What struck me in today’s gospel from Matthew are the last lines, the young man’s reaction after Jesus tells him that to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor. Though the young man had ticked the boxes of the commandments and loving your neighbor as yourself, this last directive made the young man sad because he had many possessions.

Over the past week, I have been without electricity because of storms that raged through my town where winds tore down trees and power lines. I know how privileged I am to have a nice house and power for air conditioning, lights, TV. This time has been such a reminder of how many possessions I have when I know so many people here and around the world have so little. Yet, I am frustrated and, yes, sad, that I don’t have access to many of those possessions because of the power outage. 

Like the young man in the gospel, I try to follow the commandments and to love my neighbor as myself. This last directive to reach perfection calls for selling what I have and giving the proceeds to the poor and that is hard for me as well. I can say with certainty I will never be perfect. But what can I do?
I can be generous with time, talent and treasure. In this time of disaster for many in my town, stories of care and kindness abound. In my own corner of the world, neighbors pitched in to help me clean branches and storm debris from my yard. My family and so many others have been generous in offering places to stay to get out of the heat, meals or a cool drink. Let that kind of generosity fill my life instead of more things. My prayer today:
God, help me find ways to simplify my life and offer my time, talent and treasure to others.