Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The readings for this 17 Sunday in Ordinary time have a beautiful message. At first glance they seem to be about three different things – wisdom, predestination, and treasure – but in reality, they answer one question: “What is the greatest thing we can seek in life?”
Solomon says, “Wisdom.” Paul says, “To become like Christ.” Jesus says, “The Kingdom of Heaven.” They are really all saying the same thing. The treasure is not something. The treasure is someone – Jesus Christ – and life in His Kingdom.
Homily
There is an old story about a man who spent his entire life searching for hidden treasure. He traveled from country to country, climbed mountains, searched caves, and crossed deserts. After many years, tired and discouraged, he returned home with nothing. As he began repairing the old house where he had grown up, he discovered beneath the floorboards a small chest filled with gold coins left there by his grandfather.
He had spent his whole life searching for treasure, only to discover that it had been waiting for him all along.
I think many of us live our lives that way.
We search for happiness in possessions, success, recognition, comfort, security, and accomplishments. We keep thinking, “If I can just get a little more … then I’ll finally be happy.”
Yet Jesus tells us today that the greatest treasure has been before us all along.
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field.”
Notice something remarkable in today’s Gospel. The man who finds the treasure doesn’t complain about the cost. He doesn’t hesitate. He doesn’t negotiate. He doesn’t ask for a payment plan.
Filled with joy, he sells everything because he knows what he has found is worth infinitely more than anything he gives up.
The same happens with the merchant who discovers the pearl of great price. Jesus isn’t teaching us economics. He’s teaching us priorities. When we discover Christ, everything else finds its proper place. That is exactly what happened to Solomon in our first reading. God gives him an extraordinary opportunity. “Ask something of me, and I will give it to you.” Imagine hearing those words. Most of us would immediately think of good health, financial security, success for our families, or a long life.
But Solomon asks for none of these. He asks for wisdom. Not because he wants to be the smartest man in the world, but because he wants to serve God’s people well. He asks for a heart that can recognize God’s will and distinguish right from wrong. In other words, Solomon asks for the ability to recognize the true treasure. That is why God is pleased. Wisdom allows us to see life through God’s eyes instead of our own. Without wisdom we can mistake temporary pleasures for lasting happiness. Without wisdom we spend our lives collecting things that one day we must leave behind. Without wisdom we can become successful in the world’s eyes while becoming poor in what really matters.
The Gospel today reminds us that the Kingdom of God is worth everything because it is the only treasure that death cannot take away.
St. Paul continues that thought in today’s second reading. “We know that all things work for the good for those who love God.” That doesn’t mean everything that happens is good. We know illness isn’t good. Loss isn’t good. Heartbreak isn’t good. Death isn’t good. But Paul assures us that God is able to bring good even from life’s darkest moments because His ultimate purpose is to shape us into the image of His Son. That is our destiny. That is our greatest calling. Not simply to become successful. Not simply to become comfortable. But to become more like Jesus Christ. And that is the greatest treasure any human being can possess. The saints understood this. St. Francis of Assisi gave up wealth. St. Mother Teresa gave up comfort.
The apostles gave up security. None of them considered themselves poor. Why? Because they knew what they had found. When you possess Christ, you have everything. When you lose Christ, no amount of possessions can fill the emptiness. Perhaps that is the question Jesus asks each of us today. — — “What treasure am I really seeking? Is my heart set more on things that pass away or on the Kingdom that lasts forever? …… What occupies my thoughts? What consumes my time? What do I worry about most? Where is my treasure? Because Jesus tells us elsewhere, “Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” The beautiful thing is that the treasure Jesus speaks about is not hidden because God wants to keep it from us. It is hidden because so often we are looking in the wrong places. We discover it every time we open the Scriptures. We discover it every time we receive the Eucharist.
We discover it every time we forgive someone. We discover it every time we serve another person with love. We discover it every time we choose faith over fear. Every Mass is like standing in the field where the treasure is buried.
The Eucharist is the priceless pearl. Christ places Himself into our hands and ask only one question: — — — “Have you recognized the treasure before you?” If we truly have, then like the man in today’s Gospel, we will leave this church filled with joy, willing to give whatever is necessary, because nothing compares with belonging to Christ. May we pray this week for the wisdom of Solomon, the confidence of St. Paul, and the joyful hearts of those in today’s Gospel, so that we may always recognize that Jesus Christ is the treasure worth giving everything to possess.
Amen.