The Wisdom of Seeking Heaven

Homily: Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Matthew 13:44-52

26 July 2020

My friend and I share the same birthday. This year she asked me what was my birthday wish. For those of you who know me, I believe it is not very difficult to figure out what I prayed for. When I asked her in return, my friend told me that she prayed that God would put an end to this pandemic with the immediate discovery of a vaccine to stop the spread of Covid 19. We have heard in the news that various human trials have been yielding promising results but actual use and distribution are still a long way off. As my friend and I wait for God to grant our wishes, there is something else I pray for that I believe we all could benefit from—the gift of wisdom. That is, the ability to make the right choices in order to adapt and thrive in this new normal. We need the consciousness to allow our current situation to teach us valuable life lessons. 

In today’s passage from the First Book of Kings, Solomon, who is renowned for being the wisest of men, exhibits this wisdom in asking God for the best gift of all, a gift that God, Himself, was pleased with. Solomon could have asked for anything because there was nothing beyond the power of God to grant but in humility, Solomon asks God: “Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge people and to distinguish right from wrong.” (1 Kings 3:9) God was so pleased with Solomon’s choice of putting the good of God’s people over his own personal benefits that God rewarded Solomon immensely. “I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you.” (1 Kings 3:12) As an aside I must say I tend to agree. From leaders and monarchs we have studied in history to those presently in power, few have truly come close to Solomon. Many have placed their personal comfort and interests and the pursuit of pleasures before everything else. 

Through parables Jesus has taught us that the greatest priority we ought to pursue in life as His followers is the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus teaches us about its incomparable value as He compares the Kingdom to a buried treasure or the pearl of great price which one endeavours to have at all costs. In the spirit of practicing what you preach, Jesus staked His life on this. He lived and died proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven. He not only invites all His followers to pursue this in his or her lifetime but He also shows us the way by His words and deeds. 

God’s gift of wisdom (or what St. Ignatius of Loyola calls discernment, “the art of discovering how best to respond to God in daily life”) helps us to sort through the many distractions in life that keep us from distinguishing and pursuing this great treasure.  Through this health crisis, we are being taught some uncomfortable lessons in terms of what is truly essential in life. What with many businesses folding up and unemployment rising, we have come to realise that those things we so often relied upon can easily be taken away from us. Even with our sophisticated knowledge and all our scientific and technological advances in this day and age, we are still rendered helpless and inadequate to fully control this virus. This pandemic is continuously offering us countless opportunities to go back to the basics and refocus on what is truly essential. We have come to recognize what is and what is not important in life—things that so often take a back seat when we are preoccupied with getting rich, becoming famous and accumulating our wants. We have learned to appreciate the simple things like taking a deep breath unencumbered by a face mask and without fear of contracting a virus, mobility, being able to sit with good company at a restaurant over a good meal…. to more profound God given treasures such as family, togetherness, good health, and freedom.

It is never always easy to pursue what is just and true in this life. We must be willing to pay the cost of possessing the buried treasure or the pearl of great price. At times it will entail denying ourselves, delaying personal gratifications, and enduring some suffering. And for non-believers we may be taken for fools because the truth is, the Kingdom of Heaven is not yet completely within our grasp. However, as people of faith we trust in the Word made flesh. In Psalm 119 the psalmist declares that “the law of your mouth (God’s Law or God’s instruction) is more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” (Psalm 119:72)

Sometimes it takes a crisis, for us to gain clarity and learn the hard lessons of life. This is not a time to lose hope. Our missteps and miscalculations due to our human shortcomings and tendencies can still be corrected through the power of God’s grace at work within us. This is what St. Paul assures the Romans, “All things work for good for those who love God.” (Romans 8:28) As children of God destined for the heavenly Kingdom, we have all been promised God’s assistance and sustenance in our pilgrimage through this life. We only have to always strive to walk in the presence of the Lord, to gain wisdom of heart so that we may attain our eternal reward!