17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 26, 2026

What do the parables illuminate about the experiences of your life?

GOSPEL

Matthew 13:44-52

Jesus said to his disciples: "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. "Do you understand all these things?" They answered, "Yes." And he replied, "Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old." 

REFLECTIONS ON THE GOSPEL

First Impressions

“Such a deal!” You can almost hear the young king Solomon say that to God in our first reading. Imagine getting an invitation from the Almighty, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” What an opportunity! Who wouldn’t want to have such an offer from One who could give anything? Makes us wonder what we might ask for if God gave us a blank check. So much to ask for! Where to start? How to choose? Solomon the young king and son of David, is about to take the throne. We now know him by his reputation for wisdom. When we refer to someone as having “the wisdom of Solomon,” it is high praise. But at this stage in his life and reign, Solomon isn’t feeling very wise. He knew what he needed to reign properly: he needed wisdom and he also knew he couldn’t get it on his own. Only God could give him this gift, so wisdom is what he asks for in response to God’s magnanimous offer. Solomon didn’t have to climb a distant mountain, or succeed at Herculean tasks to get the wisdom he would need to rule well. He just had to ask for it. Biblical wisdom is about everyday life; it concerns practical matters and guides us in living a godly life. Readers familiar with the bible will know the unique qualities of this wisdom. A person of wisdom may not be the most intellectually brilliant person in the room.  When the bible speaks of a wise person, a wisdom figure like Solomon, or a prophet, it presents a person who is closely attuned to God.  The wise one and God have a strong and intimate relationship and the recipient of wisdom is characterized by very practical, everyday knowledge that enables him/her to live an ethically upright life. Solomon isn’t asking for esoteric knowledge about other-worldly mysteries. He knows as a ruler he will have to make decisions between right and wrong, not only for himself, but for the people he has been chosen to lead. He wants to be a good king, one who rules in conformity with God’s ways. Unfortunately, later in his life, we learn that Solomon betrays God’s will and becomes self-seeking. Since he was also the ruler, the nation of Israel suffers dire consequences for his betrayals of God. Still, at this early stage we can learn from Solomon about the importance of the divine gift of wisdom as we struggle to live out our Christian calling in some very ambiguous situations. We want to live good lives that reflect the divine life in us we have through baptism. We repent those thoughts and actions that were unwise and pulled us away from God. We, in short, are sorry for the things we have said and done that have hurt others...if only we had acted more wisely. Remember two Sundays ago, Matthew began this parable discourse with Jesus’ sitting down in a boat to teach. He presents Jesus as a wisdom teacher and thus suggests to us that the wisdom we seek is given us in Jesus. He is wisdom made flesh; his actions and words are our guidance for daily life and his life in us keeps us in intimate relationship with God. When we need to know how to live and act in conformity to God’s will, Jesus is our guide. In today’s gospel he is the wise teacher who invites us to ponder and learn God’s ways; he does this by telling his disciples parables. Today’s gospel reading is comparatively short. The lectionary even gives a shorter option. I would use the whole passage for the proclamation, but focus on one of the parables for the preaching. There are plenty of preaching possibilities in each parable.  Let’s look at the first two and leave the decision up to each preacher which to choose for a focus. Each of today’s parables is introduced in the same way, “The kingdom of heaven is like....” (Matthew prefers “kingdom of heaven” so as to avoid using God’s name; Mark and Luke use, “kingdom of God.”) First a reminder. When a parable begins in this way it is not saying the kingdom is like a treasure, a pearl or a net. Rather, the kingdom is like what happens in each complete story. Jesus’ basic message was that God’s kingdom/reign/dominion had come near. The kingdom is present when God’s sovereignty, actions and presence are felt. It is where and when God’s will is being done and God’s rule accepted and acted upon. Those who live in accordance with God’s will might then hope to enter the kingdom when it finally comes in its fullness. We are of an age and culture that looks for things neatly defined and clearly described. If only