Posted by The WORD in other words by Fr Fermin Galolo SVD – Catholic Trade Manila
Monday 20th Week in Ordinary Time
People have always wanted to know the secret of happiness or eternal life. But Jesus already gave the answer: “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
Jesus is the Way because He came to show us the way back to God; Jesus is the truth because to achieve happiness, all we have to do is to believe in Him; Jesus is the life because to listen/obey Him is what we need to do to attain eternal life.
But what is the cost of following Jesus? In Mt 16:24, Christ asks us to leave everything behind and carry our own crosses. It is very hard to follow someone when we have extra baggage with us. Jesus is likewise teaching us to trust and believe in Him.
The young man’s possessions hindered him from seeing the truth and following the Way (Jesus) to obtain eternal life. Contrast that with the story of Bartimeaus (Mt 20) who threw away even his only cloak to be able to follow Jesus despite rebuke and discouraging remarks from the people around him.
As disciples, we are called to follow the way of the Master who renounces material wealth, titles, fame, prestige and other earthly trappings of what happiness is. We are often plagued by too many worldly concerns that we lose sight of simple things – e.g., faith and belief that God loves us and provides for all our needs. This is where real and lasting happiness comes from.
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