TUESDAY OF THE TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME -Mt 19:23-30 - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

"It will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." (Mt 19,23-24)

READING OF THE DAY

A reading from the Book of Ezekiel

Ez 28:1-10

The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man,

say to the prince of Tyre:

Thus says the Lord GOD:

Because you are haughty of heart,

you say, “A god am I!

I occupy a godly throne

in the heart of the sea!”—

And yet you are a man, and not a god,

however you may think yourself like a god.

Oh yes, you are wiser than Daniel,

there is no secret that is beyond you.

By your wisdom and your intelligence

you have made riches for yourself;

You have put gold and silver

into your treasuries.

By your great wisdom applied to your trading

you have heaped up your riches;

your heart has grown haughty from your riches–

therefore thus says the Lord GOD:

Because you have thought yourself

to have the mind of a god,

Therefore I will bring against you

foreigners, the most barbarous of nations.

They shall draw their swords

against your beauteous wisdom,

they shall run them through your splendid apparel.

They shall thrust you down to the pit, there to die

a bloodied corpse, in the heart of the sea.

Will you then say, “I am a god!”

when you face your murderers?

No, you are man, not a god,

handed over to those who will slay you.

You shall die the death of the uncircumcised

at the hands of foreigners,

for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew

Mt 19:23-30

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich

to enter the Kingdom of heaven.

Again I say to you,

it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle

than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God."

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,

"Who then can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said,

"For men this is impossible,

but for God all things are possible."

Then Peter said to him in reply,

"We have given up everything and followed you.

What will there be for us?"

Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you

that you who have followed me, in the new age,

when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,

will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,

judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters

or father or mother or children or lands

for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,

and will inherit eternal life.

But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."

TUESDAY OF THE TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - Mt 19:23-30

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

The Word of God in today's Gospel, God teaches everyone what we must do to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, and He tells us what we will gain when we give up everything belonging to the world to follow God.

- Firstly: to enter the Kingdom of God, we must give up everything such as money, fame, and pleasure; because Satan will use those things to tempt, and entice us to become passionate and heavy-bodied, making it difficult to live according to the teachings of God the Father. Therefore, to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, everyone must give up everything belonging to the world. This is to live completely lightly, and freely, and only know how to trust and rely on God.

Jesus said: "It will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God." Here, He wants to emphasize to us that we must give up everything in this world to live completely according to God's call, which is: to live with charity and love, to dare to give away everything we have so that God will grant us the wealth of the Kingdom of Heaven in the future.

Secondly: what will we get when we give up everything in this world to follow God? The answer is when the disciples and those who dare to give up everything to follow God, He will give them a worthy reward which is the Kingdom of Heaven in the future. Those people will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes. Indeed, the apostles are greatly blessed to be with God in judging the nations when they come before the judgment seat on the final day. What God has promised, He will fulfill. At the same time, He also bestows rewards many times greater than what we have dared to give up, to give away what we have. Because for God, the things of the world are fleeting and easily lost. The most precious treasure that can never be lost is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today's Word of God, God calls everyone to live and practice according to God's teachings, which are: to have charity, forgiveness, and dare to sacrifice everything in the world so that we only know how to completely trust and rely on the power and strength of God to be worthy of receiving from Him the great reward of happiness in the Kingdom of Heaven in the future.

Thanks be to God. Amen.