Jesus follows up the encounter with the rich young man by talking about the potential trap of significant personal wealth in yesterday’s gospel reading (Mt 19:23-30).  Jesus tells His listeners that it is impossible for a rich man to get to heaven.  The disciples then wonder how anyone can attain it.  Jesus says that all things are possible for God.  Then Peter speaks up and reminds Jesus that He and other eleven apostles have given up everything and followed Him — so what can they expect?  Jesus tells them that thrones are prepared for them to sit in judgment of Israel.  Jesus goes on to say that all those who give up family or possessions for His sake will inherit much more and eternal life besides.  Many who are first here will be last in eternity and vice-versa.  Note that Jesus emphasizes that no one is saved without God.  Nothing we do in this life, no matter how grand, will get us to heaven.  God’s grace is required.  But when we do the right things in cooperation with God there is merit to that.  “The merit of man before God in the Christian life arises from the fact that God has freely chosen to associate man with the work of his grace. The fatherly action of God is first on his own initiative, and then follows man’s free acting through his collaboration, so that the merit of good works is to be attributed in the first place to the grace of God, then to the faithful. Man’s merit, moreover, itself is due to God, for his good actions proceed in Christ, from the predispositions and assistance given by the Holy Spirit.” (CCC, 2008).  It is not “once saved, always saved,” however.  Our actions do matter — we can cut ourselves off from the life of grace through mortal sin.  Rather, we should take as our own Augustine’s motto: “Love God and [then] do what you will.”  “In other words, if you truly love God and his will, then doing what you will, will, in fact, be doing what God wills” (Peter Kreeft quoted in “Discernment”).

The gospel reading for today (Mt 19:16-22) has the encounter between Jesus and the rich young man.  The man asks Jesus what he must do to gain eternal life.  Jesus responds with the words above.  The man presses on, asking which specific ones he must keep.  Jesus responds with the commandments that express love of neighbor.  Finally, the young man says that he obeys all of these commandments but wants to know what he still lacks.  Jesus tells him that to be perfect he must give his many possessions to the poor and follow Him.  The man goes away crestfallen.  For those who are proponents of a “once saved, always saved” Christianity, Jesus clearly refutes that here.  Earlier in Matthew we read: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (7:21).  Paul says: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12).  We must keep up the good fight.  But many of us in the young man’s position may well think as he does: “I’ve kept the commandments; what more do you want, Teacher?”  But how well, really, did he, or do we, keep the commandments?  The last commandment Jesus told him to follow was: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Well, who is our neighbor?  Today’s gospel mirrors quite well the story of the law scholar in another gospel who wished to justify himself to Jesus.  He knew what the law required regarding attaining eternal life but wanted Jesus to tell him who his neighbor was.  After responding with the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:29-37), Jesus concludes by saying that to be “neighborly” we must treat others with mercy.  The rich young man claimed to follow the commandment to love neighbor, but was not really following it.  His possessions possessed him and were not to be given to those in dire need.  May it never be said of us that we are so attached to worldly things that we risk eternal life for a few moments of pleasure in this world while neglecting others physically or spirtually.  Let us drop all undue attachments for the sake of Jesus and His Kingdom so that they both can be fully ours now and forever.

As we encounter another Sunday, Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse continues (Jn 6:51-58).  Jesus tells the crowd that He is the living bread from heaven and that we are to eat this bread, that is, His flesh, so that we may have life.  When the Jews quarrel about the idea of consuming a man’s flesh, Jesus says that eating His body and drinking His blood is required for eternal life and for Jesus and His followers to be united (see the sentence at top).  Jesus gets life from the Father, we get life through consuming Jesus leading to eternal life.  The importance of the Holy Eucharist is explicit here.  When received with the proper disposition (no mortal sin on our souls) It gives us life and It unites Jesus to us and us to Jesus in a special way.  Some Christians try to get around the plain meaning of Jesus’ words, but the Church has believed in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist from apostolic times (as evidenced by the gospels, Paul, and the early Church Fathers, starting with Clement of Rome, a co-worker with Paul and the fourth pope).  We should take every opportunity to go to Mass to receive Holy Communion and make frequent spiritual Communions (no limit — we should ask Jesus to come into our hearts continually).  Jesus gives Himself as a gift that we are required to accept.  May we do it often, with immense gratitude, and with a spirit of repentance and the action of right living that allows us to be open to all the graces that are available in this Sacrament of Sacraments.

