FEASTING ON THE WORD
"If you meditate on the Scriptures it will appear to you in its brilliant splendor." ―St. Pio of Pietrelcina
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12 | Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130 | Romans 8:28-30 | Matthew 13:44-46 What is it that we are wishing for or chasing after? What are you spending your time, energy and money to pursue? This Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, our attention is drawn to re-focus on what matters most and lasts forever. Alejo is walking down Paradise Beach in Bantayan Island and comes across an antique bottle. He picks it up, pulls out the cork and out pops Fayzal, a genie! Delighted, the genie says, "Thank you for freeing me from my prison. I shall grant you three wishes for your goodness.” After thinking a moment, Alejo says "Great! I always dreamed of this and I know exactly what I want. First, I want ₱9 trillion in a Swiss bank account" (That's the total amount of the national debt of the Philippines as of 2020). Poof! There is a flash of light and a piece of paper with account numbers appears in his hand! He continues, "Next, I want a red 2020 Ferrari 812 Superfast right here." Poof! There is a flash of light and a bright red prancing horse wheels appear right next to him. Faysal tells him to think very carefully about his one last wish. After thinking a moment, Alejo continues, "I want the whole Philippines to be connected by a highway". "Sorry Master Alejo, it's technically impossible to engineer such a highway. Ask something else", Faysal replied. "Well then, I want the president to fulfill even half of the big promises he made during his campaign," he asked. To this the genie replied, "Alejo, do you want that highway, 8 or 10 lanes? Concrete or asphalt? Come on, let's discuss details."
In a genie-like way, God tells Solomon in the First Book of Kings that he can have any request granted that he wants. Solomon is presented here and elsewhere as the perfect example of a wise ruler. He deliberately avoids wealth, long life, and dominion over his enemies. When Solomon might have asked for much more, he simply asks for what he needs to fulfill the mission entrusted to him by the Lord — wisdom. Perhaps Solomon recognizes the limitations of his own human wisdom and the necessity for an even deeper wisdom available only from God. Thus before assuming leadership of God's people, he first sought God’s agenda by earnestly desiring to know the difference between good and evil. This way, his leadership will be based on God’s standards. As a result, God grants Solomon's prayer for a wise and discerning heart that he might serve others well. We are already burning the candle at both ends on account of the Coronavirus pandemic. Our politicians' urge to save face at all costs has not only led to a worsening public health crisis but also to a surge in food insecurity and soaring unemployment. Look again at our First Reading today. What if our leaders had recognized the limitations of their own human wisdom and had sought God's wisdom instead? What if our leaders had set aside their self-serving agenda to pursue common good instead? What if our leaders had sought to discover God’s will in the course of action that they anticipate? Our story would have had an entirely different outcome. Solomon's obedience to Yahweh resulted in blessings. Needless to say, our present circumstance calls for wise leaders and followers who are in tune with God’s designs. Dr. Mitchell, a cardio thoracic surgeon, heard about a human heart tissue bank which would enable her to get a new heart for one of her patients. She went to the heart tissue bank and asked the tissue donor coordinator what was in stock. "Well," the coordinator said, "Here is an excellent option: a brave and determined lawyer's heart tissue. This heart gave much needed hope to those oppressed by legal injustice. It is for ₱5000 per ounce of tissue. "What else?" Dr. Mitchell asked. The coordinator told her, "Another best option is this priest's heart tissue. Full of humility and compassion, it prayed for the poor sinners and fed those who live in poverty and hunger. It is ₱6000 an ounce." "Is that all you have?" "No," the coordinator said. "Here is a teacher's heart tissue. Packed full of care and dedication, it taught essential values and competencies to public school students. It is ₱7000 an ounce." "I don't know," Dr. Mitchell said. "Don't you have anything else?" The coordinator then motioned for Dr. Mitchell to step over to a covered container. "This," he said in calm and still whisper "is a congressman's heart tissue. It costs ₱250,000 an ounce." "Wow!" exclaimed Dr. Mitchell. "Why so expensive?" "In the first place," the coordinator told her, "It is hardly used. As the second consideration, do you realize how many congressmen you need to get an ounce of a heart?" In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul reminds us that we all have a vocation. God does speak to our hearts as he has spoken to so many men and women before us. The first and most important thing is to spend time with Jesus, in frequent and daily prayer, in Holy Mass and in Eucharistic adoration. Also we need to keep our hearts free from anything that could keep us away from Jesus. The more we come close to the heart of Jesus, the more we will be able to hear his call and to understand it with our heart. Whether you are called to marriage, to religious life, to ordained ministry, or consecrated single life, discipleship requires a person to choose the one thing that is most important of all. Our Second Reading, catches both elements: Divine initiative and the simplification of life that comes from “selling all” to receive the treasure: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). The body of musician Frédéric Chopin was buried in Paris where he made a career as composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era, but his heart was buried in his beloved Poland where he was born. Within a crystal urn inside a pillar at the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw, the Poles kept the heart of this man who they loved and respected. If your heart were to be buried in the place you loved most during life, where would it be? In Facebook or Instagram? In a space down at the office? In your house? In your car? In the bank? Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. Where is your heart? Let’s consider the two parables together for a few moments. They are, I’m sure, very familiar to many of us. The parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price teach the same lesson — that the Kingdom of Heaven is of inestimable value. In both episodes, the treasures are hidden which means they cannot be readily found by intelligence or power or worldly wisdom. An even deeper wisdom that only comes from knowing God is necessary to uncover the mysteries of the kingdom. Both parables involve a man who sold all he had to possess the kingdom. The condition is to liquidate all his assets in order to obtain this one great prize. Now do you see the challenge of that? To obtain the field he must sell all he has. To buy the pearl the merchant must renounce his other treasures. One simply cannot have the best of both worlds. Today countless false prophets are too willing to misguide the gullible faithful by preaching a gospel of prosperity that posits the enjoyment of material benefits while viewing poverty or hardships as a curse and lack of blessing from God. Our two short parables make it clear that discipleship entails sacrifice, of giving up our worldly possessions for the kingdom. Our problem is that we are too easily pleased. We settle for the cheap, plastic, imitation satisfactions offered to us. We settle for one bag of groceries in exchange of 6 years of poor governance. We believed in empty campaign promises and allowed them to call God insulting names. We accept their propaganda at face value and let them lambast the crucified Christ, the Saints, the Scriptures and the Catholic Church. We threw our Christian values out the window and accepted jobs as online trolls for ₱30,000-₱70,000 a month to spread deliberate lies or misinformation. Is anything worth more than your soul? Is anything more important than eternal life? Why then do we allow cheap, plastic, imitation satisfactions to rob us of our faith and the kingdom of heaven? We can ask ourselves: Does my family life, my life at work, my use of time show that God is first in my life and that my goal is heaven? If the kingdom of God is like a hidden treasure or a rare precious pearl, am I willing to sell anything to purchase it? Christ is our heart's greatest satisfaction. To take hold of the infinitely valuable grace of God, you must relinquish your hold on the rotten rags of life on your own terms. To put your hand in the Savior’s hand you must let go of the counterfeit treasures to which you have been clinging to. Come to Me. Come trust in Me. I’m treasure and I can satisfy your heart like no one else,” our Lord Jesus says. <enrique.ofs>
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
About JeffJeff Jacinto, PhD, DHum Archives
March 2024
|