“Go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21).

I have heard the story of the Rich Young Man countless times. As a cradle Catholic, it is one of those Gospel passages that became familiar to me at an early age. For years, though, I mostly interpreted Jesus’ words in terms of material possessions.

The young man was wealthy. Jesus told him to sell what he owned. The lesson seemed straightforward: Don’t become too attached to your stuff.

There is truth to that interpretation. But the older I get, the more I realize Jesus’ invitation goes deeper. Christ asks the young man to surrender whatever prevents him from following God completely.

And that is a much more challenging request.

Following the Rules Isn’t the Same as Surrender

The Rich Young Man is not portrayed as a terrible person. In fact, he seems like the kind of person we might consider a “good Catholic” today.

When Jesus mentions the commandments, the man responds that he has observed them. He is doing the right things. Yet he senses something is still missing.

I can definitely relate.

For a long time, I took comfort in checking the right boxes. I went to Mass. I believed what the Church taught. I supported Catholic values. And I tried to avoid serious sin. Those things are good and necessary, but I sometimes treated them as proof that I had given my entire life to God.

I had not.

One of my greatest attachments wasn’t something I could sell. It was control.

I wanted God in my life, but I also wanted to determine how that life unfolded. I had plans for my career, my family, and my future. When life followed those plans, trusting God seemed easy.

Then suffering entered the picture.

Years ago, my family endured several painful experiences in a relatively short period of time, including the loss of our unborn child. During that season, God revealed how tightly I had been holding onto the illusion that I could control my life.

I began to understand the Rich Young Man differently. Our “possessions” are not always things we can put into boxes. Sometimes they are our plans, expectations, comfort, or desire for control.

Christ still says: Give them to me. Then come, follow me.

The Older I Get, the Less I Need

I am a huge board game fan. I love playing games and collecting them. At one point my collection grew to just over 200 games!

But something has changed over the past few years. I still love board games. I just don’t feel the same need to acquire more of them.

When I encounter a game that looks interesting, I run it through a different filter: Will this help me foster authentic friendship and holiness?

Will my family play it together? Will it help me spend time with friends? Will it create opportunities for conversation and laughter? Or will it simply sit on a shelf?

That change has affected how I think about other possessions too.

Material things are not evil. Many are genuine gifts from God. The problem begins when possessions begin possessing us.

The older I get, the more I learn how much I don’t need.

Jesus is not trying to take something good away from the Rich Young Man. He is offering him something infinitely better: “Come, follow me.”

Our Vocation Teaches Us to Let Go

At Mass recently, my priest said something during his homily that stuck with me: “You grow the most in holiness in your vocation. That is how you can live for God.”

Our vocation is where surrender becomes concrete.

It is easy to talk about giving everything to God in the abstract. It is harder when surrender means getting out of bed for a crying child, changing our plans for someone else, forgiving our spouse, patiently helping a coworker, or accepting that God’s plan may look different from ours.

The priest concluded his homily with the Suscipe of Saint Ignatius of Loyola:

“Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will.”

That is a radical prayer. Saint Ignatius does not merely offer God his money. He offers his memory, intellect, will, and freedom.

Everything.

This is what the Rich Young Man struggled to do. It is also what I struggle to do.

Come, Follow Me

The story of the Rich Young Man can sound frightening because we tend to focus on what Jesus asks him to surrender. But perhaps we should focus more on what Jesus offers him.

Christ offers Himself.

Surrender rarely happens once. I have learned that it is a daily decision. I still worry about the future and become attached to my plans. Yet Christ continues to issue the same invitation He gave the Rich Young Man:

Come, follow me.

The question is not simply, “What do I own?”

A better question might be: What am I still holding onto that prevents me from following Christ more freely?

Whatever our answer is, Jesus asks us to place it into His hands.

And what He gives us in return is worth infinitely more.

Related Links

3 Ways I am Exactly Like the Rich Young Man in Mark’s Gospel

All or Nothing: The Call to Surrender to God – Catholic Exchange

The Surrender Novena: Let Jesus Take Care of Everything | Crux Sancta