Twelfth Sunday of Matthew: Matthew 19:16–26

The Gospel reading for the Twelfth Sunday of Matthew presents to us a rich young man who is searching for eternal life. He does not approach Christ with indifference, but with reverence and longing. His question, “What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” reveals a religious person, but also a person who still thinks of salvation as an achievement. He asks for something to “do,” as though eternal life could be acquired through one more act of virtue.

Christ first leads him to the source of goodness: “No one is good except One, that is, God.” He does not deny His own goodness, but reveals that true goodness is not simply moral behavior; it is communion with God. Salvation is not outward conformity to moral conduct, but participation in the life of Him who is Life.

Then the Lord refers him to the commandments. Their observance is not undervalued. A person cannot speak of love for God while wronging his neighbor. “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness,” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”: all these show that the spiritual life is tested in our relationships. Yet the young man answers,…