April 2019-What Is Yet Wanting To Me?


A good mother can simply look over to her children and give THE LOOK. The children know from their mother's look, what is expected of them and the consequences should they not do what is expected. A lot can be said with a look, and we find this in Sacred Scripture as well.

Jesus had warned Peter that he would deny Him. After doing so, we read: “And the Lord turning looked on Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, as he had said: Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.” (Luke 22:61) Consider what all Jesus communicated in that one look. We find the result in the next verse: “And Peter going out, wept bitterly.” One look brought about repentance.

And now to our main story, which is related in two of the Gospels:

“And behold one came and said to him: Good master, what good shall I do that I may have life everlasting? Who said to him: Why asketh thou me concerning good? One is good, God. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He said to him: Which? And Jesus said: Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness. Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith to him: All these I have kept from my youth, what is yet wanting to me? Jesus saith to him: If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me. And when the young man had heard this word, he went away sad: for he had great possessions. ” (Matthew 19:16-22)

“And embracing them, and laying his hands upon them, he blessed them. And when he was gone forth into the way, a certain man running up and kneeling before him, asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may receive life everlasting? ... Thou knowest the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, bear not false witness, do no fraud, honour thy father and mother. But he answering, said to him: Master, all these things I have observed from my youth. And Jesus looking on him, loved him, and said to him: One thing is wanting unto thee: go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. Who being struck sad at that saying, went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions." (Mark 10:17, 19-22)

What prompted this man to come to Jesus? We are not told, but we can work out what may have happened. He had heard of Jesus and the Holy Ghost prompting him to go see Jesus, because the Father had a mission for this man. And so he approached Jesus and asked: “Good master, what good shall I do that I may have life everlasting?” Saint Matthew says the man asked: “what is yet wanting to me?” The Holy Ghost had prompted the man to come and the man may have known deep down that God wanted more from him, which prompted him to ask the question.

And what happens next? Saint Mark gives us more detail: “And Jesus looking on him, loved him, and said to him: One thing is wanting unto thee: go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” What is translated as looking on him has more meaning in the Latin. The word used is intuit from which we get the word in English intuition. And so this look of Jesus has much meaning. Jesus not only conveyed His message through word, but also through the look on His holy face.

Unfortunately this man was not ready to make the sacrifice, although it appears that he knew what Almighty God wanted from him. He knew God's will, which is what prompted him to come to Jesus in the first place. When He heard Jesus' words and knew the will of God through Jesus' look, instead of doing God's will, he went out and cried.

The Fathers of the Church are of the opinion that this man lost his soul, because he did not follow Jesus' advice. Some might argue that this is only a counsel and not a command. However, consider Who is asking. Jesus asked several others to “come follow Me.” What was their response? They left everything at once and followed.

Now the question we must ask our own self: “What is yet wanting to me?” What am I holding back, that Almighty God wants from me? Lent is a good time to ask this question, listen to the answer, and then do what God wants us to do. This is no time to hold anything back, but to give our all to Almighty God. To do otherwise may be an eternal fire hazard.

 

April 2019-What Is Yet Wanting To Me?
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