A Homily on Matthew 19:23-30: The Hundredfold Promise ( 19-8-25)

A homily on Matthew 19:27-29, reflecting on Jesus’ promise of the “hundredfold” for those who leave everything for His sake. ( 19-8-25)

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

A farmer once had two oxen tied together to plough his field. He noticed that when the yoke was taken off in the evening, the oxen first shook their necks hard. They did not run for food right away, but kept tossing their heads and kicking in joy, as though celebrating their freedom. The farmer thought and made a soliloquy, “See how happy they are when the weight is gone. They know that once the burden is lifted, the field is still there, and they will be given food .”

This story came to mind as  I went through  today’s Gospel (Matthew 19:23–30). Jesus says, “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my name’s sake will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life” (Mt 19:29).

The word that strikes me deeply is “hundredfold.” Yesterday we listened to the story of the rich young man who went away sad because he could not let go his riches. Today Jesus speaks to the disciples who had already left their boats and nets. To them He promises not just a reward, but a hundredfold. This great promise of hundredfold is something that we have  experienced in our lives. As a consecrated ,if we have left a family: We are members of  hundred’s of families , If we have given up a small wish for Christ: He has fulfilled lots of small other desires, If our families have offered a small fraction of my earning for God, He has blessed our families with abundant blessings …

Think of Zacchaeus. When he welcomed Jesus, he promised to give back fourfold to anyone he had cheated. Fourfold  sounds great. But here Jesus goes much further. He promises not fourfold but a hundredfold. Imagine the disciples hearing this promise. This must have been a great encouragement for the disciples. Sometimes we think the disciples were poor fishermen who had nothing to lose. But they had boats, nets, and the workers. To own a boat and a net at that time was not a small thing. It is not the quantity but the quality matters. As he has valued the silver coin of the Widow and said :”They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”(Mark 12:44) Jesus rewards every single sacrifice we make for him.

 Many  of the fishermen even today, do not have their own boat or net and for many  it is distant dream. When they followed Jesus, they gave up a secure livelihood, the respect of their families, and their position in society. So when Jesus told them of the hundredfold, it was like fresh water  poured into their dry hearts. It was not a loss; it was an exchange for something far greater.

The Old Testament shows us how God rewards trust. Job lost everything, but in the end God restored him double. That was already beyond imagination. But now in Christ, the measure of blessing has become hundredfold. God does not give in small amounts. He gives in abundance, pressed down, shaken together, overflowing into our laps (c.f.Lk.6/38)

History also gives us witnesses to this promise. Servant of God Aloysius Maria Benziger was born into a wealthy Swiss family, surrounded by comfort and prestige. In human standards, he had everything. Yet he heard the call of Christ and chose to leave it all to become a Carmelite missionary in India. Later, God chose him to be the first shepherd of Quilon (Kollam), one of the historic dioceses of India. What seemed like loss in the eyes of his relatives, family and friends became for him the hundredfold of thousands of souls touched, churches built, and faith renewed in a distant land. His life proves the truth of today’s Gospel: nothing given up for Christ is wasted, it returns as a hundredfold blessing.

We can see this same mystery in our families. Parents sacrifice sleep, comfort, and even their own dreams for their children. It looks like loss, but the joy of seeing their children grow in love and faith is far more worth.  A husband or wife who lets go of pride to forgive does not just receive back four times the peace, but the hundredfold joy of a renewed marriage. Religious sisters and priests who leave their families for Christ discover new families waiting in every parish and convent. These are not fourfold blessings, they are the hundredfold that Jesus promised.

We must remember the difference between the rich young man and the disciples. The young man went away sad, holding tight to his possessions. The disciples, though they left much, received a promise that filled their hearts with hope. Jesus says clearly: “For man this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”(Mt.19: 26)

In our families, in our daily lives, God is asking us the same question: “What are you ready to leave, so that I may give you the hundredfold?” It may be worries, pride, grudges, or selfishness. Once we let go, like the oxen freed from the yoke, we will find joy and new strength. And then as St. John Bosco prayed we can also pray “Da mihi animas, caetera tolle,”That is  “give me souls and take away the rest” …

Lord let me leave everything for you. Amen

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God Bless…