May God grant us, in this Sunday's Eucharistic celebration, the grace of discovering true values, thereby discovering our vocation of communion with God, and a spirit-filled courage while seeking them with unrelenting zeal and constancy.
Happy Sunday!
DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(1 Kings 3,5.7-12; Romans 8,28-30; Matt 13,44-52: 17th Sunday of Year A; July 26, 2020)
Today, Jesus continues the discourse on the parables, proposing three more: the hidden treasure, the precious pearl and the net thrown into the sea that collects all kinds of fish. Then he makes a general reflection on the parables. The first two parables highlight the joy of discovering true values: a man finds a treasure hidden in a field and, full of joy, sells all his possessions and buys that field; a merchant who goes in search of precious pearls, when he finds one of great value, goes, sells all his possessions and buys it. When a person discovers true values, then his whole life changes and he becomes filled with joy. Finding the hidden treasure or the precious pearl is a wonderful thing. Those who find them feel privileged and, spontaneously, face all the sacrifices: they sell all their belongings - says Jesus twice - and buy the field where there is treasure, thereby, buy the precious pearl as well. One must not hesitate or delay in selling in order to buy, but one must also sell everything in order to buy everything. To follow Jesus, it is necessary to leave everything (Matt 4,20; Matt 19,27ss). A radical choice is required, which implies a complete renunciation (cf Matt, 6,24 and Matt10,37-39). How important it is to discover one's vocation, the vocation of communion with God and love of neighbour! Christians must try to discover their vocations; God's plan for their lives. And when they discover them, then, full of joy, they must accept all the necessary renunciations and buy that treasure which is God's plan. When a man understands the purpose he was created for by God and what destiny God has reserved for him, then he knows he has found the most important thing in life and is full of joy. Too many men, on the other hand, live with an attitude of resignation and discontentment/displeasure, experiencing so many disappointments, they have not found their own ways, God's plan of love for them. God’s project, in fact, is a project of love, communion and full life. God wants our joy, and so does Jesus, who affirms in the Gospel: This I have told you so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be full (John 15,11). We must discover God's plan for our lives, which is a project of love, communion and beauty. Many times in prayer we stop to ask for secondary things, which cannot fill our lives; instead we should reflect and pray for the most important graces, those that can give us the fullness of joy.
The first reading, partially, illustrates the Gospel, because it shows how Solomon has been able to discern where true values are, the most important things. He could ask for long life, wealth, death of his enemies: all gifts, these, which seem to be of value, but which are actually secondary; they cannot fill the heart, cannot give the fullness of joy. Solomon, on the other hand, has the inspiration to ask the Lord for discernment, a wise heart, to distinguish the things that are of utmost importance from those that are secondary. His prayer is a model for our prayers, and makes us reflect. Solomon was aware of his responsibilities. And still young, therefore, he says: I am a boy; I don't know how to regulate myself. He understands that the most important thing is the wisdom of the heart, good orientation, to be able to do justice to the people. Solomon does not seek wealth, power or enjoyment, but the grace to discern the decisions to be made, the things to do; therefore, he asks God: Grant your servant a docile heart so that he will know how to do justice to your people and know how to distinguish good from evil, because who could govern this so many of your people? In our prayer we should become aware of our responsibilities and ask for the graces that correspond to them. This is the most important thing to do in prayer. Then our lives will become full and fulfilled, we will not be disappointed, but in every circumstance we will know where to go, how to follow Jesus, how to progress in communion with God and in love for our neighbour. We can rejoice, like those men who sold all their possessions to buy the field where the treasure or the precious pearl is. God's plan for our lives is wonderful, but it is up to us to find out. Therefore, we must change our ideas, which are always too low and limited, to those of God. From the story of Solomon in the first reading we still glean two evident teachings. First, our choices should not, primarily, aim at the things that please us: money, power, comfort, but at what helps us to do our duty and do good to others.
Secondly, all this must not be done as if we can procure it ourselves, but to ask it with humility and trust to the one who can and wants to grant it. In our prayers do we take into account the hierarchy of values, or do we rather waste the few prayers that we make in asking for useless, if not harmful, things, forgetting what is truly worthy and what we really need? Jesus warns us: If you who are bad know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him (Matt 7,11). The good thing par excellence is indicated by Luke, in the parallel passage, as the Holy Spirit (Luke 11,13).
In the second reading Paul speaks to us about the dynamism of God's plan. Those whom he has always known, he has also predestined them to conform to the image of his Son, so that he may be the firstborn among many brothers. Here, we see God's ambitious plan for our lives: each in his own way, each according to his vocation, we are predestined to achieve the likeness with Jesus. God carries on his project with a strong dynamism: Those whom he predestined, he also called them; those whom he called, he also justified them; those whom he justified, he also glorified. After predestination, which is God’s idea, the call comes, which man must hear. It leads to faith, which gives justification, purifies; justification ultimately leads to glorification. Thus, God’s plan is complete; the treasure was not only found, but also owned. According to Paul, in practical terms it means that God’s chosen are molded to the image, shape and pattern of his Son. Not merely co-heirs, they are conformed to Christ. To understand this assimilation to Christ, Paul uses every metaphor (a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable) he can find; con-crucified with Christ, con-buried with him, con-risen with him, congruent/in harmony/in agreement with him. Living with Christ’s life, molded to the pattern of Christ, the Christian takes on Christ’s history as one’s own. This is the personal aspect of being plunged into Christ’s death at baptism.
In the Gospel, Jesus adds a parable on the final judgment: he speaks of the kingdom of God as a net thrown into the sea that collects all kinds of fish. In the Church there are people of all kinds: externally, all appear Christian, but internally, all are not. The truth will appear at the moment of judgment, when, as Jesus says, the angels will come and separate the bad from the good and will throw them in the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Here, Jesus uses severe languages, to encourage us to continue, zealously in the right way. After telling the parables, he makes a reflection: Every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a landlord who extracts new and old things from his treasure. This explains what he does with parables: he tries to express ancient things in new ways. Likewise those who have the task of proclaiming the Gospel must try to present ancient things with new expressions; indeed, they must also strive to find new things, according to God's plan. Previously he had quoted, with regard to the parables, these words of the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will proclaim hidden things since the foundation of the world (Matt 13,35). +John I. Okoye
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