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Gospel Reading for August 19, 2025 – Matthew 19: 23-30
ADDICTIVE
Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
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Earthly treasures and Heavenly treasures are opposites because the former is temporary and the latter is eternal; the former we leave behind when we die and the latter will bring us to eternal life.
Earthly treasures or riches are ADDICTIVE. Many of us when we start getting rich, get richer and richer making it difficult to part with them, therefore, making it difficult to share them with those in need, and it is even probable that we have become richer and richer because someone else is becoming poorer and poorer. When we start giving more value to money, a lot of things we do will start clashing with the teachings of Jesus which focuses more on the inner self and not external things.
As Jesus says in Matthew 16: 26 – “For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul?” When we come to think of it, what really is the use of amassing wealth that we cannot bring out of this world that will even be a hindrance to our path towards eternal life?
Lord Jesus, teach us to detach ourselves from earthly riches that we may never lose our way towards eternal life!
