The grace of restlessness

Posted on August 17, 2026 by Friar Musings

A young man approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” (Mt 19:16) Jesus answered the young man. “When the young man heard [Jesus’] statement, he went away sad…” (v.22) In the online notes , the US Catholic Bishops note that Matthew is not proposing a two-tier Christianity, with ordinary Christians merely keeping the commandments and unusually holy Christians pursuing perfection. Matthew has already commanded all disciples to “be perfect” (5:48). There is a lot more to this gospel than “possessions can get in the way of following Jesus.”

After Jesus recounts the Commandments, after which: “The young man said to him, ‘All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?’” (v.20) That might be the most important sentence of the whole text: “What do I still lack?”

This isn’t the story of a sinner refusing conversion. It is the story of a religious, morally serious person who realizes that being good and being completely free for God are not necessarily the same thing. He senses that something is missing. There is an itch he can’t quite scratch. You’re here at daily Mass. I’d say that puts you in the category of a religious, morally serious person. But is there something nagging at the edge of your consciousness? Perhaps “what do I still lack” is a question for all of us.

Perhaps we are like the young man. We keep the commandments. We know that our spiritual life has not achieved “fullness.” There’s something more. Maybe like the young man we keep asking.

What I love about this gospel is that Jesus takes the young man’s restlessness seriously. The answer to that young man is to dispossess his material wealth. That’s the answer to him. That is what holds him back. But that might not be the source of your restlessness.

Instead, Christ might answer our restlessness differently. Need to surrender some resentment? Still looking for everyone’s approval and recognition? Need to be in control? Need to be more trusting with that part of your life you hold back?

Jesus identified for the rich young man the one possession he could not imagine himself without and he walked away sad. Not angry, not thinking Jesus was unreasonable. For perhaps the first time, the young man knows exactly what stands between him and the freedom he is seeking. And he discovers that, at least for now, he is unwilling to let it go. The young man knows God’s will for him. He just decides that the price is too high.

Sometimes sadness reveals where our deepest attachment lies.

The young man’s question was, “What do I still lack?” Today, I think my question would be: “Lord, what is this restlessness within me trying to tell me? What am I still afraid to place in your hands?”

Be attentive to the grace of restlessness in your life.

Image credit: Heinrich Hofmann | 1888 | Christ and the Rich Young Ruler | Brigham Young University Museum of Art | PD-US

In the beginning

Posted on October 21, 2024 by Friar Musings

The first reading today is taken from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. Ephesians is a letter about the church – not necessarily just the congregation in the city of Ephesus but rather with the worldwide church. While in other letters Paul describes the church as the Body of Christ, here Christ is referred to as the head of the Church (Eph 4:15), directing the church as the instrument for making God’s plan of salvation known throughout the universe (Eph 3:9-10). Yet this ecclesiology is anchored in God’s saving love, shown in Jesus Christ (Eph 2:4-10), and the whole of redemption is rooted in the plan and accomplishment of the triune God (Eph 1:3-14). In its own way, Ephesians might well have opened with the words “in the beginning” to describe the new age of the Church.

But unlike the creation story in Genesis, our story begins in the midst of the “age of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient.” (Eph 2:2). That description might strike you as odd, but it is a reference that would have been understood by the listeners of the age. The literal Greek describes the believer’s journey as “walking” in a time when there is something “in the air” that which people breathe – a word quite different from our understanding of sky or atmosphere. The manner in which Paul uses the word personifies “air” adding to the expression, ruler of the power of the air.” Paul paints a vivid picture: the Church is being born into a time when there is “something in the air” and its intent is of evil. Continue reading →

Grace and Freedom

Posted on October 15, 2024 by Friar Musings

As mentioned in reflection on last Friday’s first reading, the epistle to the Galatians, the apostles makes clear that justification does not come by works of the law: “For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse.” The Church has, from its earliest times, condemned “works salvation” as early as the 4th century AD in addressing the Pelagian heresy. The dialogue was severely muddied in the Reformation of the 16th century (and following) with the position of “faith alone” from the Reformers most severely expressed in strict Calvinism. The reformed apologist shakes the bones of St. Paul for the better argument of faith alone. The Catholic apologist shakes the bones of St. James to counter that faith without works is dead. Even that obfuscates the Catholic position: “grace alone.” It is from the grace of God accepted in the freedom of a person that gives rise to faith and works – not “of the law” but of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Continue reading →

Not without us

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Friar Musings

In today’s first reading, the epistle to the Galatians, the apostles makes clear that justification does not come by works of the law: “For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse.” The Church has, from its earliest times, condemned “works salvation” as early as the 4th century AD in addressing the Pelagian heresy. Continue reading →

Sin and Grace

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Friar Musings

In yesterday’s reading St. Paul writes that “Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death and thus death came to all men, inasmuch (houtōs) as all sinned.” If you are interested in how the translation of the simple Greek word “houtōs” affects everything, please review yesterday’s post. As noted yesterday, throughout Romans Chapter 5 and well into Chapter 8, Paul attributes to “sin” a very active role: Continue reading →

It ain’t over

Posted on October 23, 2022 by Friar Musings

The early 20th century evangelist, Billy Sunday is reported to have said once that the best thing that could happen to any person would be to reach a moment of deep conversion, to be justified, to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, walk out of the revival tent, be hit by a truck, and killed instantly. There would be no backsliding, no withering under the scorching sun of modern life, and no chance to move from this one moment. Continue reading →

The greatest of gifts

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Friar Musings

In today’s first reading, the epistle to the Galatians, the apostles makes clear that justification does come by works of the law: “For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse.” The Church has, from its earliest times, condemned “works salvation” as I mentioned in my reflection earlier this week pointing to the Pelagian heresy. That heresy held that, while not very likely, man possesses the ability apart from God’s grace to gain salvation. To believe that premise would make one a full-on Pelegian. Many in the Reformed and Protestant traditions would suggest that Catholics are semi-Pelegians. Continue reading →

Faith and Works

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Friar Musings

If you grew up in the South in the 1950s and 1960s and were Catholic, you were someone who needed to be saved, at least in the estimation of your Reformed, Protestant and Evangelical brothers and sisters. Anytime was the right time to ask “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior” – at the post office, the gas station, or the local Piggly-Wiggly (and “yes” it is a real store and not a fictional name created for the movies). Continue reading →

Prevenient Grace

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Friar Musings

In today’s first reading, we hear: “Beloved, we love God because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19). In reading the Scripture, I was reminded of a recent discussion about prevenient grace. It was a short conversation. My friend, a life-long Catholic, was unfamiliar with the expression. Not the “grace” part, but “prevenient.” Continue reading →

God’s Favor

Posted on July 4, 2021 by Friar Musings

Grace Does anyone here really understand bitcoin? It is a mystery to most of us, we really don’t know what it is or how it works – we sort of know – it’s like electronic money, right? In any case, we can figure out how to use it. I think it’s theological parallel is grace; the grace that St. Paul talks about in our second reading. “My grace is sufficient for you.” It’s short, sweet and to the point. Three times St Paul asked and the answer was essentially “No.” But grace is sufficient…. If he can figure out how to use it.

In Bible studies this passage always raises lots of questions. In the course of the dialogue I have always been struck by language we use surrounding the topic: sanctifying grace, actual grace, habitual grace, prevenient grace, sacramental grace, get grace, lose grace, fall from grace, a state of grace and more. Grace is part of the mystery of God and so we humans will ever want to describe it, categorize it, tame it, corral it – all in hopes we can discreetly and definitively understand grace. But it is a mystery. Continue reading →

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