Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 17, 2026
A young man approached Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him,
“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
Today’s gospel reading is about a missed opportunity. It begins with a young man who approaches Jesus and asks a very basic question: What must he do to inherit eternal life? It ends with the young man walking away in sadness, unwilling to do what Jesus has called him to do. In between, we learn about what is required for eternal life and about the demands of discipleship to Christ in its fullest sense. But the episode hinges on the second question the young man asks Jesus: “What do I still lack?”
Whenever I read this passage, I am struck by that question. The young man has just been told what is required for eternal life. He has apparently met the requirements. He could have stopped there. But something is missing from his life. He is yearning for what goes beyond the bare minimum.
What do I still lack? It’s a question I have asked myself, and if you are reading this reflection, it is probably a question you have asked yourself. I often find myself in the position of the young man, wanting to go beyond the bare minimum, what I have to do to inherit eternal life, but apprehensive about what the maximum might require of me. Like him, I lack the faith that by parting with my earthly treasures I will have treasure in Heaven.
The episode does not have a happy ending for the young man, who as far as we know, encountered Jesus only once. We have opportunities to encounter him again and again, most fully in the Eucharist, but also in other people, especially the poor. In their needs we will always have answers to the question: What do I still lack? Will we too walk away sad? Or will we follow those answers into the fullness of life Christ offers us?
Prayer
O God of Ancient Wisdom, may we turn to you and follow your ways and commands. Give us new life as we live our heritage of compassion, our faith in everyday life. May we surrender to your call and to your challenge to live simply and in love. May we not ignore people who survive mental anguish or with diminished resources. May we seek true treasures in heaven as we live more intentionally upon our earth in the name of Christ the Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Clare of Montefalco led a convent in 13th-century Italy, and did so with such holiness that she inspired many to seek perfection by imitating her example.
As a young woman, Clare gathered with a number of her own sisters and friends to live in Christian community together. They adopted a rule of life based on the Franciscan order, and one of Clare’s sisters was later chosen to lead a convent in Montefalco, Italy, under the Augustinian rule of religious life.
When her sister died, Clare, already known for her holiness, was asked to lead the community. Her devotion and personal prayer inspired the community to greater faithfulness.
Miracles were attributed to her as well as supernatural gifts and capacities, which she used to serve others. She had a great devotion to the suffering and death of Jesus and told a sister, “If you seek the cross of Christ, take my heart; there you will find the suffering Lord.” After her death, her community was in the process of removing her heart to place it in a reliquary (a practice not uncommon at the time), when they discovered that the muscle fibers of her heart held a perfect image of Jesus on the cross.
She died in 1308, and her body remained incorruptible. In 1881, a visiting reporter beheld her face and hands and noted that she appeared to be simply asleep. Her relics rest in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
St. Clare of Montefalco, your physical heart was found to bear the image of the crucifixion—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Clare of Montefalco is in the public domain. Last accessed March 27, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
