Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 4, 2019
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
“”Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?””
Jesus answered him, “”Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother.“”
He replied and said to him,
“”Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.””
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
“”You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.””
At that statement, his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
“”How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the Kingdom of God!””
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
“”Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!
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.”
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
“Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.”
“Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.”
Jesus opens his response to the young man in today’s Gospel with what, on first sight, seem like puzzling words. The young man asks about the secret to human goodness, and Jesus, the one human who might claim total goodness, points instead to God, who “alone” is good.
Surely, God’s goodness doesn’t mean that God’s creation is not good. Here, rather, Jesus is reminding us that all creatures are good only because God, who created them from nothing, created them to participate in God’s goodness. Through his counsel to the young man to sell his possessions, Jesus goes on to explain that perfection is found not in proving our own moral worthiness, but by ridding ourselves of any disordered desire for created things that would take God’s place as the ultimate good of our lives. Whenever we choose to pursue some lesser created good—money, pleasure, power—instead of God, we deny that these things are good only because the God who made them is good.
As a theology graduate student, I am not often tempted by money! But, perhaps there is a way that I and my classmates can be tempted by power. As students, we share in the temptation to vaunt our knowledge to secure our place in the academic totem pole. As students studying God, we also risk losing sight of the pure gift of a simple faith amidst a sea of technical concepts and terms. As Lent approaches, perhaps I—and all students— can remember that, as we learn about the world God has created, using the reason God has given us, all our work and all that we learn is good only because God is good. God, who alone is good.
Prayer
Christ our teacher, you call each of us to be free of the things that enslave us, and enter into true freedom as children of God. Open our hearts, that we may accept your invitation, “Come, follow me.” Give us the grace today to commit our whole selves more fully to you. Help us especially this day to overcome any attachments in our lives that prevent us from following you as fully as we can. Amen.
Saint of the Day
When a young St. Casimir took a stand against political aggression, he paid a price for it, but the punishment only deepened his commitment to peace.
He was born a prince in 15th century Poland, third in line for the throne. Even as a young child, he was known for his piety and devotion, which was encouraged and strengthened by a holy man who tutored him and other children of the court.
Even though he lived in the royal household, Casimir refused to let luxuries obscure his loyalty to God. He dressed very plainly and slept on the bare ground. He prayed often and used fasting to sharpen his will and faithfulness. He had a great devotion to Mary and gave away what he could to the poor.
When he was 15 years old, nobles in Hungary expressed dissatisfaction with their king, and pleaded with the Polish king, Casimir’s father, to send Casimir to take the throne. Casimir protested, but eventually took on the mission out of obedience to his father.
While he was on his way to Hungary with the Polish army, the Hungarian king organized his own army. As conflict drew near, Polish soldiers began to desert because they had not been paid. Casimir welcomed the advice from his military leaders to return home.
His father was furious that Casimir was not helping him expand his kingdom, and locked Casimir away in a castle for three months. Casimir’s resolution toward peace grew only deeper, and he never again participated in political aggression. Later, his father arranged a marriage for him to unify a part of the kingdom, but he refused because he had dedicated himself to God through a life of chastity.
Casimir was only 23 was when died of lung disease on this date in 1484. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. He is the patron saint of Poland and Lithuania.
This image, from the main cathedral of Lithuania, depicts Casimir with two right hands as a sign of his great generosity to the poor. He holds a rosary—a sign of his life of prayer and devotion to Mary—and a lily—which signifies his purity and innocence.
St. Casimir, patron saint of Poland and Lithuania who dedicated his life to peace and the poor—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Casimir is in the public domain. Last accessed February 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
