Kapamilya Gospel

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68 Sunday, 12 August 2012 Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B Saint(s) of the day : St. Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641) See commentary below or click here Saint Faustina Kowalska : "Whoever eats this bread will live forever" 1st book of Kings 19:4-8. And went a day's journey into the desert, until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it. He prayed for death: "This is enough, O LORD! Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers." He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree, but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat. He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water. After he ate and drank, he lay down again, but the angel of the LORD came back a second time, touched him, and ordered, "Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!" He got up, ate and drank; then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb. Psalms 34(33):2-3.4-5.6-7.8-9. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall be ever in my mouth. Let my soul glory in the LORD; The lowly will hear me and be glad. Glorify the LORD with me, Let us together extol his name. I sought the LORD, and he answered me And delivered me from all my fears. Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, And your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, And from all his distress he saved him. The angel of the LORD encamps Around those who fear him, and delivers them. Taste and see how good the LORD is; Blessed the man who takes refuge in him. Letter to the Ephesians 4:30-32.5:1-2. And do not grieve the holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. (And) be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 6:41-51. The Jews murmured about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven," and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: 'They shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day : Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), Religious Sister Diary, §1393 (trans. 2003, Marians of the Immaculate Conception, alt.) "Whoever eats this bread will live forever" Jesus, delight of my soul, Bread of Angels (Ps 78[77],25), My whole being is plunged in you; And I live your divine life like the elect in heaven And the reality of this life will not cease, though I be laid in the grave. Jesus-Eucharist, immortal God, Who dwell in my heart unceasingly, When I possess you, death itself can do me no harm. Love tells me I will see you at life's end. Permeated by your divine life I gaze with assurance at the heavens thrown open for me, And death will depart shamefaced and empty-handed, For your divine life is contained within my soul. And though, by your holy will O Lord, Death is to touch my body, I desire this undoing to take place swiftly For through it I am to enter eternal life. O Jesus-Eucharist, life of my soul, You have raised me to eternal spheres.

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Leo Lastimosa

DYAB Manager

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Monday, 13 August 2012 Monday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St. Radegundes, Queen of France (519-587)

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Saint Ambrose : "The subjects are exempt" Book of Ezekiel 1:2-5.24-28c. On the fifth day of the month, the fifth year, that is, of King Jehoiachin's exile, the word of the LORD came to the priest Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar.--There the hand of the LORD came upon me. As I looked, a stormwind came from the North, a huge cloud with flashing fire (enveloped in brightness), from the midst of which (the midst of the fire) something gleamed like electrum. Within it were figures resembling four living creatures that looked like this: their form was human, Then I heard the sound of their wings, like the roaring of mighty waters, like the voice of the Almighty. When they moved, the sound of the tumult was like the din of an army. (And when they stood still, they lowered their wings.) Above the firmament over their heads something like a throne could be seen, looking like sapphire. Upon it was seated, up above, one who had the appearance of a man. Upward from what resembled his waist I saw what gleamed like electrum; downward from what resembled his waist I saw what looked like fire; he was surrounded with splendor. Like the bow which appears in the clouds on a rainy day was the splendor that surrounded him. Such was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I had seen it, I fell upon my face and heard a voice that said to me: Psalms 148(147):1-2.11-12.13.14. Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise him in the heights; Praise him, all you his angels; Praise him, all you his hosts. Let the kings of the earth and all peoples, The princes and all the judges of the earth, Young men too, and maidens, Old men and boys. Praise the name of the LORD, For his name alone is exalted; His majesty is above earth and heaven. And he has lifted up the horn of his people. Be this his praise from all his faithful ones, From the children of Israel, the people close to him. Alleluia. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 17:22-27. As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day." And they were overwhelmed with grief. When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?" Yes, he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, "What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?" When he said, "From foreigners," Jesus said to him, "Then the subjects are exempt. But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you."