Yesterday’s very short passage (Mt 19:13-15) has Jesus welcoming and blessing children.  When the disciples rebuke them Jesus tells them all the words above, blesses the remaining children, and leaves.  It is not unusual for Jesus to speak highly of children and encourage everyone to have the attitudes and dispositions of children: trust, openness to truth, wonder and awe at beauty, lack of duplicitousness, innocence.  It seems that we should seriously ponder these childlike attributes, especially those that have been compromised by living life.  It is easy to fall away from these early perspectives as we are changes by the cares of the world, the responsibilities of adulthood, and the cynicism that can build in our various experiences.  Do these cares, responsibilities, and cynicism weigh us down or distract us such that they draw us away from God and His Church?  Do we lack trust because we have often found others untrustworthy?  Are we tempted to mimic Pilate by asking “What is truth?” in a world seemingly full of contradiction and deception?  Are we too careworn or busy to “stop and smell the roses,” i.e., appreciate the natural beauty of the world and the spiritual beauty of those around us?  Do we assume ulterior motives from everyone because we’ve experienced it in others (and, if we are honest, in ourselves) far too often?  In a world that by and large has lost its innocence do we believe it can be found again and maintained?  All the answers start with us.  When we fully embrace trust, openness to truth, wonder and awe at beauty, lack of duplicitousness, and innocence we draw closer to God.  When we live it we bring others closer to God.  When we reform our lives and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15) we bring the Kingdom one step closer to coming.

The day before yesterday we continued in Matthew (19:3-12) with Jesus’ teaching on divorce and marriage.  The discussion is prompted by Pharisees asking Jesus about divorce and the law.  Jesus says that from the beginning when a man and woman married they were not to be separated because God joined them.  The Pharisees press on by mentioning that Moses allowed divorce.  Jesus fires back that it was simply because of the people’s hardness of heart that he allowed it, but it is not how it was meant to be.  Divorce cannot happen in a lawful marriage and if a spouse goes on to marry another he or she commits adultery.  The disciples then chime in that it is better that no one marry then.  Jesus responds that not all can accept this teaching and that in fact some are incapable of marriage due to physical defects (inherent or man-caused) or because it is willfully renounced for a higher calling.  Regarding the latter, the Church has been very prudential in ordinarily requiring celibacy for those ordained (and never allowing the ordained to marry) and many religious orders also require celibacy for at least some of their members.  Because these men and women are set aside by God in His Church for a special vocation, they have additional capacity to dedicate themselves more fully to the things of God and the needs of others.  The Lord clearly makes this out to be a special function in His plan and we should always respect this discipline of the Church.  Continue to pray for celibate priests and religious that they remain true to their vows and draw strength from the Lord through the special blessing they received during ordination and/or professing of solemn vows.

The end of Matthew 18 (vv.21-9:1) gives us Peter asking Jesus about forgiving others.  Peter asks Him how often he should forgive one who sins against him.  Jesus responds that it must be seventy-seven times.  For exposition, Jesus goes on to compare the Kingdom of heaven to a king and his servants.  A king, settling accounts with his debtors, asks a certain man to pay up an enormous amount.  The man begs and pleads to be given time to pay the king back and the king forgives the entire loan.    When, in turn, another man asks the same man for time to repay a much smaller loan, the first man does not relent.  When the king hears about the incident, he has the first man brought it, excoriates him for not behaving as the king himself did.  The story closes with the lines at top.  This passage should cause us deep reflection.  Like the first man in the story, we’ve been forgiven a debt so great than nothing we could ever do of our own power could ever repay it.  It took Jesus’ paschal mystery to do that.  All the Lord asks is that we do onto others as He has done unto us (cf. Mt 7:12).  This means forgiveness for the deepest hurts caused to us or to our loved ones (usually the latter are much more difficult to overcome).  And this cannot stop at a mouthing of words.  Jesus speaks of forgiveness “from the heart.”  How difficult this can be!  But we must forgive — the eternal consequences if we do not are clearly stated.  Just before He dies, the completely innocent God-Man gasped forth words of forgiveness and mercy upon His torturers and killers (Lk 23:34), dying for each of them as He did for each of us.  He wanted none of them to be lost (Mt 18:14).  He wants none of us to be lost.  So, we should not want others to be lost, either.  Forgiveness does not mean condoning sin.  Forgiveness does not oppose justice.  Forgiveness does emulate God who freely gives His mercy to us and requires us to extend it to others and thus be an example of Christian love to all persons.

For the celebration of the Feast of the Assumption, we are blessed to hear the story of the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-56).  After the Annunciation, Mary sets out quickly to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who the angel informed Mary, is with child.  Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, declares how blessed Mary and her child are because Mary believed.  Mary then launches into the Magnificat (starting with the words at top) directing all praise to God.  The passage closes mentioning that Mary stayed for three months before returning home.  Mary, in perfect humility, deflects any hint of praise for her by immediately glorifying God in a most beautiful way.  Mary addresses the Father, with the Son in her womb, and the Holy Spirit inspiring both her and her cousin.  This explicit presence of the family of the Trinity at this joyous event “magnifies” the greatness of the Lord by Its example of love in itself and through the humility of the Son who became man for us.  It is worth keeping in mind often these first words of the Magnificat, especially when making the sign of the cross, so that this action has no chance of losing its impact on us, but rather strengthening us against temptation.  Then we will better imitate Mary whose soul had no room for sin because of this sentiment and thus allowed her to enter heaven unblemished at the end of her time here on earth.

