How to Pray Without Ceasing According to Father Henri Nouwen
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This past Sunday we heard one of the fundamental New Testament stories for Christian morality – the story of the rich young man. While this biblical story is indeed about the danger of excessive riches in the spiritual life, including the famous image of a camel passing through the eye of a needle – the story includes even more worthy of meditation.
St. John Paul II, in his encyclical, Veritatis Splendor, utilized this story - in which a young man runs to Jesus, enquiring what must be done to enter the Kingdom - to explain the connection between morality and Jesus Christ. The connection between our actions and our relationship with the Lord.
The story of the rich young man begins with a question, and it ends with an invitation. Jesus tells the young man to follow the commandments of God given to the people of Israel, and the young man responds emphatically that he does. So, Jesus gives a new commandment, in addition to those given by the Lord in the Old Testament, he says, “Come, follow me” (Mt 19:21). This is fundamental to understanding the relationship of morality and the Gospel.
The young man confirms that he faithfully observes the commandments of God, and yet Jesus says to him, “One thing you still lack” (Lk 18:22). Regardless of his faithfulness to the Ten Commandments, the young man’s virtue would not be complete until he follows Christ. It is not enough to simply not break the commandments. The moral life involves more than not doing something, it includes a call to action – to follow Christ.
Following the rules is not enough. We must follow the Rule Maker. John Paul II concludes, “Following Christ is thus the essential and primordial foundation of Christian morality” (Veritatis Splendor, 19).
Christian morality and the Good News of Jesus Christ must be understood as essentially related. Morality is more than a list of obligatory rules and regulations that must be followed, rather, the moral life is a response to God’s initiative. It is an answer to the call of God.
The rich young man goes away sad because he had much wealth and many possessions that he did not wish to part with. For him, the virtuous and upright life consisted only of avoiding sinful behavior. Christ called him to an even deeper level – to give up everything (not just sin) and to follow Him.
The Lord invites each and every one of us to do the same. Like the rich man, our very hearts cry out to God asking how to inherit eternal life, begging for his joy and everlasting happiness. His response echoes throughout the ages: "Come, follow me."
Hunter Leonard is a passionate Catholic with an intense love for learning about and sharing the Faith. He holds an M.A. in Theology from the Augustine Institute and a B.A. in Creative Writing from California State University at Northridge. Hunter's essays, articles, and poems have been featured at Busted Halo, St. Austin Review, Crisis Magazine, and Voyage Comics. He is a staff columnist at Catholic Stand and works at Flocknote to help parishes and dioceses build a more connected Church.
Hunter is also the author of the brand new children's book, When God Speaks, published by OSV Kids. You can find all of Hunter's books and articles at www.sacredvision.org.