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Saint Ambrose (c.340-397), Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church Commentary on Ps 48, 14-15 ; CSEL 64, 368-370 (trans. Breviary, Week 20, Saturday) "The subjects are exempt" Since Christ reconciled the world to God, he himself certainly did not need reconciliation. For what sin of his own was he to make propitiation, when he knew no sin? When the Jews were asking for the didrachma, which according to law was given for sin, he said to Peter: “Simon, from whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or from others?” Peter answered: “From others.” Jesus said to him: “Then the sons are free. However, not to give offence to them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel; take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.” He is pointing out that he is not obliged to propitiation for sins on his own behalf, because he is not a slave of sin but, as Son of God, free from all fault. For the Son sets free; it is the slave who is guilty. So he was free from all sin, and gives no price of redemption for his own soul: the price of his blood was more than sufficient to redeem all the sins of the world. Justly then he sets others free, owing nothing for himself. Furthermore: not only does Christ owe no price of redemption for himself or propitiation for sin but, if you take the case of anyone, it can be understood that no individuals owe propitiation for themselves, since Christ is the propitiation of all, and himself the redemption of all.

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Tuesday, 14 August 2012 Tuesday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (1894-1941

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Saint Clement of Alexandria : "It is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost" Book of Ezekiel 2:8-10.3:1-4. As for you, son of man, obey me when I speak to you: be not rebellious like this house of rebellion, but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you. It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me, in which was a written scroll which he unrolled before me. It was covered with writing front and back, and written on it was: Lamentation and wailing and woe! He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat. Son of man, he then said to me, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you. I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. He said: Son of man, go now to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them. Psalms 119(118):14.24.72.103.111.131. In the way of your decrees I rejoice, As much as in all riches. Yes, your decrees are my delight; They are my counselors. The law of your mouth is to me more precious Than thousands of gold and silver pieces. How sweet to my palate are your promises, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! Your decrees are my inheritance forever; The joy of my heart they are. I gasp with open mouth, In my yearning for your commands. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18:1-5.10.12-14. At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Saint Clement of Alexandria (150- c.215), theologian Pedagogue, I, 53-56 ; SC 70 "It is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost" Scripture calls all of us “children” and, when we begin to follow Christ, we receive the name of “little ones” (Mt 18,3; Jn 21,5)... So who is our instructor and tutor: the tutor we have as little ones? He is called Jesus. He calls himself “shepherd” by name, referring to himself as “the good shepherd” (Jn 10,11). He makes a comparison between shepherds guiding their sheep and himself, the tutor who guides small children, the shepherd full of concern for the little ones who, in their simplicity, are compared to sheep. “They will all be one flock,” he says, “because there will be one shepherd” (Jn 10,16). Therefore our tutor is, of course, the Word of God because he leads us to salvation. As he clearly declared through the mouth of the prophet Hosea: “I am your teacher” (5,2 LXX). As for his instruction: that is the religion that teaches us how to serve God, forming us in the knowledge of the truth and leading us straight to heaven... Pilots guide their ships with the intention of bringing their passengers safely to harbor; in the same way our tutor, in the care he bears towards us, points God's children towards the way of life leading to salvation... Thus he who leads us is our holy God, Jesus, God's Word, all humanity's guide. God himself leads us in his love for us... The Holy Spirit said of him during the Exodus: “He found him in the wilderness, a wasteland of howling desert. He shielded him and cared for him, guarding him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle incites its nestlings forth by hovering over its brood, so he spread his wings to receive him and bore him up on his pinions. The Lord alone was his leader” (Dt 32,10-12).

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Wednesday, 15 August 2012 The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Solemnity Feast of the Church : THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - Solemnity Saint(s) of the day : St. Tarsicius, Martyr (3rd century)

