Matthew 19:21
“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.”
How many times have we
prayed like this – “Lord, I will donate to a charity, if you will heal me of my
lingering illness”, or “Jesus, I will hear mass everyday, if you would let me
pass my exam tomorrow”? This is a
selfish prayer, for we are selfish people.
We are all called to a life of holiness and
obedience to His will. In fact, Christ is
calling us to a life of perfection – loving one another unselfishly and
unconditionally. Following Christ will
fill the void in our hearts and will earn us the gift of eternal life. However, we are not generous. Our love, like the man in today’s gospel, is
conditional and not willing to make the necessary sacrifices for Christ.
Christ has given us the Gospel to know,
love and imitate Him. He shared to us
how we shall face the reality of discipleship.
That is, we must be ready not only to enjoy the benefits of friendship -
knowledge, wisdom, understanding, peace, joy - but also to love Him unconditionally
whatever the cost may be.
Christ has already provided us with His
example of unconditional love – suffering and dying on the cross so our sins
may be forgiven. There is nothing He did
not give for our salvation. He only asks
that we love Him in return.
I pray to be perfect. I pray that I may forego of everything. I pray that finally, I may come to Him and
follow Him.
Unconditionally. No matter what.
Let us pray +
Lord Jesus Christ, I want to be Your
disciple of unconditional love who accompanies You through joys and sufferings.
I only ask You to be patient with me and
grant me the grace to be faithful. My life
is Yours, use me for the salvation of souls and for Your greater glory. Amen +
Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
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