces false independence from God thinking he/she has everything that money can buy.
Unfortunately, money cannot buy everything even if some people say that money is the only thing. And money cannot save anyone. A person who grows in wealth and pride could forget dependence on God. His/her heart could grow haughty owing to material possessions and not realizing that things on earth are temporal and things spiritual are eternal. The possessions of mortals are also mortal and gone someday.
Humans are sadly never fully satisfied with what they have. Nothing seems to be enough. They fear the day when they may lose possessions. Hence life could become a strenuous and worried struggle to acquire more and more and to keep them as long as possible. The rich young man in the gospel is not given a name; he is not identified because he represents each one of us. We will all pass through “the needle’s e ye” unless we learn how to detach ourselves from riches and material possessions and get more attached to God by “choosing the better part.”
- Fr. Louie A. Punzalan, SVD | USC, Cebu City
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