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Latin Liturgy: "My spirit rejoices in God my savior" Book of Revelation 11:19a.12:1-6a.10ab. Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a violent hailstorm. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night. Psalms 45(44):10.11.12.16. The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir. Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear, Forget your people and your father's house. So shall the king desire your beauty; For he is your lord, and you must worship him. They are borne in with gladness and joy; They enter the palace of the king. First Letter to the Corinthians 15:20-26. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1:39-56. During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Latin Liturgy Sequence from the XIVth – XVth centuries (trans. cf. Guéranger et Tournay) "My spirit rejoices in God my savior" O Virgin! Temple of the Trinity! the God of all goodness and mercy...,  is announced as having to be born of you. The message is brought you by the angel, who hails you full of grace... and you are told. You consent and the King of glory instantly becomes incarnate in your womb. By this joy, we pray, make us pleasing to this great King... Your second Joy is that you, the Star, give birth to the Sun... This birth causes in you neither alteration nor pain; you remain a Virgin as before. As a flower loses not its beauty by sending forth its fragrance; so neither do you lose the bloom of virginity by giving birth to your Creator. O Mary, kind Mother! be for us the way that leads to your Son... A star tells you of your third Joy. You see a star resting over your Child, the Magi adoring Him, and offering their varied gifts... O Mary, Star of our world!, pray for us, that we may be cleansed from our sins... The fourth Joy, O holy Virgin! was given to you when Jesus rose from the tomb...:  hope was restored, and death was put to flight. And you, O full of grace (Lk 1,28), had your share in effecting these wonders. The enemy is conquered...; we, who had been made captive, are set free and raised from earth to heaven above. O Mother of our Creator! pray earnestly for us, that by this Paschal Joy, we may be joined with the choirs of heaven after this life's labors are over. You received your fifth Joy, O Mary!, when you were present at your Son's Ascension into heaven. Then you clearly saw that He, whose Mother you were, was your Creator. His Ascension shows us the path whereby we are to ascend to heaven... We beseech you, by this Joy, may we,too, ascend to heaven, where, with you together with your Son, we may rejoice for all eternity... The sixth Joy was when the Holy Paraclete descended from heaven in the form of fiery tongues, strengthening... and inflaming the apostles:To heal those those whose tongues had brought them to perdition and purify their souls from sin. By this holy Joy, intercede for us we pray, O Virgin!, to your Son, that he may pardon us the stain of our sins lest there be found guilt upon us at the great judgment. Jesus invited you to the seventh Joy, when he called you out of this world to heaven, placed you on your throne, and honored you with special favours. The honor given to you is such as none of the blessed in heaven enjoy... O Virgin Mother of Mercy! may we feel the proofs of your loving intercession... By this Joy, pray that we may be purified from our sins; and, being made fruitful in good works, take us with you, O fruitful Mother, into the blissful joys of heaven. Amen.

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Thursday, 16 August 2012 Thursday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St. Stephen of Hungary (977-1038)

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Blessed John-Paul II: "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times" Book of Ezekiel 12:1-12. Thus the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house; they have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house. Now, son of man, during the day while they are looking on, prepare your baggage as though for exile, and again while they are looking on, migrate from where you live to another place; perhaps they will see that they are a rebellious house. You shall bring out your baggage like an exile in the daytime while they are looking on; in the evening, again while they are looking on, you shall go out like one of those driven into exile; while they look on, dig a hole in the wall and pass through it; while they look on, shoulder the burden and set out in the darkness; cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel. I did as I was told. During the day I brought out my baggage as though it were that of an exile, and at evening I dug a hole through the wall with my hand and, while they looked on, set out in the darkness, shouldering my burden. Then, in the morning, the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, did not the house of Israel, that rebellious house, ask you what you were doing? Tell them: Thus says the Lord GOD: This oracle concerns Jerusalem and the whole house of Israel within it. I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them; as captives they shall go into exile. The prince who is among them shall shoulder his burden and set out in darkness, going through a hole that he has dug in the wall, and covering his face lest he be seen by anyone. Psalms 78(77):56-57.58-59.61-62. They tempted and rebelled against God the Most High, And kept not his decrees. They turned back and were faithless like their fathers; They recoiled like a treacherous bow. They angered him with their high places And with their idols roused his jealousy. God heard and was enraged And utterly rejected Israel. And he surrendered his strength into captivity, His glory in the hands of the foe. He abandoned his people to the sword And was enraged against his inheritance. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18:21-35.19:1. Peter approached Jesus and asked him, «Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?» Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.' Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, 'Pay back what you owe.' Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Blessed John-Paul II, Pope from 1978 to 2005 Encyclical « Dives in misericordia », § 14 (©  Libreria Editrice Vaticana) "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times" Christ emphasizes so insistently the need to forgive others that when Peter asked Him how many times he should forgive his neighbor He answered with the symbolic number of "seventy times seven," meaning that he must be able to forgive everyone every time. It is obvious that such a generous requirement of forgiveness does not cancel out the objective requirements of justice. Properly understood, justice constitutes, so to speak, the goal of forgiveness. In no passage of the Gospel message does forgiveness, or mercy as its source, mean indulgence towards evil, towards scandals, towards injury or insult. In any case, reparation for evil and scandal, compensation for injury, and satisfaction for insult are conditions for forgiveness... Mercy, however, has the power to confer on justice a new content, which is expressed most simply and fully in forgiveness. Forgiveness, in fact, shows that, over and above the process of "compensation" and "truce" which is specific to justice, love is necessary, so that man may affirm himself as man. Fulfillment of the conditions of justice is especially indispensable in order that love may reveal its own nature...  The Church rightly considers it her duty and the purpose of her mission to guard the authenticity of forgiveness.