Today’s gospel reading (Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14) has the disciples asking Jesus this question: “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” (v. 1)  Jesus responds by calling over a child.  Jesus lets them know that they must be humble like a child and welcome the childlike in order to be greatest in heaven.  Despising the childlike pits us against God as we see in the words concluding the passage (above).  What acts show that “these little ones” are despised and thus in danger of being lost?  Most obviously, direct actions that show a lack of respect for others that is due them as made in the image and likeness of God.  We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mt 22:39).  When we take actions that hurt our neighbor physically, mentally, or emotionally we may harm their relationship with God, if they have one, or if they don’t have one, we are certainly not facilitating the possibility, and we most definitely harm (and possibly cut off) our relationship with God.  More subtly, but of potentially much greater harm, is giving scandal by our actions.  Words skipped in this reading, but terribly important to our understanding of it, are verses six and seven: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.  Woe to the world because of things that cause sin! Such things must come, but woe to the one through whom they come!”  We must be always vigilant against behaving sinfully, especially when others are observing us.  Talk is cheap but actions speak volumes.  May our example always be one that comports with the true Faith so that others will not be led astray but come to the fullness of the truth through our obedience to the Word, Jesus.

As we continue to walk with Jesus and the disciples (Mt 17:22-27), Jesus again predicts His passion and death, eliciting the emotions described above.  Upon entering Capernaum, the temple tax collectors approach Peter to ask if Jesus pays the temple tax, to which Peter responds in the affirmative.  Upon returning to Jesus, Peter is asked by Him from whom polls and census taxes are taken.  The conclusion: foreigners.  Even so, Jesus instructs Peter to go fishing and open the mouth of the first creature He catches — in it will be tax payment enough for both of them.  There are two aspects of the disciples’ grief worth considering: their grief for Jesus and their grief for themselves; these we can also apply to ourselves.  How sad it is to lose loved ones to death, and how much more so if we have to see them suffer before the end.  The disciples were now being prepared for Jesus’ demise.  As they come to understand it better they also realize that the person to whom they have given their lives will soon no longer be with them.  As close collaborators with Jesus, the disciples surely felt that the consequences for them, because of their association with Jesus, may well be dire indeed; grief follows upon grief.  We, having the fullness of revelation, realize Christ died for everyone and for us individually.  Should we not grieve for the death of this perfect Man who was God who only showed love and loved us to the end?  Should we not grieve for our sins that sent the Savior to the cross?  Should we not have full purpose of amendment to eliminate every sin from our lives for the sake of His sorrowful passion?  Serious consideration of these aspects of sin should overwhelm us with grief.  While we should regularly meditate upon the cross, we should also turn our grief into action: prayer, repentance, confession, reconciliation, and self-mastery.  Regardless of difficulties in overcoming our most deep-seated vices, we have the power available to us to do so — remember the Lord’s words to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (1 Cor 12:9).  As we eliminate one sin after another, one vice after another, our capacity to receive that grace expands and makes it easier to eliminate remaining vices.  As overwhelming as this may seem, it is important to take to heart these words of Jesus: “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible” (Mt 19:26).

The Bread of Life discourse continues (Jn 6:41-51), drawing closer to its climax.  The Jews, in hearing Jesus say that He is from heaven, recall that they know His parents, so they question how He can claim a divine origin.  Jesus responds that it is God the Father who draws persons to Jesus through their listening to the Father.  Believers have eternal life and will be raised on the last day.  Unlike the Chosen People of old who ate manna and died, Jesus calls Himself “the living bread that came down from heaven” (v. 51), that is His flesh, that gives eternal life.  Jesus is foreshadowing His death, in which He gives up His flesh to abuse, torture, and ultimately death, for the sins of every person who ever lived, lives, or will live.  But because He promises to be with us “until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20), He also anticipates the Holy Eucharist (something, we will see, that He will get into in graphic detail in subsequent Sunday readings).  Just considering the scorn (and abandonment as we will soon see) He received for laying out this teaching, we should appreciate the gift of Holy Communion even more (not even thinking forward to the shameful — in the eyes of the world — end of His life that made this possible).  Jesus did not hesitate, despite the consequences,  to put out a hard teaching that was true.  Let us, too, never shirk from declaring the fullness of truth that we learn from the Father God and Mother Church.