2020-07-26 _ 17th
Sunday
●
1 Kings 3:5, 7-12 ● Psalm __ ● Romans
8:28-30 ● + Matthew 13:44-52 ●
[_01_] About a year ago
– twice a week – at around 11:00 am, I was going for physical therapy, to a
physical therapy office and was doing exercises for my shoulder which
fortunately improved.
It was a way for me to do a little “fixer upper”
improvement on my body, personally.
Coincidentally, the physical therapy office had a
television and during the exercises many of us would watch a TV show from the
“Home and Garden Channel” (HG-TV) called “Fixer Upper” – Fixer Upper, hosted by
Chip and Joanna Gaines.
So, I was fixing up my shoulder while they were fixing up
houses in Texas on the TV show.
In this show, there is a real house needing renovation and design
for real-life people. But, there is also a selection process – before any walls
are knocked down or nails are hammered, a decision about which house to “fix
up” – which is the most worthwhile property for the owner.
Which is the most valuable?
[_02_] How
good are you and I at recognizing what is valuable, or who is valuable?
[_03_] In the Gospel,
this Sunday, Jesus says the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a
field which a person finds and then conceals it – he hides the treasure – then
out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field, that property.
This seems unethical – dishonest – in our world of laws and
regulations surrounding real estate and construction industry. You are supposed
to have a realtor, a building inspection.
If you find something buried underground, are you not supposed to tell
someone?
So, in the example of our Lord, the finder and discoverer
of the field seems a little bit greedy and overly enthusiastic to get what he
wants, Jesus is using this as an exaggeration/hyperbole to remind us that we
are called to have this same enthusiasm for the Gospel and Kingdom of God.
[_04_] So, we are called to “renounce”, to give up
ourselves, our possessions, our conveniences, to do what is virtuous and good,
not just immediately and for short-term profit and gain, but also do so over
the long term.
So, I suggest that Jesus’ example about the acquisition of
a nice field with some buried treasure – the “real estate purchase” of the
Gospel – is a good example. It shows
that someone is really giving something up for a long-term investment.
And, isn’t this what people do – on HG-TV reality shows and
in the real-life reality of buying a home, that we make sacrifices – we give up
certain things to get the best possible house.
For example, would we not drive a lesser or older car or
have lower-quality furniture, if we knew that by giving up these things, we
could get a better house. Because the house and property are going to endure
and be around a lot longer than a car or a couch.
How good are you and I at recognizing what is valuable?
[_05_] To our
young people, I ask you to pray ….??? Who may look at other people’s houses or
homes as better or more attractive than your own. I just remind you that your
home, your house, is a blessing and your mother – your father – your family –
gave up a great deal to give you the best ????
[_06_] How good are you
and I at recognizing – at deciding what is valuable or important
An author named Malcolm Gladwell wrote about this question
in a book called “Blink”, entitled because we often make decisions in a “blink”
or “blink of an eye”, very quickly.
In this book, the author asks how good are we at judging
what is valuable, what is important?
For example, let’s say you walk out of your front door and
it is bright and sunny out. Then, after
a few minutes, you hear thunder and lightning and the skies are dark and it is
now raining… and it might start raining very heavily.
You do not have a lot of time to think through all of your
options. You have to move inside or go back to your house…or – if you do not
mind the water… you will accept the drenching thundershower.
How good are you and I at recognizing what is valuable?
[_07_] We have been celebrating – here at Our Lady
Lourdes Church parish – on July 18 and July 25 …and again on August 15 – First
Holy Communion for our children.
In receiving Holy Communion, we
identify the value of our Savior’s body and blood given up for our sins, to
reconcile us to God.
Jesus said that you and I are valuable
and shares his body with us in Holy Communion and in the sacraments.
So, what is valuable?
Mercy – compassion – forgivness.
Valuable. Important.
Holy Communion reminds us to ponder
this, reflect on this and receive this mercy.
[_08_] We are invited to be intentional about this,
as intentional as though we are buying a house, and also recognize that you are
worthy – to the Son of God – of being saved, renovated, fixed up.
[_09_] In the Christian
view and Gospel view, we believe that 1 sheep out of 100 is worthy of being
reconnected with the other 99, that 1 coin out of 10 is worthy of being
reinvested with the other 9, and that 1 prodigal son or daughter is worthy of
being reconciled with the family and with the father and parent.
Unfortunately, in many ways, we judge public figures – or
sometimes just people we know …not based on whether they can be saved, but
simply based on our own prior judgment of who is a winner and who is a sinner.
We are all winners, we can be victorious through God’s love
and mercy. We are all sinners in need of his grace. How good are you and I at judging what is
valuable?
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