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Monday, 20 August 2012 Monday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (1091-1153)

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Account of the three companions of Saint Francis of Assisi : The joy spiritual detachment Book of Ezekiel 24:15-24.

Thus the word of the LORD came to me:

Son of man, by a sudden blow I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes, but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears. Groan in silence, make no lament for the dead, bind on your turban, put your sandals on your feet, do not cover your beard, and do not eat the customary bread. That evening my wife died, and the next morning I did as I had been commanded. Then the people asked me, "Will you not tell us what all these things that you are doing mean for us?" I therefore spoke to the people that morning, saying to them: Thus the word of the LORD came to me: Say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD: I will now desecrate my sanctuary, the stronghold of your pride, the delight of your eyes, the desire of your soul. The sons and daughters you left behind shall fall by the sword. You shall do as I have done, not covering your beards nor eating the customary bread. Your turbans shall remain on your heads, your sandals on your feet. You shall not mourn or weep, but you shall rot away because of your sins and groan one to another. Ezekiel shall be a sign for you: all that he did you shall do when it happens. Thus you shall know that I am the LORD. Book of Deuteronomy 32:18-19.20.21. You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you, You forgot the God who gave you birth. When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing And anger toward his sons and daughters.   "I will hide my face from them," he said, "And see what will then become of them. What a fickle race they are, Sons with no loyalty in them!" "Since they have provoked me with their 'no-god' And angered me with their vain idols, I will provoke them with a 'no-people'; With a foolish nation I will anger them." Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 19:16-22. Now someone approached him and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, " 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother'; and 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to 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." When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Account of the three companions of Saint Francis of Assisi (c.1244) § 27-29 (trans. ©Franciscan Institute of St Bonaventure University) The joy spiritual detachment One day, Lord Bernard approached Francis secretly, for he did not then have a companion... And Lord Bernard said: "Brother, I want to give away all my worldly goods for the love of my Lord who gave them to me, as it seems best to you." Francis told him: "We will go to the church early in the morning and, through the book of the Gospels, we will learn how the Lord instructed his disciples." Rising at daybreak, then, together with another man named Peter, who also wanted to become a brother, they went to the church... They entered for prayer, but, because they were simple, they did not know how to find the passage in the Gospel about renunciation. They prayed devoutly that the Lord would show them his will on opening the book the first time. When they had finished praying, Blessed Francis took the closed book and, kneeling before the altar, opened it. At its first opening the Lord's counsel confronted them: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell everything you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven”. Blessed Francis was overjoyed when he read this passage and thanked God. But since he was a true worshiper of the Trinity, he desired it to be confirmed by a threefold affirmation. He opened the book a second and a third time. When he opened it up the second time he saw: “Take nothing for your journey” (Lk 9,3) and at the third opening: “If any man wishes to come after me. he must deny himself” (Lk 9,23)... Francis said: "Brothers, this is our life and rule and that of all who will want to join our company. Go, therefore, and fulfill what you have heard." Then Lord Bernard, who was very rich, after selling all he had and acquiring a large sum of money, went and distributed it all to the city's poor... And, from that hour, they lived according to the form of the holy Gospel as the Lord had shown them. This is why Blessed Francis said in his Testament: “The Lord himself revealed to me that I should live according tot he form of the holy Gospel”.