Jesus Came to End Death and to Build a Church

In his Angelus reflection on the Sunday Gospel, Pope Francis focused on two actions of the rich young man who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. First, the Pope said, the young man runs to Jesus, but afterwards, he goes away. The Holy Father noted the unnamed man initially went “running” to Jesus, urged on, the Pope said, by dissatisfaction or restlessness, despite his wealth. “He is searching for a fuller life,” the Pope said, as is often the case with those who have many riches. Jesus, for His part, looks on the man with love, and invites him to sell everything he has, give it to the poor, and follow Him. “But at this point comes an unexpected conclusion,” the Pope noted: “The man becomes sad and goes away. How great and impetuous was his desire to meet Jesus; and how cold and swift his departure from Him!” Pope Francis said that we, too, are looking for a life of happiness and meaning, but that, like the rich young man, we too often imagine that material goods and security will fulfil our desires. Jesus, however, wants us to discover that “the good for which we yearn is God Himself, His love for us, and the eternal life that He and He alone can give,” the Pope said. “True wealth,” he explained, “is to be looked upon with love by Him,” as Jesus looked on the rich young man, “and to love one another by making our lives a gift for others.” That, Pope Francis explains, is what Jesus means when He invites us to “take the risk of love”: “to strip ourselves of ourselves and our false securities,” in order to be attentive to those in need by sharing our goods, our talents, our friendship, our time. The Holy Father concluded his reflection by inviting the faithful to ask themselves, “What is our heart attached to? What makes us happy? Do we share with those in need? And he insisted, once again, “True wealth lies not in the good of this world, but in being loved by God and learning to love like Him.”