Jesus had satisfied our need for exactness and given a precise definition of what the kingdom is and exactly where and when it occurs. If he had, we would have a precise measurement, or standard to apply. We would then be able to say, “This is definitely of the kingdom of God; this definitely not.” Of course, that would put us in control. Then other people and events would depend on us for our stamp of approval where and in whom God was acting. Instead, with parables like today’s, we have the opposite. We hear that God’s reign is multi-colored and multi-layered. We see only part of it; just when it seems to be only here...it pops up over there too—in the most unlikely places and occasions. You just can’t box in God’s movements and inspirations. In his gospel John would say it this way, “The Spirit of God blows where it will....” Let’s look at the “issue” of the buried and found treasure. Listeners to this parable have countered by saying the one who found the treasure is dishonest. They claim he should have reported the find to the “rightful owner.” But Jesus is not teaching about honesty here and it is not uncommon for his parables to contain characters who act in a shady way. Jesus uses worldly stories to open our eyes to the acts of the divine in our midst. He is focusing on a person’s finding a treasure, realizing its value, rejoicing and selling everything to get what is so precious.  We also have to remember the times and circumstances. It wasn’t usual for people to bury valuables during times of conflict, invasion, or insecurity. Who knows? Maybe the one who buried the treasure had died; or the plot may have now been under a foreign power, like the Romans. There are numerous possibilities to explain the treasure’s presence in the field.  We do best to stay with the parable: a person finds a treasure and does what he must to get it. What a risk he is willing to take, for he sells all he has! It’s parallel to what Jesus is asking his disciples to do; to leave everything else and invest their well-being and future in him. Isn’t Jesus a “hidden treasure” for us too? Grace to follow him has been freely given us and we are invited to celebrate this “find” with joy and total dedication.  We preachers will want to avoid moralizing this parable, i.e. making its primary thrust just a moral teaching and then telling people what they  ought to do. Remember, the finder does nothing to earn the treasure, nor does Jesus, in this case, stress the sacrifice required to acquire it. Recognition, joy, “pure luck” and excitement dominate the emotions of the fortunate finder. At today’s Eucharist why not celebrate the sheer gift God has given us in Jesus and the constant renewal of that gift through another gift – the Holy Spirit? The second parable varies slightly from the first; we have a merchant out searching for fine pearls. Yet, the two parables have some common elements: the discovery, joy (which we presume for the merchant since he finds what he has been searching for) and a follow-up action. The first parable has a clear element of surprise to it. How often have we found in a person, or a situation, something so good that we realize, even though we weren’t aware we were searching, we have found a treasure Or, have we ever searched for something meaningful for our lives, found it and it was even better than we had ever hoped?While we put so much into our search, we realize we received so much more than our efforts warranted. When things like this happen, we can hear an echo of Jesus’ introduction to the parables – with a slight modification, “There, that’s what the kingdom of God is like!” The bottom line....it’s about grace. (Cf. Quotable) In the parables we encounter God’s gracious rule. Judging from the two parables we focused on, the treasure and pearl, this rule is not something to fear. Instead, we learn that God’s reign promotes vitality, freedom and a sense of having found what we have always really wanted. We know life and service in the reign Jesus is proclaiming, will require sacrifice. But these parables encourage us to take the plunge, they tell us, “it is worth whatever you must change, or give up.” In both parables the investment is total. Each person has taken a huge gamble by selling “all that he/she has.” What guarantee do they have? What have they done to hedge their investments in case they have made a mistake? They haven’t, instead they have plunged ahead without reserve. Is God and Jesus’ way worth the full gamble of our lives? In the parables, the wise Jesus tells us it is. He should know, he has first hand experience. It’s like a friend of mine, who rushed head long into the ocean and when he came up for air, turned to me and shouted, “Come on in, the water’s fine!” And so I did, because he was already in the water and I trusted him.

