A God who never gives up on me!

WORD 2day: Monday, 20th week in Ordinary time

August 19, 2019: Judges 2: 11-19; Matthew 19:16-22

While we were in the period of initial formation as aspirants to priesthood, there used to be periodic assessment of behaviour and it used to be communicated to us in person by a one in charge of our discipline in the formation house. I remember a phrase that was often used - 'you have a lot of good will; but good will alone is not good enough!' It seems funny to look back and take note of that remark, but looking at our life and the way we live, very often that statement applies well to most of us. 

Like the young man in the Gospel today, who had so much of good will to inherit the Reign of God, found out from Jesus that, that was not going to be good enough! The Lord has great hopes on us, but we fail repeatedly to live up to that. 

The first reading presents to us a pattern of failures of Israel, not just an act of sin but a habit of sin, a regular falling short of their call. But the Lord never gave up on them; God offers them opportunities after opportunities to return to their glorious calling - to be God's chosen people! 

Pope Francis repeats this message very often: God never gives up on us, God is never tired of us, God is never tired of forgiving us. Yes! One of the tools of deception that the evil one uses on us is that of self pity - trying to say, I am so bad that I would never be worthy of God - and thus keep us away from God, far from returning to the source of love, goodness and meaning in life.

God has great hopes on us and invites us to "Go... give up all that tends to replace God... and return and follow the Lord!" Are we ready?