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Gospel Reading for August 19, 2024 – Matthew 19: 16-22
ISN’T ENOUGH
A young man approached Jesus and said, “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.
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A lot of us think that doing good means just following the 10 commandments. We have to remember that when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, his response was: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
(Matthew 22: 37-40). Jesus just summarized the 10, with the first 3 pertaining to God and from the 4th to the 10th pertaining to neighbor. Let us take note that Jesus mentions the second as “like” the first commandment. This is because we cannot claim to love God if we cannot love our neighbor who comes from him.
It is common for us to think of sin only as doing evil/bad to others. This is called the sin of commission. The sin that we often do not consider as a sin is the sin of omission, or the failure to do something right/good when we should have had. Take for example the 7th Commandment which is against stealing. Yes, it is wrong to take something that is not yours without permission, but why should you wait for someone to beg you for food? Why not share your food with the hungry who do not have the means to buy food because they are handicapped or are children whose parents do not feed them properly and even use them to beg for the family? If we are more blessed, then it is just right to share our blessings with others. Take for example the 8th Commandment on Lying. You stole something from your parents but they did not ask you and instead asked the kasambahay. You would just keep quiet and let your parents blame it on the kasambahay. This is precisely what Jesus was telling the young man. Following the 10 Commandments ISN’T ENOUGH if we wish to gain eternal life.
Lord Jesus, help us to understand the true meaning of LOVE!
