Daily Gospel Reflection – Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope
Bishop Robert Barron
August 21, 2023
Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope
Gospel: Mt 19:16-22
A young man approached Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus replied,
“You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him,
“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “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.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.
*United States Conference of Catholic
Bishop Robert Barron
Friends, in today’s Gospel, a young man comes to Jesus and asks, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” This honest and searching question symbolizes the universal longing of the human being for moral integrity. As such, it is not primarily a question regarding rules, commandments, and prohibitions but a quest for “the full meaning of life.”
Jesus’ initial response is somewhat enigmatic: “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good.” In fact, it cuts to the heart of the matter. The greatest mistake that the moral searcher can make is to presume that the goal of his quest can be found in any good or truth other than God.
One of the most insistently repeated themes of the Bible is that, since we are made according to God’s image, we will not find fulfillment in anything other than God. And this insight is repeated by practically every major figure in our tradition, most famously and poetically by Augustine: “Our hearts are restless till they rest in Thee.”
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