XVII (July 30th Sunday homily)

1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12; Rom 8:28-30; Mt 13:44-52

Fr. Anson Antony

Today’s readings teach us that Faith in Jesus as our God and Savior and sacrificing everything in life to do the will of God are equivalent to discovering and possessing the most valuable treasure or the pearl of great price. In other words, keeping a personal relationship with Jesus, remaining in a state of grace, and sharing his view of life are the most beautiful and the most precious things in the world.

The first reading tells us how the young King Solomon opted for the great treasure of accepting God to rule his life by doing His will. That is why he requested of God the gift of prudence, “an understanding heart to distinguish right from wrong,” so that he might govern God’s people properly.

 The ancient Semitic belief was that people think with their hearts and feel with their kidneys. The latter was considered the source of our emotions and the former, was the source of our thoughts and insights. Thus, when Solomon says, “Give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to distinguish right from wrong,” he is simply requesting a mind capable of seeing what others overlook. He asks for an understanding heart so that he can deal well with people, act compassionately and discern right from wrong. He selflessly asks for “a heart with the skill to listen” — sensitivity in understanding his subjects’ needs, and skillful decision-making in order to build a just society. The Lord God was pleased with Solomon’s request and granted him “a wise and discerning heart” which enabled him to surpass everyone in wisdom.

In today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 119), the psalmist says of the commands of God, “For I love Your commands more than gold however fine. For in all Your precepts, I go forward; every false way I hate,” thus showing real Wisdom.

In the second reading, Paul teaches that the wisdom to perceive God’s grace is essential for those who want to follow Him and do His will, thus remaining in His kingdom. The “Kingdom of God” is present when we know that there is absolutely nothing in this world, or out of it, that can separate us from Christ’s love for us. If we follow in the footsteps of Christ, they will lead us to the Kingdom of the Father.

 In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us that God’s Kingdom is something of extraordinary value, like a hidden treasure or costly pearl. Possessing that treasure demands from us a total commitment if we are to preserve it. The Kingdom of God is God’s reign in our hearts, in our lives, in our homes, in our society, and in our world. Only those who develop searching minds and are willing to give up everything for the great treasure of God’s Kingdom will be rewarded. Through the first and second parables, of the treasure and the pearl, Jesus teaches us that identifying God’s will and living according to the Gospel, both with His help, are the most precious and worthwhile things in life. Through Jesus and his Gospel, we come to know and understand the real meaning of life and the most important things we must do to secure our eternal salvation.

 Yes, dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

We should live every moment of our life in view of our precious goal, eternal life. Most of the time, we are chasing false treasures such as money, social status, or worldly pleasures. Thus, the valuable “pearl” of sharing in God’s life through Jesus here on earth and later in Heaven, is never found. Let us always remember that Heaven is within the reach of all of us who try to do the will of God, following the ordinary vocations of life and enjoying this world’s joys and pleasures within the framework of God’s Commandments.

We also have to keep safe the treasure of our personal relationship with Jesus by accepting him every day as our God and Savior, by allowing him to have total control over our lives through our loving obedience to his will, and by asking him daily for the strengthening and guidance of his Holy Spirit. We do this by talking to him daily in prayer, by listening to him in our meditative reading of the Bible, by getting reconciled to him and others every day, asking pardon and forgiveness for our sins, by offering Him our lives on the altar during the Holy Mass, and by nourishing our souls frequently, receiving Jesus in Holy Communion.

(中文翻譯.原文以英文為準.)

常年期(甲年)第十七主日講道 (07/30/2023)

安神父主日證道中譯本

讀經一: 列王紀上3:5, 7-12
讀經二: 保祿宗徒致羅馬人書 8:28-30
福音: 瑪竇福音 13:44-52

今天的讀經教導我們，相信耶穌是我們的神和我們的救主，並願意犧牲我們生命中的一切來遵行天主的旨意就相當於發現並擁有了最珍貴的寶藏或者無價的珍珠。其他天主的話語、與耶穌建立並保持個人關係、保持恩典最高狀態以及分享的人生觀，這些都是世界上最美麗、最珍貴的東西。

讀經一告訴我們年輕的撒羅滿王如何選擇接受天主來掌管他的生命這一偉大寶藏並遵行了衪的旨意。這就是為什麼他請求天主賜予審慎的恩賜，一顆明辨是非的心 這樣他就可以正確地治理天主的子民。

古代閃米特人的信仰是，人們用心思考，用腎感覺。後者是被認為是我們情感的源泉，前者是我們思想和見解的源泉。因此，當所羅門說：求你賜僕人一顆智慧的心，能判斷你的百姓，辨別正義與真理。 他只是要求有一顆能夠看到別人所忽視的東西的頭腦。他要求有一顆明理的心，這樣他就能與人相處，以愛為本，以憐憫心，明辨是非。他無私地祈求了心靈與傾聽的技巧敏銳地理解他的對象的需求，並熟練地做出決策建立一個公正的社會。天主喜悅撒羅滿的請求，賜給他一個有智慧、有洞察力的心。使他在智慧上超越了所有人。

在今天的回應聖詠（聖詠 119）中，作者談到天主的命令時說：因為我愛祢的命令比黃金還好。因祢一切的訓詞，我都往前行；我討厭每一種錯誤的方式，從而表現出真實的智慧。

在讀經二中，保祿教導說，對於那些想要明白天主的恩典的人來說，擁有智慧是至關重要的。跟隨衪並遵行衪的旨意，從而留在衪的國度裡。當我們知道神的國度就存在了這個世界上或世界之外，絕對沒有任何東西可以使我們與基督對我們的愛隔絕。如果我們跟隨基督的腳踪，它將帶領我們進入天父的國度。

在福音中，耶穌教導我們，天主的王國具有非凡的價值，就像隱藏的寶藏或昂貴的珍珠。如果我們要保護這些寶藏，就需要我們百份百全身心靈的投入。天主的王國是天主在我們心中、我們的生活中、我們的家庭中、我們的社會中和我們的世界中的中心及掌管人。只有那些願意自我發展的人，勤於思考，並願意為天主王國的偉大寶藏放棄一切的人，將會得到獎賞。通過第一個和第二個關於財寶和珍珠的比喻，耶穌教導我們要明白天主的旨意並在衪的幫助下按照福音生活，是生命中最寶貴和最有價值的事情。通過耶穌和衪的福音，讓我們認識並理解生命的真正意義以及我們最重要的事情是為了確保我們永恆的救恩，因此我們必須立即採取行動。

是的，親愛的基督內的兄弟姐妹們:

我們應該以我們寶貴的目標永生來度過生命中的每一刻。很多時候，我們都在追逐虛假的財富，如金錢、社會地位或世俗的享樂。因此我們無法在現世上以及後來在天堂找到過分享天主生命的寶貴的珍珠。讓我們永遠記住，我們所有努力遵行天主旨意的人，以及在天主誡命框架內從事平凡的生活及職業並享受這世上的歡樂的人。天堂就在人間。

我們還必須每天接受耶穌作為我們的個人天主和救主，以保護我們與耶穌的個人關係的寶藏。通過我們對衪的旨意的愛和服從，讓衪完全掌管我們的生命，並通過每天祈求衪賜下聖神的力量和引導。我們通過每天與衪祈禱來做到這一切，通過在默想閱讀聖經時聆聽衪的話語，通過每天與衪和其他人修和，請求赦免和寬恕我們的罪孽，在神聖彌撒中將我們的生命奉獻給衪，並常常在聖體聖事中接受耶穌來滋養我們的靈魂。