Monday of the 20th Week of the Ordinary Time, Year A

Today’s Gospel gives us a very touching encounter between Jesus and a young man. He comes to Jesus with a sincere question: “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”


Jesus reminds him of the commandments, and the young man says, “I have observed all these.” Then Jesus looks at him with love and says: “Go, sell what you have, give to the poor, and come, follow me.”

And the Gospel says that the young man went away sad, because he had many possessions.

What is interesting is that this young man was not a bad person. He was religious, moral, and obedient. But Jesus knew that something was holding his heart back. His possessions had become more important than following Jesus.

This Gospel asks us an important question: What is the one thing I find difficult to surrender to God?

It may be money, comfort, success, a relationship, pride, anger, resentment, or simply our desire to control everything. Sometimes we say, “Lord, I will give You everything—but not this.”

Jesus does not want to take away our happiness. He wants to free us from whatever prevents us from following Him.

The young man went away sad because he could not let go. Jesus invites us to do the opposite: to trust Him enough to surrender.

Today, let us ask for the grace to recognize what is keeping us from Jesus and to place it into His hands. Have a wonderful Week

About the Author

My name is Fr. Peter Eke, a priest of the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan. I was called to the Catholic priesthood in July 19th, 1997. I studied Canon Law at the Pontifical Lateran University, in Rome, Italy, with JCL Degree in 2001 and JCD (doctorate) Degree in 2003. Currently, I am the pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Parish in Petoskey, Michigan. I am also a Judge at the Marriage Tribunal in my Diocese. In my free time, I love reading, listening to music, and taking a long walk. Since my ordination my inspiring message has been “with God the oil in the flask will not dry” (1Kings 17:14).

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3 Comments

  1. Thank you Father Peter. You’ve helped me understand this reading in a way I couldn’t before. I hold onto anger and to my annoyance with others, and pray that I can give God control.

  2. Wonderful reflection! Recently I’ve been dealing with some health issues that have consumed my life…Doctor appointments, scheduling medications, and managing the physical pain and stress of how are the basic things that need to be done around the house get done. My lifestyle has completely changed and I can’t seem to find my way to staying faithful to my beliefs in taking one day at a time and let Jesus show me the way. Asking for prayers…God bless us all on this journey called life!! 🙏🏼🕊️💗

  3. Thank you Father. What a great lesson of letting go and giving. Peace be with you my brother.

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