The riches to leave behind

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “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. ”When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19: 16-22)

The young man, who leaves sorrowful, teaches us that, if we want to follow Jesus, the first type of wealth  we must free ourselves from is the desire for security and independence satisfied by material goods alone. The second type that we must abandon to follow Jesus, is the pride with which we use the gifts that God has given us to satisfy our vainglory rather than for the benefit of those whom we meet. Let us strive to rid ourselves of these riches so that we do not delude ourselves that we are following Jesus when, in reality, we put our desires before Him.