Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 08-21-06, Memorial, St. Pius X, Pope

Mt 19:16-22
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
16	And behold one came and said to him: Good master, what good shall I do that I may have life everlasting?	et ecce unus accedens ait illi magister bone quid boni faciam ut habeam vitam aeternam
17	Who said to him: Why asketh thou me concerning good? One is good, God. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.	qui dixit ei quid me interrogas de bono unus est bonus Deus si autem vis ad vitam ingredi serva mandata
18	He said to him: Which? And Jesus said: Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness.	dicit illi quae Iesus autem dixit non homicidium facies non adulterabis non facies furtum non falsum testimonium dices
19	Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.	honora patrem et matrem et diliges proximum tuum sicut te ipsum
20	The young man saith to him: All these I have kept from my youth, what is yet wanting to me?	dicit illi adulescens omnia haec custodivi quid adhuc mihi deest
21	Jesus saith to him: If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me.	ait illi Iesus si vis perfectus esse vade vende quae habes et da pauperibus et habebis thesaurum in caelo et veni sequere me
22	And when the young man had heard this word, he went away sad: for he had great possessions.	cum audisset autem adulescens verbum abiit tristis erat enim habens multas possessiones

Renunciation of Worldly Goods

Domenico Ghirlandaio
1482-85
Fresco
Santa Trinità, Florence

The St Francis cycle in the Sassetti Chapel starts in the tympanum on the left wall with the Renunciation of Worldly Goods, the scene in which the saint leaves his father and renounces his inheritance. It is perhaps surprising that this should be chosen as the theme for the mortuary chapel of a rich banker, but there were other bankers who considered the theme of poverty in response to God's call suitable for their funeral monuments - an example is Giotto's St Francis cycle in the Bardi Chapel, which was also commissioned by a banker.
The young St Francis renounced the world by laying aside his expensive clothes and placing himself naked into the care of the Church. A churchman is taking him into protection under his cloak - the same gesture used by a Madonna of Mercy. Spectators are refraining the horrified father carrying his son's clothes across his arm.
(source)

From: Matthew 19:16-22

The Rich Young Man

[16] And behold, one man came up to Him (Jesus), saying, "Teacher, what
good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" [17] And He said to him,
"Why do you ask Me about what is good? One there is who is good. If
you would enter life, keep the commandments." [18] He said to Him,
"Which?" And Jesus said, "You shall not kill, You shall not commit
adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,
[19] Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as
yourself." [20] The young man said to Him, "All these I have observed;
what do I still lack?" [21] Jesus said to him, "If you would be
perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will
have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me." [22] When the young man
heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.

Commentary:

17. The Vulgate and other translations, supported by a good many Greek
codexes, fill this verse out by saying, "One alone is good, God."

20-22. "What do I still lack?" The young man kept the commandments
that were necessary for salvation. But there is more. This is why our
Lord replies, "if you would be perfect..." that is to say, if you want
to acquire what is still lacking to you. Jesus is giving him an
additional calling, "Come, follow Me": He is showing that He wants him
to follow Him more closely, and therefore He requires, as He does
others (cf. Matthew 4:19-22), to give up anything that might hinder his
full dedication to the Kingdom of God.

The scene ends rather pathetically: the young man goes away sad. His
attachment to his property prevails over Jesus' affectionate
invitation. Here is sadness of the kind that stems from cowardice,
from failure to respond to God's calling with personal commitment.

In reporting this episode, the evangelists are actually giving us a
case-study which describes a situation and formulates a law, a
case-study of specific divine vocation to devote oneself to God's
service and the service of all men.

This young man has become a symbol of the kind of Christian whose
mediocrity and shortsightedness prevent him from turning his life into
a generous, fruitful self-giving to the service of God and neighbor.

What would this young man have become, had be been generous enough to
respond to God's call? A great apostle, surely.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

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