Freed to Follow - Fr. Micah - August 30, 2020

In today's Gospel lesson taken from Matthew 19:16-26, we hear about a young man kneeling before Jesus and asking Him how he might receive eternal life. Jesus tells him to keep the commandments and he will live. The young man replies that he has kept the commandments and asks Jesus; what do I still lack? Jesus tells the man to attain perfection he should sell all his possessions, give to the poor and follow Him. But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. In the end his goodness and virtues could do nothing to help him inherit eternal life. Father Micah suggests that the young man should be pitied because, although he was rich, he in fact was impoverished and enslaved to his wealth. In our modern world we have become enslaved to convenience and comfort and by attaching ourselves to them we do not sacrifice for others. Father Micah encourages us to practice; fasting, prayer and giving, which will help us in our efforts to follow Christ. He shares with us a message of hope that we can be freed from that which enslaves us and through sacrifice we can follow Christ, who will bring us comfort during our times of pain and anxiety.