The Apostles looked on with sorrow as the young man declined to follow Christ by giving up his material wealth. They saw him take his leave with that sadness peculiar to those who could't bring themselves to go that extra mile. Everyone there was disappointed at the thought that the rich young man could have been one of Christ's disciples.

A disordered love for material wealth whether much or little, is a serious obstacle to the following of Christ. This is the lesson we learn from the incident involving the rich young man in yesterday's Gospel. We, Christians, have to examine often our sense of detachment from things, as will be shown in the way we live with sobriety and temperance. Am I really detached from external things? Do I value the needs of my soul in a way that brings me closer to God? Do I avoid unnecessary expenditure? Do I take good care of the things I own and of the things I am responsible for? What a shame if we were to stop following Christ for the sake of something really unimportant!