Justice Bulletin Board by Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh, NC

Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart. — 1 Kings 3:9 

The word “understand” is used at least five times in today’s readings. To comprehend the term, “understanding heart,” from the ancient biblical perspective, we should know that Solomon is asking God for a “listening heart.” The heart in the Old Testament refers not to the organ circulating the blood, but to the seat of the intellect and the ability to discern good and evil. Solomon wants to follow God’s direction through the process of discernment. But something else also happens when a person starts listening with their hearts. Our late Pope Francis writes, in The Joy of the Gospel (Word Among Us, 2013), that: When we live out a spirituality of drawing nearer to others and seeking their welfare, our hearts are opened wide to the Lord’s greatest and most beautiful gifts. Whenever we encounter another person in love, we learn something new about God. Whenever our eyes are opened to acknowledge the other, we grow in the light of faith and knowledge of God. If we want to advance in the spiritual life, then, we must constantly be missionaries(272). You see, if we are to grow our relationship with God, we cannot have a spirituality that is merely a vertical me and Thee. No, to grow our relationship with God, we must have a spirituality that is me, Thee, and the other. This is a spirituality that is both vertical and horizontal. As Pope Leo states: We must be ready to put our hands into the dough of the world! It is not enough to talk about flour without getting our hands dirty; we must touch it. . .Our time presents itself as a mill where the pains of poverty, social divisions, the challenges of new technologies, and the sincere desires for peace are still being ground together like new flour that risks being fermented with a bad leaven. . .The Kingdom will grow, not by force or by numbers but through the patience of those who, with faith and love, continue to knead with God. Pope Leo to Missionaries: “We Must Do the Will of the Father” (Vatican News) How do we do this? First, we must make the decision that we want to deepen our relationship with God and ask God for an understanding heart. Then, we must step out to encounter the other—the poor, the disadvantaged, the incarcerated, the immigrant, the sick. . . Join the justice ministries community here at HNOJ Cathedral.

One Good Book for the Preacher by Anne Lamott, PLAN B: FURTHER THOUGHTS ON FAITH. New York:  Riverhead Books 2005.

This book makes great reading, especially for reflective summer moments.  The author, a single parent, reflects on contemporary world and national events.  She also turns her reflections to parenting (a teenager), her mother’s Alzheimers, the death of friends, the change of seasons, and her political activism .  She takes a preacher’s look at her daily life’s joys and questions through the eyes of  faith—aided by the support and prayers of her small church community in northern California. (The story of Lamott’s finding faith is told in her previous books, especially TRAVELING MERCIES.) 

Quotable

Grace means you’re in a different universe from where you had been stuck, when you had absolutely no way to get there on your own. —Anne Lamott in, PLAN B: FURTHER THOUGHTS ON FAITH, (New York: Riverhead Books, 2005), ISBN1-57322-299-2, $24.95 hardcover.

Faith Book

Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. “Faith Book”is also brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home.

From today’s Gospel reading: The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again and out of sheer joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.  When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. 

Reflection: Why are we gathered at church today? We are here because we want wisdom;  we don’t want to be tempted by fake pearls and fool’s gold. It is just not worth it. We want the real thing in our lives. We sense what it is—WHO it is—and we want more. We have stumbled on a treasure and know that everything else is of much lesser value. We have found a valuable pearl and we are willing to put aside whatever stands in the way of having that pearl.

So we ask ourselves:

• What keeps us from having a closer relationship with Jesus in our daily lives?
• Do we realize our faith is a treasure we have found, rather than a reward we have been given?

From “Living Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits

Discovering a Treasure

In the first parable Jesus compares entering the Kingdom to a man who finds treasure in a field. We need to remember that in those days, ordinary people did not have banks. Only the rich had access to places where their possessions were secure. If ordinary people did have valuable things, the simplest and safest thing was to hide them under the ground. Of course, because of war or some other unforeseen calamity, they might have to leave a place suddenly and not be able to take their belongings with them. They might not be able to return or they might die before they could do so. Someone else, then, might stumble on their treasure and, according to Jewish law, the finder could regard it as his own. In this parable, the man comes across the treasure but the field where it is hidden does not belong to him. He sells everything he has in order to get ownership of the field and hence of its buried treasure. The idea obviously is that when one really discovers Jesus and his vision of life everything else becomes secondary. In the service of the Kingdom there are no half measures and in that service there is a special kind of liberating joy. This was Paul’s experience: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8) and again “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 2:21). To have a personal relationship with Christ and to have made his view of life one’s own is the most beautiful, the most precious thing in the world. It is not enough, of course, just to say this; one must personally experience it as a fact – as many have done and many, unfortunately, have never really tried to do.

