First reading Ezekiel 24:15-24
The Lord will profane his sanctuary
The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man, I am about to deprive you suddenly of the delight of your eyes. But you are not to lament, not to weep, not to let your tears run down. Groan in silence, do not go into mourning for the dead, knot your turban round your head, put your sandals on your feet, do not cover your beard, do not eat common bread.’ I told this to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening, and the next morning I did as I had been ordered.
The people then said to me, ‘Are you not going to explain what meaning these actions have for us?’
I replied, ‘The word of the Lord has been addressed to me as follows, “Say to the House of Israel: The Lord says this. I am about to profane my sanctuary, the pride of your strength, the delight of your eyes, the passion of your souls. Those of your sons and daughters whom you have left behind will fall by the sword. And you are to do as I have done; you must not cover your beards or eat common bread; you must keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you must not lament or weep. You shall waste away owing to your sins and groan among yourselves. Ezekiel is to be a sign for you. You are to do just as he has done. And when this happens, you will learn that I am the Lord.”’
Responsorial Psalm Deuteronomy 32:18-21
You forget the God who fathered you.
You forget the Rock who begot you,
unmindful now of the God who fathered you.
The Lord has seen this, and in his anger
cast off his sons and his daughters.
‘I shall hide my face from them,’ he says
‘and see what becomes of them.
For they are a deceitful brood,
children with no loyalty in them.
‘They have roused me to jealousy with what is no god,
they have angered me with their beings of nothing;
I, then, will rouse them to jealousy with what is no people,
I will anger them with an empty-headed nation.’
Gospel Matthew 19:16-22
If you wish to be perfect, go and sell what you own
There was a man who came to Jesus and asked, ‘Master, what good deed must I do to possess eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one alone who is good. But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said, ‘Which?’ ‘These:’ Jesus replied ‘You must not kill. You must not commit adultery. You must not bring false witness. Honour your father and mother, and: you must love your neighbour as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘I have kept all these. What more do I need to do?’ Jesus said, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But when the young man heard these words he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.
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Letting go to hold on to Jesus
A rich young man comes to Jesus with a sincere question: “What good deed must I do to have eternal life?” He is a good person who has followed the commandments and lived a decent life, but he feels that something is missing. Jesus points out what is holding him back: “Go and sell what you own … then come, follow me.” To have a deeper and meaningful faith, he must let go of his attachment to his riches. This will allow him to fully follow Christ. Sadly, he leaves feeling sad because he chooses to cling to his wealth instead of Jesus.
As we reflect on this passage, let us think about what holds us back from fully trusting Jesus. What is the thing that takes our attention away from Him? Is it our possessions, comfort, control, a relationship, or even our ministry? Jesus asks us to let go of certain things so that we can connect more deeply with Him, our true treasure. In the Gospel, letting go is not about being indifferent, but it is about freeing our hearts from distractions so we can love Jesus fully. When we give up what we cling to out of love for Him, we experience greater joy and a more fulfilled life.
Reflective question:
Do I see detachment as loss, or as a way of making more room for Jesus and for others in my life?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD
