Seventeenth Sunday in
Ordinary Time
July 27, 2014 Cycle A
by Rev. Jose Maria Cortes, F.S.C.B.
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In the name of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
What
is the most important thing in our lives?
Today’s first reading presents us
with Solomon’s prayer. God says to Solomon: “Ask something of me and I will give
it to you.” Solomon was very young. He had succeeded his father, David, as king
of Israel and was overwhelmed by the weight of this responsibility. He did not
feel well prepared for the task of ruling over a numerous people. Under the
circumstances, he could perfectly well have asked for power, fame or dominion.
However, he asked not for something in his own interest, not for a long life or
riches. He asked for wisdom: “Give your servant, therefore, an understanding
heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.” Solomon’s
answer pleased God and he gave him what he asked for: “I give you a heart so
wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now […].”
There are some requests that God
always answers: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those
who ask him!” Solomon’s prayer is an example of the right things to ask for in
our prayers. God always gives us his Spirit when we ask. He never refuses us his
wisdom. Solomon chose correctly because he identified his relationship with God
as the most important thing in his life.
Jesus compares our relationship with
God to a treasure or a pearl of great price. With these parables, he tells us
that we have to choose what is really important. What really matters to us? Is
it our image, what others think about us? Is it the money we have in the bank or
the properties we own? Is it our career or success? Is it the pleasures that
life can give?
The Christians of Mosul provide an
excellent example of what it means to choose the treasure and the pearl of great
value. Their houses had been tagged by ISIS (the Muslim authority that controls
a part of Iraq) with the Arabic letter “N”, the first letter of the word
Nazarenes, which Muslims have called Christians since the 7th
Century. They were given an ultimatum that expired last Saturday. They had to
convert to Islam and pay an infidel’s tax, leave or be killed. Last Sunday, for
the very first time in 1,800 years, there were no Sunday Masses in Mosul. For
the first time in the history of Iraq, Mosul is devoid of Christians. Thousands
of families had to flee their city in search of safety. They were deprived of
all their belongings. Many had to leave with only the clothes on their backs.
For these thousands of Christians,
their relationship with God, their Christian faith, is more important than all
they had. In a very dramatic way, they chose to keep their faith, thereby
forfeiting all their worldly possessions. This is the same choice made by Meriam,
a Sudanese woman condemned to death because she refused to renounce her
Christian faith. Why did she make this choice? Because the most important thing
in her life was the treasure and the pearl of great price. Her faith was more
important to her than her life. Fortunately, after international pressure, she
was allowed to leave Sudan last Thursday.
In the second reading, Saint Paul
says: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God.” This is
the victory of our faith. Everything is working for our good, even in the most
dramatic and difficult situations.
Today, let us think about our
“treasure,” our “pearl of great price.” Let us think about what is the most
important thing in our lives.
In the name of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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