In Search of Treasure

The second parable is similar. A businessman is looking for fine pearls. When he finds the one he wants, he sells everything else he has in order to acquire it. A slight, if significant, difference has been pointed out between the two stories. For, in the first, the man was not actually looking for the treasure. Perhaps he found it while digging the ground or ploughing the field, that is, in the course of his ordinary working day. Jesus – and the real meaning of Jesus — may come to me unexpectedly through some daily experience. Many people have described their conversion to Christ as happening in such an unexpected way. There is a need, as the Gospel constantly urges, for us to be ready whenever and however Jesus comes into our lives. In the second parable, however, the man is on the lookout for the “pearl of great price”. He knows it must exist and he uses all his energies to find it. Although we are baptised Christians, we still need to pursue constantly the true and full meaning of the Gospel which can escape us for many years. We always need to understand more, to love more, to serve more.

Example of Solomon

It is in this context that we can take a look at the First Reading from the First Book of Kings. The young King Solomon is told by God, “Ask what you would like me to give you.” It is a question that Jesus sometimes asks in the Gospel and he is asking it of me in today’s Mass. How am I going to answer? What do I most want to have or to be right now? We can make a good guess at what a lot of people, including ourselves, would be likely to ask. For many it would be likely to have some connection with money or material security. What did Solomon ask for? “Give your servant a heart to understand how to discern between God and evil, for who could govern this people of yours that is so great?” In other words, he asked for wisdom and discernment. Wisdom is much more than knowing a lot of things or having prestigious university degrees. Being endowed with wisdom is much more than being just a morally very good person. Wisdom gives an in-sight into what is truly important in life, an awareness of the meaning and purpose of living, of what really matters. It is an understanding of where our real wellbeing and happiness lies.  That is indeed a pearl of great price, price-less in every sense of the word.

Wisdom as Seeing

Solomon did not ask for wealth, or power, although these things came to him. He did not ask just to have things, or to have obstacles in his life removed. He asked to be able to see. A constant theme running through the Gospel is the healing of blind people and of the incurable blindness of those who thought they could see. The true disciple is the one who begs Jesus, “Lord, that I may see.” The one who sees is the one who has wisdom. The one who has wisdom knows how to cope with the situations of life whether they bring ease or difficulty, pain or joy. This is what Solomon asked for and this is what God gave him. “Since you have asked for this and not asked for long life for yourself or riches or the lives of your enemies, but have asked for a discerning judgement for yourself, here and now I do what you ask. I give you a heart wise as none before you has had and none will have after you.” And, of course, the ‘wisdom of Solomon’ is a by-word down to our day. This is the treasure hidden in a field for which a man sells everything to have. This is the fine pearl for which a merchant sells everything he owns in order to get it. The ability to see is what opens the door to the Kingdom of God, that world of interlocking relationships between God, human beings and our world which brings to all security, happiness and peace. For here there is truth, here there is love and caring, here there is freedom and peace. For much of the time, we are chasing false treasures, mainly money, status and pleasure. For much of the time we are locked into the past – full of nostalgia or regrets, or focused on the future – not yet achieved longings and desires, or depressing fears and anxieties. Meanwhile the enriching present passes us by and the treasure is never discovered and the really valuable pearl is never found.

A Mixed Bag

This brings us to the third parable today. While the first and second parables speak of the total commitment and dedication which are the ideal of every follower of Christ, this third parable helps to put our two feet firmly back on the ground. While the ideals are valid and still beckon us, they must not lead us into any form of elitism. This parable reminds us that the Church and even the Kingdom in the process of its evolution is full of all kinds of people. Our Church is a Church of both saints and sinners. And we might say it is primarily for sinners. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). The role of the Church is to accept into its bosom “the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame” (Luke 14:21) and lead them to the treasure and the pearl of great price. The lesson of this parable is similar to that of the weeds growing up with the wheat, namely, that the kingdom is a mixed body of saints and sinners (good and rotten fish). There will be always be a temptation on the part of some who feel they are more “faithful” to separate themselves from the “bad eggs”, from the weeds, but Jesus is here telling us that that is the work of God in his own good time. In the meantime, it is for us to learn to be tolerant, compassionate and understanding of those who seem to fall far below the requirements of the Gospel and the Kingdom. And, as we said in discussing the parable of the weeds, there are very few of us who are not, in the one person, a mixture of the good and the rotten. If there are some who clearly do fall by the wayside we can sincerely say, with Saint Augustine, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” Judgment is for later. Right now, it is for us to use the time given to us to go in search of the treasure and the pearl of great price, of the gift to be able to identify, with Jesus, the really true, the good and the beautiful, and to help others too in the same search.

