19 August 2025, Tuesday of the 20th week, odd year
Judges 6:11-24; Matthew 19:23-30
Homily
The man in yesterday's Gospel, who sought perfection but was not ready to give up his great possessions to follow Jesus, left sadly. Jesus took the occasion to reflect with His disciples on how difficult it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. This is difficult because only those with simple hearts, that is, undivided hearts, can enter the kingdom. The heart of a true disciple cannot be divided between Jesus and anything else. Now, the riches to which we can become attached and which can take over our hearts and prevent us from giving ourselves totally to God can be of various kinds. They can be great material riches, but they can also be intellectual, such as the thirst for knowledge. They can be emotional, such as the need to possess another person or the need to be loved by everyone.