July 30, 2017: 17th Sunday Ordinary A
July 30, 2017: 17th Sunday Ordinary A
Click to hear Audio Homily
A few years ago, while I was in the Ascension Catholic Cemetery, a man approached me seeking permission to use a metal detector to find antique objects in the cemetery. He was disappointed to hear that absolutely no such activity is allowed in the cemetery, for it is holy ground. The irony is that there are priceless treasures buried there--that is, the remains of dearly beloved family members. Even more, the ones interred in the cemetery are buried with immeasurable treasure--their faith and hope in Jesus Christ who promised them the Kingdom of Heaven.
What do you consider as your treasure? Are they locked up in a bank vault, or buried in a backyard? It may seem strange to us that Jesus mentions buried treasure in the field in his parable. To understand, we must know that Palestine was a land of wars, therefore someone’s house could be looted at anytime. According to a wisdom sayings of rabbis, “There is only one safe repository for money--the earth.” Elsewhere in the Gospel, Jesus admonishes his disciples about real treasure, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” The questions we need to ask are, ‘Does what I treasure help me grow closer to Jesus and help me serve Our Lord and others? Or does what I treasure lead me to be stressed, anxious, and fearful about the future?’
Jesus told us that the man who found a buried treasure went and sold everything he owned to purchase the field in which this treasure was buried. What a strange response? Why not steal the treasure and sell it for money instead of keeping it buried? Jesus also told us about a merchant who found a pearl of great price and who went and sold everything he possessed to purchase that one pearl. How is he going to live off of that one pearl? These two men demonstrate for us what we should do in order to gain eternal life. Heaven is within reach for those who surrender and submit all of their earthly treasures and desires in order to love Christ and to serve Him. The treasure that does not decay and that no one can steal from us is Christ. When we have Christ, we have everything we need. One of our parishioners learned this truth recently while volunteering at a hospital.
She was volunteering at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Women’s Hospital. Nurses were trying to console a premature baby who was having uncontrollable fits of crying. The nurses handed the suffering baby over to the parishioner so she could rock the child. The baby was still hooked up to numerous IV’s and instrumentation wires. The parishioner tried to sing nursery rhymes to calm the child, but the baby seemed inconsolable. Then the parishioner sang, “Surely, the presence of the Lord is in this place. I can feel His mighty power and His grace. I can hear the brush of angels wings. I see glory on each face. Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.” Immediately, the baby hushed and became calm. The parishioner went back to singing nursery rhymes, and the baby began to cry again. Then the parishioner sang, “Gentle woman, quiet light, Morning star, so strong and bright, Gentle Mother, peaceful dove,Teach us wisdom, teach us love.” The child hushed and was calm, again, and the parishioner palpably felt the presence of Our Lord and Blessed Mother in that room. The best of all medical technology that money can buy was not able to calm or console the child in her suffering. Only the Heavenly presence of Jesus and His Mother was able to bring peace and calm to that child. Think about what their presence can do for us, when we are anxious, fearful, and suffering.
What a treasure we have in Jesus Christ! Do we know this? Do we treasure Him? When God asks us, like he asked Solomon, “What would you like for Me to give to you,” what would you ask for? Health, wealth, and comfort? Or will we ask, “Lord, all I need is You. I need Your Presence, Your Love, and Your Will for my life. My treasure is to do Your Will. Show me, guide me, teach me to love Your Will. Help me to live this day, seeking daily the treasures of Your Grace.”
Click to hear Audio Homily
What do you consider as your treasure? Are they locked up in a bank vault, or buried in a backyard? It may seem strange to us that Jesus mentions buried treasure in the field in his parable. To understand, we must know that Palestine was a land of wars, therefore someone’s house could be looted at anytime. According to a wisdom sayings of rabbis, “There is only one safe repository for money--the earth.” Elsewhere in the Gospel, Jesus admonishes his disciples about real treasure, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” The questions we need to ask are, ‘Does what I treasure help me grow closer to Jesus and help me serve Our Lord and others? Or does what I treasure lead me to be stressed, anxious, and fearful about the future?’
Jesus told us that the man who found a buried treasure went and sold everything he owned to purchase the field in which this treasure was buried. What a strange response? Why not steal the treasure and sell it for money instead of keeping it buried? Jesus also told us about a merchant who found a pearl of great price and who went and sold everything he possessed to purchase that one pearl. How is he going to live off of that one pearl? These two men demonstrate for us what we should do in order to gain eternal life. Heaven is within reach for those who surrender and submit all of their earthly treasures and desires in order to love Christ and to serve Him. The treasure that does not decay and that no one can steal from us is Christ. When we have Christ, we have everything we need. One of our parishioners learned this truth recently while volunteering at a hospital.
She was volunteering at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Women’s Hospital. Nurses were trying to console a premature baby who was having uncontrollable fits of crying. The nurses handed the suffering baby over to the parishioner so she could rock the child. The baby was still hooked up to numerous IV’s and instrumentation wires. The parishioner tried to sing nursery rhymes to calm the child, but the baby seemed inconsolable. Then the parishioner sang, “Surely, the presence of the Lord is in this place. I can feel His mighty power and His grace. I can hear the brush of angels wings. I see glory on each face. Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.” Immediately, the baby hushed and became calm. The parishioner went back to singing nursery rhymes, and the baby began to cry again. Then the parishioner sang, “Gentle woman, quiet light, Morning star, so strong and bright, Gentle Mother, peaceful dove,Teach us wisdom, teach us love.” The child hushed and was calm, again, and the parishioner palpably felt the presence of Our Lord and Blessed Mother in that room. The best of all medical technology that money can buy was not able to calm or console the child in her suffering. Only the Heavenly presence of Jesus and His Mother was able to bring peace and calm to that child. Think about what their presence can do for us, when we are anxious, fearful, and suffering.
What a treasure we have in Jesus Christ! Do we know this? Do we treasure Him? When God asks us, like he asked Solomon, “What would you like for Me to give to you,” what would you ask for? Health, wealth, and comfort? Or will we ask, “Lord, all I need is You. I need Your Presence, Your Love, and Your Will for my life. My treasure is to do Your Will. Show me, guide me, teach me to love Your Will. Help me to live this day, seeking daily the treasures of Your Grace.”