ENCOUNTER CHRIST REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

Preparation for the Session

Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025

Presence of God: Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence.  Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you. (1-2 minutes of silence)

Freedom: Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others.  Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love. (1-2 minutes of silence)

Consciousness: Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life. (2-3 minutes of silence)

Opening Prayer

Jesus, do you look at me and see a hidden treasure? How can I learn to recognize that my heart  truly lives in you? Help me to prioritize my wants, desires and actions so that I seek to attain only what you want for me.

Companions for the Journey

The discussion on the first two parables in this section are adapted from a sermon called “Salvation is free but it is not cheap” by Hugh David: In these parables Jesus was using illustrations from everyday life that everyone could understand because He spoke about landowners, farmers, gardeners, bakers, people who found treasure, jewelers, fishermen, shepherds, students and so much more. It was almost like He was looking at the crowd in front of Him and showing everyone how each and every one of them needed to be saved. So, let’s begin with the parable of the treasure which tells us that “the kingdom of heaven is like someone finding buried treasure in a field.” And the very idea of finding buried treasure reminds me of the quote, that says,: “Lord, give me the strength to change the things I can, the grace to accept the things I cannot, and a great big bag of money.” After all, everyone likes the idea of finding buried treasure. And the people who Jesus was talking to had probably known or heard about someone who had found some. You see, there were no banks or credit unions back then and the land of Israel had been a battle field for a long time and everyone wanted somewhere safe to keep their money, gold, jewelry, non-perishable food, clothing and even some extra pieces of furniture. They wanted to make sure that if the enemy soldiers came; they didn’t take everything they had. So, somewhere in the back of their property or even under their house they dug a hole and they buried everything they considered valuable. And then there were several deportations to Babylon and Assyria and many of those who had been deported were hoping they’d have and enjoy the things they buried when they came back but many of them died in captivity and then others came along and found their treasures by accident.  We don’t know if he was just walking through or maybe he was doing some farm work but it says he found it and then he hid it where he found it. Now, we might think, why didn’t he just keep it? But the rabbinical law said, “If a man finds scattered fruit or money, it belongs to the finder.” But, the law also stated that anything that was found by a worker on someone else’s land belonged to the owner of the land but since it was obvious that the treasure didn’t belong to the present owner; because if it did, then he would have dug it up before he sold the property.  So, the only way the finder of the treasure could claim it; was to buy the land. And the scripture says; he sold everything he had and bought the field.  You see, everything in life that he had accumulated was insignificant compared to the value of this treasure. So, he doesn’t give it a second thought but gave everything he had to get more than he could ever wish for. Jesus said that the man who finds this treasure "for joy over it goes and sells all that he has." Listen, he doesn’t do this reluctantly but he does it with joy. He doesn’t regret it or complain about the sacrifice he has to make. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t even consider it to be a sacrifice. He gives everything he’s got because he knows he’s going to get so much more in return. And then in the second parable we have a situation that’s similar but it’s also different. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” This man was a business man who happened to trade in pearls and he would buy things wholesale and then sell them to a retailer and make a profit. Pearls were seen back then the way we view diamonds today and it was common for men in this business to look for high-quality pearls for themselves. There was a good reason pearls were so expensive because finding them involved incredible danger. The best quality pearls come from oysters that live at an average depth of 40 feet. So, a pearl isn’t something you just stumble across as you’re walking along the beach. In Biblical times pearls were obtained at great cost in human life and there were many who died while pearl hunting. A pearl diver would tie a large rock to his body and jump over the side of a boat and allow the weight of the rock to carry him down the forty feet to the oyster beds. He risked danger from sharks, moray eels and other creatures in order to scour the mud below for oysters and only one oyster in a thousand contains a pearl. And while he’s holding his breath he hopes he won’t drown. So, you can understand why pearls were so valuable. By the