It will be hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven

Tuesday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 19:23-30. 

Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." 
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." 
Then Peter said to him in reply, "We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?" 
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life. 
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."

Reflection:

Jesus again calls us to be humble in this gospel. I believe that this again a kind of figurative language of Jesus when He told us to give up what we have for the sake of his name so that we can inherit the kingdom of heaven. It is quite impractical to work hard and be rich and the properties we gathered would just be given up to others so that we can inherit the kingdom of God.  Besides, If it is difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven, then, why do we need to be rich? The meaning of rich in this particular gospel might be those irresponsible rich. Irresponsible in the sense that he became rich without considering others. We call this as selfish rich wherein he became rich at the expense of others. Remember when you become rich, you will have also a lot of responsibilities. If you cannot comply your responsibilities of being rich then you will be answerable to God on the judgement day.