August 18, 2025 Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: Judges 2:11-19; Matthew 19:16-22
The era of the Judges opens in the history of Israel after the death of Joshua, who took over the reins from Moses. The people of Israel begin to sin in the sight of the Lord. Normally, infidelity in married life happens because of a lack of commitment, personal psychological struggles, or unmet emotional or sexual needs. But why is one unfaithful to God? Is not the God of Israel faithful?
The Israelites abandon the Lord and worship Baal and the Astartes. The anger of the Lord allows their enemies to plunder them and sell them into captivity. All their attempts to win wars fail miserably, and they find themselves in great distress. At this juncture, the Lord raises up judges. Yet, many times they refuse to obey them, and whenever a judge dies, the people relapse terribly. They are stubborn, and their worship of other gods amounts not only to idolatry but also to spiritual prostitution, an act that reflects their infidelity and the temptation to fall into sin.
In the gospel, a young, religiously fervent, and enthusiastic man approaches Jesus with a question: “How do I inherit eternal life?” Jesus answers: Observe the Ten Commandments, especially those related to interpersonal relationships. The man declares that he has kept them all his life. Jesus then sees that the young man is rich and that his attachment to wealth stands between him and his quest for eternal life. To lead him to a higher love for the poor, Jesus tells him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor.
The man struggles within. One cannot love both God and mammon at the same time (cf. Matthew 6:24). He goes away sad because he is unable to renounce his wealth. His goodwill does not translate into action. One may have sound theories, but if they are not lived out in practice, what is the use of all wisdom and knowledge?
Call to Action: All of us possess goodwill, but transforming it into concrete action is our greatest challenge. What is my story?
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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