first century pearls had become such a status symbol that people would save them like we do cash. The pearl is an especially appropriate figure for the kingdom because it’s the only gem that cannot be improved by man. All other jewels must be cut and polished by skilled craftsmen before they have any retail value but the pearl is perfect when it is found and it cannot be improved by cutting or polishing. So, the scripture says, one day this man was making his rounds probably visiting the various pearl divers or those they worked for; when he discovered a pearl that he knew was very valuable. And then he went and sold everything he owned and bought it. This guy knew value when he saw it. He had spent his life looking for pearls; buying, selling, trading and probably even had his personal savings tied up in pearls but when he saw what he considered to be the ultimate pearl he cashed in everything he had to make the ultimate investment. So, we have two men from two different backgrounds who sell everything they own to get everything they’ve always wanted. And there are lessons from both of these accounts. Both of them sacrificed everything they had in order to have something that was absolutely above anything they could possibly wish for. The first man finds his treasure by accident while the second finds his after searching his whole life. The scripture gives us examples of both. In John 4 we have a woman who meets Jesus at a well. She didn’t go there looking for salvation but went there for water like she did every other day but when she met Jesus, the scripture says, she left her water pot and went to tell everyone she knew about Jesus. And then in John chapter 9 we have a blind beggar who was sitting by the side of the road just hoping that someone who was going by would give him a handout and then when he heard Jesus was going by he called out and was both healed and saved. He got more than he ever dreamed of asking for. The woman at the well and the blind beggar weren’t looking for anything when they found everything worth finding. And then the second parable shows us a man whose business was searching for the very thing he found. He was in the market for pearls and he was looking everywhere he could but couldn’t find the right one but one day he made the ultimate find. And this is like someone who tries everything they can to fulfill a void in their life and they do their best in education, sports, business and power of every kind but have no success and then one day they hear the gospel and give their lives to Jesus and they recognize that this is what they’ve been searching for their entire life. They find in Him the answer to the deepest longings of their heart and everything else becomes secondary. In the first parable we have someone who isn’t even looking for treasure when he stumbles upon it and in the second we have someone who has spent his entire life searching for the perfect pearl that he ultimately finds. And some of us were just doing our own thing and going our own way when God stopped us in our tracks. We weren’t looking for Him but He was looking for us; while others have had a spiritual longing and have spent their lives pursuing God and then one day they discovered their personal faith in Christ and found exactly what they were looking for. Listen, it says this treasure was “hidden” and maybe many people walked by it every day, but they didn’t know it was there. And the kingdom of God is like that, the message has been preached on television, on radio, in churches and almost everyone has an IPhone or a computer that has the Bible; but they’re oblivious to it.  So, both found of these men found what they wanted and realizing the value of what they had found, they gave up everything they had in order to have it. Listen, no matter if we find Him when we aren’t even looking or as the result of a lifelong search both of these illustrate how we can all take different paths to the same Savior. Both of these parables teach us that the kingdom is made personal by a transaction or a trade because both teach us man has to give everything he has to receive something of infinite value. And when we surrender all we have and all we are we receive Jesus The kingdom of heaven isn’t about us giving up something great but it’s a great deal. We’re trading death for life. We’re giving temporary trinkets for eternal riches. We’re trading bondage for freedom. We’re trading. We’re trading shame for joy. We’re trading rejection for acceptance. We’re trading rejection for acceptance. We’re trading our fear and emptiness for a love that never disappoints.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today's reading and discussion? Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions which follow.

Reflection Questions:

What would I consider a pearl of great price—something for which I am ready to give up everything I have to acquire it?   
Is it fame?  
Fortune? 
Love of another? God?  
(If it IS God, what do I actually mean by that?)

What things in my life do I consider special and valuable?  
How much have I invested in them?  
In the long run, how valuable are they?  
What would I give away/sell in my life to obtain what I consider so special?  
Is there sacrifice involved?  

