The Uncomfortable Truth About Success

Reflection Date: August 17, 2026 | Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: Ezekiel 24:15-23; Matthew 19:16-22

Children of God:
Scott-Vincent Borba, the founder of a cosmetic brand, once lived a life surrounded by success, luxury, parties, and the glamorous world of Hollywood. 

During one particular party, surrounded by people and all the things that success could provide, he suddenly felt deeply empty inside. 

He asked himself why God created him if life was simply about pursuing pleasure.

In that moment, he described experiencing a profound encounter in which St. Michael seemed to enter the room and time seemed to stop. 

Scott-Vincent Borba said that he saw that his soul was already in hell because of the choices he was making and realized that simply being a good person was not enough. 

The experience shook him so deeply that he began to see his entire life differently. 

Instead of returning to the comfort of his expensive mansion, he spent that night in a modest hotel, beginning what he described as a radical recalibration of his life. 

He later recognized that he needed to mourn his former way of living and make drastic changes if he truly wanted to follow God's will. 

To cut the story short, he entered the seminary and just recently, he was ordained into priesthood. 

His story reminds us that sometimes a person can possess almost everything the world admires and still discover that something essential is missing.

In the gospel story of the rich young man, a similar turning point appeared before Jesus. 

He possessed wealth, followed the commandments, and apparently lived a respectable life, yet he still sensed that something was missing. 

He asked Jesus what he needed to do to possess eternal life, and Jesus eventually invited him to give up his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him. 

The young man walked away sadly because his possessions were too important for him to let go. 

What are our inspirations for today?

First, what we possess should never become more important than what gives our life meaning.

The rich young man was not presented as someone who was openly immoral or rebellious. 

He followed the commandments and wanted to live a good life, but Jesus saw that there was still something holding him back. 

When Jesus told him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21), the invitation went deeper than simply giving away money. 

Jesus was asking him to examine what occupied the highest place in his heart.

Sometimes we spend years trying to accumulate things, achievements, recognition, experiences, and approval, only to discover that none of them can answer the deeper questions of the heart.

We do not all need to abandon everything we own, but we do need to ask whether our possessions are serving us or controlling us. 

Money can be useful, success can be good, and comfort can be a blessing, but none of these should become the measure of our worth. 

When possessions become the center of our lives, we may slowly lose sight of the people we love, the values we cherish, and the purpose for which we live.

What we possess should never become more important than what gives our life meaning.

Second, the hardest thing to surrender may be the very thing we believe we cannot live without.

The young man became sad because Jesus touched the one area of his life that he was not ready to surrender. 

He wanted eternal life, but he also wanted to keep his possessions exactly as they were. 

His encounter with Jesus exposed the tension between what he desired and what he was willing to release. 

The sadness of the young man came not because Jesus rejected him, but because he could not yet let go.

This happens to us in different ways. 

Sometimes the thing we cannot surrender is money; sometimes it is our reputation, position, ambition, comfort, resentment, control, or attachment to the past. 

We may tell ourselves that we are free, while quietly discovering that one particular thing controls our decisions. 

The question is not always what we have in our hands, but what we refuse to release from our hearts.

The hardest thing to surrender may be the very thing we believe we cannot live without.

As we reflect, we ask ourselves: What is the one thing in my life that I find hardest to surrender to God? Do my possessions, achievements, ambitions, or comforts help me live with greater purpose, or do they sometimes control me? 

What change am I presently being invited to make so that my life can become more meaningful and generous?

Children of God:
Sometimes emptiness becomes the painful alarm that tells us something in our lives needs to change. 

Jesus invites us to look honestly at what occupies the center of our hearts. 

He does not simply ask what we possess but what possesses us. 

May we have the courage to recognize what needs to be surrendered and the trust to believe that God can give us something deeper than anything we are afraid to lose. 

May we discover that a meaningful life is not measured by how much we accumulate but by how much love, generosity, and purpose we allow to flow through us.