17th Sunday in Ordinary
Time Year A
INTRODUCTION
Dear
brothers and sisters, two significant questions arise from the readings of the
day: What is invaluable and indispensable ; how to attain and sustain it. Thus,
Today’s readings drive our attention to the fact that if there is anything that
we should consider invaluable and
indispensable most in this life it must be God because He is that Eternal
Wisdom that was revealed to Solomon; He
is the Eternal Treasure and Pearl that fills the hearts of those who encounter
him with an inexplicable joy.
The
readings are thus meant to help us retrace our steps and to reinvest our
energies to searching for God, attain Him and to be ready to lose ourselves for
Him in order to sustain Him. Because when we consider something invaluable, we
spend our time and energy to pursue it no matter the amount of hurdles on the
way, we face, we withstand and we achieve. So, What can we give up today as an
exchange for God? This is the question particularly that requires a sincere
response from each one of us.
- The Element of
Surprise:
“Ask
something of Me and I will give it to you.” This was a surprise request from
God to King Solomon God which the king had not expected. Even Jesus said, Ask
and It will be given to you. Thus God
revealed himself as a caring father who is ready to give from his infinite
riches to his children. This was in fact to fulfil the promise made to David by
God. On the other hand Solomon too surprised
God with the type of request he made. He requested for wisdom which he
considered primary.
In
the Gospel, we are presented with the parables of the buried treasure and that
of the costly pearl. Jesus elsewhere said, Seek and you will find it. In the
first parable The treasure stumbled
upon, it was a moment of great opportunity, while the pearl was discovered through
a lengthy search, referring to the fruit of one’s hard labour; but in both
instances, the farmer and the Merchant
were filled with Surprise as well as joy.
Whether the opportunity comes, because of our Parents (in the case of
Solomon), or unplanned opportunity or as the result of one’s effort. Life is
full of surprises, we never know God can surprise us through different means.
- The Will to
Sacrifice:
When
Solomon says, “Give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people
and to distinguish right from wrong,” he does not ask for strength, nor for
riches, nor for a good life for himself, nor for triumph over his enemies. Instead, King Solomon seeks wisdom, a capable
mind to be Just and understanding in order to serve the people.
The
two finders in the Gospel, there was no second thought in them. They
immediately perceived the incomparable
value of what they found and resolved
to lose everything to acquire them.
But why would Solomon not ask for riches and strength and why would farmer and merchant
need to sell everything? As St. Augustine said, What counts is that one must lose something in order to have it. The
scriptures tell us that when one truly comes in contact with the richness and
beauty in God, he will certainly start anew by renouncing
the old self and emptying whatever false treasure he had been living with; the
things that are incompatible with the new life. Yes, when we discover
Jesus and his vision of life, everything else becomes secondary.
This
is exactly what St. Paul meant when he said: “I count everything as loss
because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ my Lord. For his sake I have
suffered the loss of all things and count them as nothing, in order that I may
gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). Therefore, King Solomon, the farmer and the
merchant tell us one thing, that we need to be aware of what is invaluable and primary in our life and family, and be ready
to lose all other secondary, unnecessary appliances that burden us.
- The Sublime Joy:
We
see dear brothers and sisters, God blessed Solomon beyond limits, with an
unlimited blessing. Along with the gift of wisdom, he was blessed with riches,
strength and peace in the kingdom and with other foreign kingdoms. His reign
was considered a golden age and unprecedented prosperity for the nation of
Israel.
The
farmer and the merchant, both were filled with deep-seated joy that spurred
their subsequent actions. They are overwhelmed that they have discovered what
he was looking for.
Jesus
is that Eternal Wisdom, Treasure and the Pearl whoever possesses him, will
subsequently possess the eternal Joy and richness of blessings .
Dear Brothers and sisters, Some of us might find God through miraculous
events in our life, like the treasure stumbled upon by the farmer. There are
others who have to go through nights of labour like Peter in Luke chapter 5,
passing through rough experiences of life until we finally encounter him at the
dawn of the day, similar to the lengthy search by the merchant.
However,
we are chasing false treasures such as money, status or pleasure, and often, we
are locked into regrets over the past, or focused too much on the future. As a
result, the enriching present passes us by, and the treasure is never
discovered. Thus, the really valuable pearl of life, family, present moment and
God above all is not found. Therefore, we need to have a heart to sacrifice,
but Jesus is not asking us of an extraordinary thing. No! He is only concerned
with that particular thing; that false treasure we hold high esteem needs to be
eliminated. Jesus tells us today that we’ve got to exchange them for God
because they are the things that render us ‘scrabs’ in the net of God instead
of good fish.
Let
us always remember that Heaven, the Blessing, the love of God, the wisdom,
treasure and the pearl is within the reach of all of us, as the second reading
puts it “all things work for good for
those who love God.” Let us use our time and energies to go in search of that
treasure and help others in their search.
