Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A desert trail in Colorado Springs, Co

Lectionary: 109

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

We can well imagine the ecstatic joy of the entrepreneur who stumbles across a buried treasure -- perhaps a forgotten gold mine or a pharaoh's tomb. It may be the next big thing like social media in 1997, Google in 1998, or the Cloud in 2006. A  buried treasure like lithium or rare earth may be too large to carry away, and so the entrepreneur  must purchase the entire field regardless of the expense or time involved. They may have to share the  joy with potential investors who buy in with them and create a company. 

When Jesus reveals the hidden Kingdom of God, we see his joy and know it’s trustworthy. We can see it in his persistent, damn-the-torpedoes march toward Jerusalem. He may be the only one who understands what will happen when he arrives there in time for the Pasch. But his enthusiasm convinces his followers this is pure gold, seven times refined! And his animated spirit urges us to go with him.

Today’s reading from First KIngs gives us a clue about this buried treasure/priceless pearl. Solomon called it "an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong." This talent apparently is borne of the heart, rather than the head. As Blaise Pascal said in his Pensees, 

"The heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing. We know the truth not only by the reason, but by the heart.”

This wisdom has an instinctive feel about it. As Christians we pray to the Lord for guidance and direction. Very often, we might engage in a path that is just wrong for us. It might not be by anyone's standards immoral or foolish. But it's wrong; it doesn't work.. A doctor's son follows in the path his parents laid out for him, until one day he admits he finds no joy in studying chemistry or anatomy. But he loves to discuss politics and history and, when he's elected president of the class, he changes his major to poly-sci. There was nothing wrong with medicine but God had chosen him to engage in the noble art of politics. 

A young woman dates a dozen charming men in as many months but in the thirteenth she opens her heart to an unpretentious fellow who loves to be with her.. They're meant for each other despite the skepticism of parents and the opposition of friends. The heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing. 

Through the centuries the Catholic Church has studied the ways of God and created a science to discover the particular hidden treasure, that unique pearl of great price which the Lord intends for each person. Pascal wrote his method in his Pensees. Saint Ignatius described Rules for the Discernment of Spirits. Before either of them, Saint Francis asked his noble-born friend Matteo to twirl around like a child. In whichever direction the friar fell, that’s the way they went. (The rather dour Matteo, in the meanwhile, acquired a sense of humor.) 

We ask the Lord to put his finger on the choice we should make, and then to help us see how it glows while we pray.

Today’s consumer culture offers many solutions to the problems of our time. Some appear worthy of discussion, research, and experimentation. Others, like abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia and warfare are simple, neat, and wrong; and only make matters worse. Daily we hear on NPR or Fox television these banal suggestions. Some are taught in our schools and universities as modern, forward, and progressive. The next generation, we’re told, will certainly believe them! But these progressive thinkers overlook both the invisible hand of the Holy Spirit and the intelligence of young people. They’re not as stupid as they look! 

We must pray continually that the Lord will govern and guide our hearts. We dare not sell our souls to simplistic answers which lack the joy, courage, spirit, and dynamism of God. In constant prayer we study the scriptures, teachings, and history of the Church as we navigate the shoals of our time. 

We ask the Lord to give us “an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.” We want that joy which recognizes the buried treasure and the pearl of great price not only by reason, but by heart.