The Old Testament speaks of the Israelites who turned from God and worshipped the false gods of other nations. They chose not the true God who gave them everything.
It is the primary focus of those who fail to hold in their hearts that only the one true God is to be worshipped. And to choose another is to choose “no god” at all and to declare to the true God we really want “no God.” And turn their minds away from him.
How similar we can be to them. We know God created all for us. All good things come from him. Yet while we bask in his blessings we turn to other Gods in our leisure and abundance. That is why often it is the poor who struggle with few possessions of this world who keep their eyes focused on Jesus Christ for they know no other relief, but what God delivers. Many see the poor as forsaken when reality is quite different.
In our gospel today even the good man who had much and lived according to the commands first set by God and given to Moses … is not able to perfect his faith for he still worships possessions.
What we must understand is this…. anything we cannot let go of owns us. Anything we cannot fast from is our God. Think about this. What do we have or who are we…what part of our life or passion could we never let go of?
The answer for the one striving for holiness is nothing but God.
Where do we stand in the readings? Are we doing pretty good but still failing like the man in the Gospel?
Or do we choose and build our life around other gods of this world which are no gods at all?
Many worship man and his abilities, and believe our intellect or accomplishments are a god to be worshipped.
Many worship power.
Many wealth or securely which is the same as wealth.
Some worship peace which is not a goal to strive for but the result of striving for closeness with the one true God.
What is it we cannot fast from today?
We get up everyday and must choose to seek to live a saintly life or to live the opposite. There is no other option.
Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 419
Reading 1
The word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, by a sudden blow
I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes,
but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears.
Groan in silence, make no lament for the dead,
bind on your turban, put your sandals on your feet,
do not cover your beard, and do not eat the customary bread.
That evening my wife died,
and the next morning I did as I had been commanded.
Then the people asked me, “Will you not tell us what all these things
that you are doing mean for us?”
I therefore spoke to the people that morning, saying to them:
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
Say to the house of Israel:
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I will now desecrate my sanctuary, the stronghold of your pride,
the delight of your eyes, the desire of your soul.
The sons and daughters you left behind shall fall by the sword.
Ezekiel shall be a sign for you:
all that he did you shall do when it happens.
Thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
You shall do as I have done,
not covering your beards nor eating the customary bread.
Your turbans shall remain on your heads, your sandals on your feet.
You shall not mourn or weep,
but you shall rot away because of your sins and groan one to another.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 18a) You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you.
You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing
and anger toward his sons and daughters.
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
“I will hide my face from them,” he said,
“and see what will then become of them.
What a fickle race they are,
sons with no loyalty in them!”
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
“Since they have provoked me with their ‘no-god’
and angered me with their vain idols,
I will provoke them with a ‘no-people’;
with a foolish nation I will anger them.”
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
A young man approached Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him,
“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.
Deacon Tony Pynes 
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