Has there ever been a goal in my life that required tremendous effort on my part?  
Did I attain it?  
Was it worth it?  
Did I have to make compromises along the way? 
Did I see this goal as a long-term process of an all-or-nothing commitment?
Did I give up part way through the process?  
Why? Do I have regrets?

How hard is it to develop the discipline of deferred gratification in our current culture?

Because of the risk and possible discomfort involved, do we sometimes resign ourselves to a life of mediocrity, in our work life, in our prayer life, in our relationships with others and with God?

Do we sometimes believe we “can have it all”?—that is, we need not give up something we want to experience or get something else?

Is there anything in my life that I have “overinvested” in? (academic or business success, money, physical beauty, power, a certain relationship?)
Did it fulfill me?

Where your treasure is, there also is yourheart.  Some religious advisors have told us that to figure out where are treasure lies, we need to look at our checkbook and our datebook….Looking at where you spend your time and money, where does that tell you about what you value?

In the third parable of the nets, we see that as people of God, we are a very mixed bag.  God spreads the nets out to catch each and every one of us.  We are all worth God’s time.   Have I been more discriminating than God, rejecting people I don’t think belong in my net before I even start to cast it?

Do I think it is my job to judge people, to separate the good from the unworthy?  
Why do I have a problem letting God do this?

In the first reading, Solomon was told he could have whatever he asked for, and he asked God for Wisdom.   What is the value of such a “treasure”?

Closing Prayer

Don’t forget to provide some prayer time at the beginning and at the end of the session (or both), allowing time to offer prayers for anyone you wish to pray for.

Lord, help me to see in myself the hidden treasure that you see in me. Help me to see the hidden treasures that are others in my life. Give me the wisdom to see where my actions are leading me, and help me to discern your way.

For the Week Ahead

Weekly Memorization: (Taken from the gospel for today's session)

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field. 
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea.

Meditations:

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions: Everyone knows that the bad guys should get their comeuppance and we are a little irritated that we don’t get to decide who gets left out of the Kingdom, and we don’t get to decide when that actually happens. Jesus tells us to wait and let God sort it all out. Sorting out the bad from the good is not our job. But what if we don’t like the outcome? Anne Lamott, in a book called Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy, says that she is the Elder Brother in Luke’s parable, the goody two-shoes who is angry that God’s mercy extends to those who clearly do not deserve it. She goes on: Another fun-house mirror for me is the story of Jonah, which all Sunday-school kids love because of the whale. Yet the real meat of the story is what happens after Jonah is burped onto dry land, and despite his best efforts, ends up in Nineveh, where God told him to go all along. Nineveh is any big city, hypercompetitive, full of corruption, cruelty, bankers and Tea Party types. It would later be the capital of Assyria, where Iraq is now, and the Ninevites were like Klingons, violent warriors who were Israel’s enemy. Jonah, like all Israelites, felt about them the way Ronald Regan felt about the Russians, that they were the Evil Empire. And Jonah was furious that God was making him go there instead of someplace nice. With minimum effort, Jonah spreads the word for exactly one day, since he is positive that God hates the Ninevites. Or ought to. They’re doomed. If they don’t become people of God, people of peace and mercy, they’ll be destroyed. So on the spot they repent. It’s like the Klingons turning into Alan Alda. And God spares them. And Jonah is furious and sulky because God has refused to destroy the awful evil people that he hates, a destruction that would be a big victory for Israel. He thinks God makes him look bad. Maybe he thinks God is too soft on evildoers. I love this so much. So we each need to ask ourselves if we are a little overly focused on who is included or excluded from God’s kingdom of mercy and forgiveness. Am I a teeny bit judgmental about others? Is it not enough for me to be included; will I only feel justified if others are excluded? Do I want to see those evil, mean, miserable excuses for human beings get their comeuppance? How do I think God feels about letting go of one of his children? Will I go into the feast if there are unworthy people also attending? I pray for largeness of heart and generosity of spirit to love as Jesus loves…

