HOMILY FOR THE 17TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A
Rev.
Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi
There is a joy that
follows every discovery. As a little kid, whenever we missed an item that we held
very valuable, we cried and cried until we found it. If we were unable to find
it even after our search, we employed the help of others. If the item was finally
discovered, the joy that developed in us was unquantifiable. This is a
childhood experience of the search of a hidden or lost treasure. But there are
grades of treasures on earth that people often search for. For instance, when you
search for knowledge and you get it, or you search for material possessions such
as a car or a house and you get it, there is a form of gladness that enshrouds
that achievement. These earthly possessions are treasures, but they are
incomparable with the treasure that is the ultimate. When one gets at this
treasure, he/she has achieved all others. Other treasures are bound to follow
this ultimate treasure; the kingdom of heaven. Seek you first the kingdom of
heaven and every other thing shall be added unto it (cf. Mat. 6:33). The readings
of today demonstrate this search for a treasure that goes beyond all pleasures.
In the First Reading (1
Kings 3:5, 7-12), the Lord exhorts Solomon, the king of Israel to ask anything
from him. Solomon recognized that he was a youth and had not enough knowledge
to compare to the people he would rule over. He then asked for wisdom and
understanding to judge and distinguish between right and wrong. What a superb
request!!! The Lord was pleased with this request that he gave him all other
things he did not ask for. In this parlance, Solomon sought for the best. We must
recall that in the Old Testament, the fullness of revelation had not occurred;
and therefore Solomon asked for the best. He asked for wisdom. In Solomon’s
prayer for wisdom in Wisdom 9:6-9, even if one is perfect among the sons of
men, yet without the wisdom that comes from God, he is nothing; with God is
wisdom. God is wisdom himself. Indeed, blessed is the man who has found wisdom
and has found understanding (Prov.3:13). Wisdom is better than gold (Prov.
16:16). The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure... (James 3:17).
Thus Solomon sought for the purest thing, for the highest treasure there is –God.
He discovered the treasures inherent in wisdom, and went for it. What is it
that you would ask for if given the opportunity of Solomon?
This same search for
the ultimate treasure is seen chiefly in the Gospel. Here, we see the wisdom
made flesh himself speaking to us about holding very dear the kingdom of heaven
he has brought to us, and to work hard to have it hereafter. There are three
parables in the Gospel of today. One theme that runs through them is the search
for the heavenly treasure which is the ultimate. They open us up to how a man
ought to value that which he holds at a very high regard. They have a lot to
teach us about the sense of value and the sense of priority. Our hearts are
easily inclined to that which we value most. Jesus compares the kingdom with
three experiential realities of the time: the
hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, and the dragnet; these experiences in the life of the Palestinians of
the time abound. If we are to talk
about our own experiences of what we value most today in our world, what is it that after you discover it can
sell off virtually all you have to posses it? What is that occupation that
envelops your thought? What is that material possession that you constantly
dream of? What is that academic course that you are most eager to do? Who is
that person that you have dreamt to be with for ages? It is when we answer
these questions sincerely that the meaning of these parables would have saddled
in us.
The parable of the
hidden treasure
It was a common
practice to hide treasure and valuables by burying them in the ground in Jesus’
time. The earth was the safest place to hide valuables. This we see in the
parable of the talents as the third servant hid his talent in the earth to keep
from losing it (cf. Mat 25:25). Now, the field represents the Gospel of Christ,
the treasure is Christ who is hid in the Gospel. This analogy makes us to
understand that no person can find Christ who is the treasure by merely
scratching the surface of the earth (Gospel). Discovering Christ is not a
surface thing but a deep and deeper search. We must dig and dig deep (2 Tim.
2:15). There are five things that the man did when he found the treasure.
1.
He hides and protects it. This means he does not simply
leave it the way he found it. He puts it in his heart even deeper. He does not
let the gospel go, but resolves to have it as a treasure. 2. He goes. This means that he makes a decision. Movement is a sign
of decision never to let the treasure go, but to go to Christ and make a firm
decision. 3. He sells all he has.
This means that he repents and turns from his former way of life. He is willing
to do this because he has found the ultimate treasure. By this, he lives a life
of self-discipline because he no longer has material burdens that weigh him
down. This involves the sacrifice of personal desires, ambitions, cravings and
wants, lusts and possessions; giving up everything for Christ. 4. He buys the field. This means that
he gives up everything so as to possess the ultimate thing that matters: the
kingdom of salvation. Nothing is worth more than possessing Christ. If we
really desire to follow Christ, we must live a life of detachment (cf. Mat.
19:21). 5. He rejoices. In his joy,
he experiences equanimity and completeness because he has discovered the
greatest of all treasures.
The parable of the
merchant man and the pearl of Great price
What is a pearl? The
pearl is formed this way. A speck of sand or parasite makes its way into an
oyster. The oyster is a living organism. The intruder hurts the oyster. To
protect itself, the oyster secrets a substance called mother-of-pearl to
surround the intruder. It is the secretion that gradually forms the pearl. Thus, the pearl is formed out of much
torment and suffering. The same is true of the believer and the church; both
are born out of suffering and out of the travail and death of the Lord Jesus.
The pearl remains there until perfectly formed and purified. Then it is
separated from the corruptible flesh as a thing of beauty, priceless and fit
for the diadem of a king. The pearl became the loveliest. So too is the kingdom
of heaven. It must be the loveliest thing in our lives as Christians.
Do not also forget that
there are other fine pearls, but only one pearl of great price. Surely, there
are many fine things in this world and many things in which a man can find
loveliness. We can find loveliness in knowledge, in serving fellow men, and in
educating others. These are all lovely, but they are lesser to compare with the
kingdom of heaven. We find in this parable the same point as in the previous
one but with a difference. The man who was digging the field was not searching
for treasure; it came on him unaware. The man who was searching for pearls
spent his life in the search. Whether the discovery was the result of a moment
or the result of a life-time search, the reaction was the same. Everything has
to be sold and sacrificed to gain the precious thing. However we discover the
ultimate treasure, we must do all we can to posses it.
Whatever challenge we
may think to have, we must hold on to the ultimate treasure. That was why Jesus
concludes with the parable of the dragnet to tell us that confusion and mixture
may abound, but possessing the treasure remains the best. The nature of the
dragnet is that it does not discriminate. It is bound to draw all kinds of
things in its course through the water. So too it is in the nature of the
church not to discriminate, and is bound to be a mixture of all kinds of
people, good and bad, rich and poor, black and white. So, we must be interested
in possessing the treasure and working to see that we maintain it, and not to
be interested in the dirt that inhabit with us in the same net. The fish knows
it is a fish and not dirt. Indeed, St. Paul reminds us of this in the Second Reading
(Rom 8:28-30). We are called according to the divine purpose, and so we are
justified if only we hold on to our ultimate treasure. May this justification
be your portion through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy new week. God bless you.
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