The Rich Young Man

No fixed feast day in the calendar

A rich young man walks away sad when invited to give up all to follow Jesus.

Riches that hold us back from following Christ

A rich young man asks Jesus how to attain eternal life. He claims to have kept all the commandments since his youth. Jesus looks at him with love and says, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and come follow me." The young man walks away sad because he had many possessions. Jesus then teaches his disciples: "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." Wealth can become an obstacle preventing people from reaching the Kingdom if we put our trust in it rather than in God.

Prayer

Inner freedom to choose God as our inheritance

Wealth itself is not a sin. It is attachment to wealth that becomes the barrier to the Kingdom.
The Lord calls us to a spirit of poverty. We are invited to make God the one inheritance of our lives.

Lord, free me from material attachments so that I may be completely free to follow You.

Prayer

Lord, help me to let go of what hinders me from coming to You, so that I may always choose You as the only treasure of my life.

The text on this page is the card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.