OMELIE / Omelie EN

30 lug 2023

30/07/2023 - 17th Sunday in O. T. - year A

30/07/2023 - 17^th Sunday in O. T. - year A

Reading 1 1KINGS 3,5.7-12 Psalm 118 Reading 2 RM 8,28-30 Gospel MT 13,44-52

God likes the prayer Salomon is addressing Him. He has not asked for anything for himself, health, wealth, victory over enemies, but for the wisdom for ruling, to be a sign and a present from God to His people. So he has asked to be an instrument of love: this desire is the only one meeting God’s heart. In fact, He is love, so, when we would like to become instruments of love for men, God can recognise we are really His children, and therefore listens to and grants our prayers.

Saint Paul tells us the same things using different words: “All things work for good for those who love God”! This sentence can be read catching different nuances: firstly, that God looks at those who love Him with particular interest, but also that every thing, every event happening, even every inconvenience, are used by Him for our good. They who take this word seriously, Word of God, so it needs to be taken seriously, will never need to get angry, they will never be able to become annoyed. They instead will become “conformed” to the Son of God: in our behaviours will be highlighted the similarity to Jesus, who lives the same love as His Father. For us, reaching this level of similarity is the best we can do in life, the fullest of realisations. Jesus too is teaching us this with today’s parables.

Who are the person who “finds a treasure buried in a field” and the person who is “searching for fine pearls”? They are the person who looks for and finds Jesus, and he chooses Him as the centre of his life, because he recognises in Him the fullness of God’s love. He who finds the “hidden treasure” and the “fine pearl” does not consider what others think of that field or that pearl. He has recognised the great value of the presence of the Lord and he does not let it slip away anymore. The Lord Jesus becomes the criteria for every choice of his and every decision: he drags ashore in his net “fish of every kind”, but he chooses only those he recognises as “good”. He has a clear criteria to separate the good from the bad. The clear criteria is the comparison with Jesus, the only “treasure” and only “pearl” of any value, worth of occupying our heart and our time.

Every now and then I ask myself: how can a Christian, who lives in a world as distracted and disturbed as ours, have clear criteria, be always aware of the value of the pearls, and see the treasure, hidden in the field which, per se, is not valued by the people living in the world?

The answer coming to my heart is the following: those Christians who exercise humility and keep checking the Word of God, can have clear criteria, which allow them to be above external influences. And the best and most foolproof exercise is the constant and regular attendance to the sacrament of penance (confession!). Frequently I can see that the families which resist the pressure of fashions and current mentality are those the members of which go to confession with a certain regularity. And those who are faithful to this practice, less frequently fall victim of depression. They who are faithful going to this sacrament stay focused on the Lord Jesus and enjoy serenity and internal peace, which become source of love and good mood.

Jesus is the true treasure, a true pearl: the little effort we put in to find Him and to hold on to Him is greatly rewarded!