Father Michael Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 (edited) July 30th, 2023 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time A Message from Father †Michael Today’s Theme: “Priority of Values” Reflections on Today’s Scripture (1 Kings 3:5-12) When God told him he could have any gift, Solomon chose the gift of Wisdom,. The ability to govern wisely and well is a rare and precious gift given to very few. 1st Kings portrays Solomon as “larger than life,” a “human wonder,” regardless of his many failings. It was composed during the Babylonian exile, to offer his contemporaries a reminder of better days ahead. The earlier Hebrew writings saw wisdom as a matter of “practical knowledge,” and developed it to the point of being a personified, divine attribute. ~~~ (Romans 8:28-30) People who love God can turn everything to their spiritual advantage. †Paul teaches the belief that “all will turn out well” is not childish naïveté, but the secure hope of those who love God. His plan and purpose for humankind and for all creation is perceived as “good,” based on love, and as “glory-bound!” God wills that believers will produce in themselves the image of Christ by a progressive share in His life and teachings, through the intercession of the Holy Spirit. ~~~ (Matthew 13:44-52 What God offers to us is so precious that it is worth everything we have. Before a person sells “all that one has” in order to purchase the “pearl of great price,” one must pray for the insight to recognize the “pearl” when they find it! Such a poor business practice can be mitigated when the investment in question is the Kingdom of God; and the transaction has eternal consequences. The Search From time, immemorial, people have sought treasure. They eagerly search buildings, fields, hills and under the sea—seeking the “prize” that would make them happy. In ancient times, some pearls were thought to be priceless. It’s said that Cleopatra paid untold amounts of money to kings from the East, for a pair of the largest matching pearls ever found; Caesar reportedly paid 400 tons of gold for another exceptional gem. Other treasures have given rise to tales of gold rushes, and excursions to find hordes of pirate booty. Since the 19th century, such expeditions have become the stuff of legends. (The fable of the Lost Dutchman mine, in Arizona, is still being told.) Hidden caches of diamonds and precious gems; and countless shipwrecks, containing vast fortunes, have led explorers into uncharted jungles and ocean depths. Today, modern treasure hunters are drawn to the Lottery, casinos or the stock market. Their one common thought seems to be: “If only I can ‘hit the jackpot,’ all my troubles will be over!” In one way or another, all of us are “treasure hunters”—looking for something to make us completely happy. At a casual glance, there is nothing wrong with this: if everyone was happy, then artists would not be composing or painting; authors would not be writing. Christ encourages us in our pursuits, as our two Gospel stories relate, today. Our Blessed Lord loved “searchers,” and He had sympathy for those who were looking—even if they were looking in the wrong places, for the wrong things. He understood their hunger and thirst, and was able to point them in the right direction. But He couldn’t do anything for the smug and the satisfied. Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a rare pearl or a priceless treasure. In other words, the Kingdom is worth everything we have. Those who find it are truly fortunate. Even if, in the eyes of the world, they appear foolish and poor, in God’s eyes, they are wise and rich. The Kingdom of God is quite a simple concept: It means to know the meaning of life, and how to live it, as would a child of God—with divine dignity and an eternal destiny. Our chief task is not to be successful, or even merely, to be fulfilled. No one can be happy who misses the main purpose of life. Rather, the only question that really matters is how best to live properly. Those who find the answer to that question have found their “pearl of great price.” Such a thing is not an illusion. The parable underlines the unrestrained joy of one who finds it. It is truly something wonderful when a sense of the presence of God, and a certainty about His love for us suddenly bursts upon someone! It brings peace to the heart; joy to the mind; and beauty to life. Happy those who taste such joy, even sporadically. Happier still, are those for whom it is the reality in which they live…. Tasting the joys of the Kingdom first involves letting go of all extraneous things, and our dependence on them—in the sense that they may have become the “be-all” and “end-all” of our existence. Life is unintelligible and unbearable without purpose. A close relationship with our Creator is the real treasure….one that gives us a sense of who we are, and our true purpose. Only with a firm grasp of our spiritual nature will we truly find that for which we search. When we find it, we will have found everything of importance. Faith cannot give us all the answers, inasmuch as it never means that all the work is done for us. Faith commits us to a life of discovery, searching and yearning. In fact, if we had all the answers, faith would not be necessary! For example, those who seek an explanation for the universe, inevitably come to a point, beyond which there is only conjecture. “What ‘caused’ the Big Bang?” Or, “From what was the source of all that infinitesimally concentrated matter which comprises the universe?” Our rational minds can only take us so far, before we must conclude we cannot know all the answers! Many of us seek out holy places and Churches, in order to provide an opportunity for solace, to help deal with our inability “to know.” For those of with a religious heritage, within that structure we can begin to find our true purpose; relate to God; and feel close to Him. In Jesus’ story, it was while the man was going about his daily task (digging,) that he first found his “treasure.” Our treasure may well be hidden in the ground on which we stand. Those who belong the Kingdom of God will taste real joy even now. But we know that it is only a foretaste of the eternal joy that is to come. May God Richly Bless You! For Peace.docx To view a recording of today's Holy Mass, click here: Edited July 30, 2023 by Father Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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