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship: (Adapted from Rev Bill Bausch in The Word in and Out of Season) “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field for which a person sells all he has and buys that field.” Suppose you see that field through the eyes of Jesus. Initially, He sees what everyone sees: dirt, weeds, brown soil. But he knows that beneath the grime and the dirt there lies a treasure: you. And so he goes and sells all that he has, that is, his divinity,—“but being in the form of God, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave” is the way St. Paul puts it—and purchases this treasure at the price of his blood. We must never forget the foundation of our own worth. We are made in the image and likeness of God. We are deeply loved by Jesus who sees in us, everywhere and at all times, a treasure which he ardently desires and for which he has given everything, even his life, to possess. I sit and contemplate with joy how beloved I am, how special I am, and what gifts I possess that make me invaluable to the Kingdom. Am I using them for myself or for Jesus? Do I ever share with Jesus my appreciation of the gift, not only of his death, but of his life—his walking with us, sharing our humanity experiencing our experiences? Who knows you better than Jesus? Who loves you more than Jesus?  Share your joy with him.

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Discernment: The novelist Rick Moody writes that the parabolic tradition is a rich motherlode of wisdom in the gospels, especially since Jesus used parables so often to teach about the Kingdom.   However, when we look at the parables, we make several mistakes: We in the modern world, using our literary brains, analyze the parables with our heads instead of experiencing them with our hearts. When we hear with our hearts, we catch the emotions of joy and longing that are so much a part of the full human experience. We tend to view parables like analogies, just looking for easy comparisons, which allow only for a pretty simplistic interpretation and shuts off  the various possibilities and challenges that a more expansive reading of these stories could provide. We assume that there is only one true meaning of any given parable which comports with an institutional message of some sort.  This is so much less creative and so much more limiting that the parabolic tradition provides, and as a result, we are missing out on a lot of wisdom. So I invite you to go back and re-experience these parables, or pick a favorite of your own (like the Prodigal son, or the rich Farmer, or the unjust steward, for example) without trying to figure out the salvation message, or trying to fit the story into your own theological pre-conceptions, or trying to fit the story into your own--dare I say it—prejudices.  Listen to it with new ears, new enjoyment.  In the spirit of Lectio Divina, let certain images stay with you, comfort you, or challenge you where you are in your emotional life right now. Enjoy the adventure!

Poetic Reflection

St. John of the Cross, a mystic, saw in the deep darkness and emptiness what he had been searching for all along: God.

St. John of the Cross  “En Una Noche Escura”  translated by Arthur Symonds
Upon an obscure night
Fevered with love in love's anxiety
(O hapless-happy plight!),
I went, none seeing me
Forth from my house where all things be. 
By night, secure from sight,
And by the secret stair, disguisedly,
(O hapless-happy plight!)
By night, and privily,
Forth from my house where all things quiet be. 
Blest night of wandering,
In secret, where by none might I be spied
Nor I see anything;
Without a light or guide,
Save that which in my heart burnt in my side. 
That light did lead me on,
More surely than the shining of noontide,
Where well I knew that one
Did for my coming bide;
Where He abode, might none but He abide. 
O night that didst lead thus,
O night more lovely than the dawn o light,
O night that broughtest us,
Lover to lover's sight,
Lover with loved in marriage of delight! 
Upon my flowery breast
Wholly for Him, and save Himself for none,
There did I give sweet rest
To my beloved one;
The fanning of the cedars breathed thereon. 
When the first moving air
Blew from the tower and waved His looks aside,
His hand, with gentle care,
Did wound me in the side,
And in my body all my senses died. 
All things I then forgot,
My cheek on Him who for my coming came;
All ceased, and I was not,
Leaving my cares and shame
Among the lilies, and forgetting them.

This poem from Rev. Ed Ingebretzen about his search for the pearl of great price, and his hopes that his relationship with God will help him get there. What is the pearl he is looking for? What are you looking for?

Digging
I (fragments)
I am digging in a field
for pearls.
Perhaps I’m in the wrong field
perhaps here I’ll find only
damp potatoes, tough
ivy roots, arrowheads
and old 1830 masonry jars
smelling of snails and clay

III

Dear God see me dig
With this energy I thee
Seek; to find, to have,
To hold, to keep.

The kingdom is a well-thrown pearl
loose under my feet;
my feet plow with desire
my fingers massage the supple earth.
This marriage keeps me in love.