Monday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time

Letting Go to Follow Fully

In today’s Gospel from Matthew 19:16-22, we encounter a young man who approaches Jesus with a sincere and crucial question: ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ His question reflects a thirst many of us share—the desire to live rightly and to attain eternal life. Jesus responds first by directing him toward the commandments, reminding him that righteousness begins with obeying God’s moral law.

However, the heart of this encounter lies beyond simple obedience. When the man insists that he has kept all the commandments, Jesus invites him to something deeper: ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ It is here that the challenge arises—not because wealth is inherently evil, but because it can become a stumbling block to full discipleship. The rich young man walks away sorrowful, for his heart was tied to his possessions.

This moment invites us to examine our own attachments. What holds us back from following Jesus fully? What do we fear to give up, even if it means gaining the treasure of heaven? The path to eternal life is not merely about checking off boxes of good deeds, but surrendering our entire selves to Christ.

St. John Chrysostom reflects on this passage with piercing clarity. He writes, ‘He says not, If you will enter into the Kingdom, but, If you will be perfect, showing that there is a double life, both one afar off from the world and one that is in the world.’ Chrysostom helps us see that while keeping the commandments brings us to righteousness, following Jesus more fully requires detachment and radical trust.

Let us not walk away sorrowful like the young man, but rather, let us ask for the grace to let go of whatever binds us, and follow Jesus with a full heart. In doing so, we will discover the true treasure that never fades.