We are all familiar with the story of the rich young man in three of the Gospels (Matthew 19:16-23, Mark 10:17-23, and Luke 18:18-23). A young man ran to Jesus, knelt before him, and said “Good teacher what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied to him, “You know all the commandments; You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, give to the poor, then you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come, follow me.” The young man’s face fell, and he went away sad. Later, Jesus told his disciples “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God.”
This story has been difficult for me for a long time as I empathized with how the young man must have felt. He went through his life being faithful from his youth and yet was also blessed with good fortune. Jesus’ statement to him was hard to bear. He walked away discouraged because he likely felt that he could not give up the things in life that he valued. The passage is a challenge for many of us because our culture values and rewards individual success. By working hard, we “win,” and reward ourselves by buying things and spending time on entertainment activities and hobbies. We must remember to put our Lord first and above all. Have we rewarded ourselves too much or have gone too far? Are our priorities disordered?
Father Jake Greiner (Catholic Messenger) writes “What are we going to say “no” to in our lives in order to make sure that we do not miss the invitation from Jesus Christ to follow him more closely? Similarly, Andrew Coleman (Diocese of Baton Rouge) writes that the young man represents all of us who have attachments that block our relationships with God and our neighbors. He emphasizes that Jesus wants us to let go of these attachments, things that are “wealth” for us, because by doing so we find true freedom and true riches.
Catholic Messenger. A lesson from the rich young man. Retrieved August 3, 2026 from https://catholicmessenger.net/2015/10/a-lesson-from-the-rich-young-man/
Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge. Rich Young Man. Retrieved August 3, 2026 from https://diobr.org/news/rich-young-man
Leave a Reply