The 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are about the need to make God our number-one priority. The first reading opens with God appearing to Solomon in a dream and giving him a seemingly blank check -- "Ask something of me and I will give it to you." If you had God's personal guarantee that He would give you whatever you ask for, what would your request be? Solomon's request -- for God to grant him wisdom and understanding, so that he would be equipped to carry out the task entrusted to him by God, for which he presently feels too young and unqualified -- was precisely the one that God wanted to hear, as His reply to Solomon indicates:

"Because you have asked for this--
not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches,
nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right--
I do as you requested.
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."

Solomon's request revealed some very important things. First, he understood that he was utterly dependent on God. Although he knew himself to be ill-equipped to lead the Israelites, he trusted that God would supply him with everything that he needed to carry out this diffcult task that had been entrusted to him. But Solomon's request also shows that his priorities were in order. He knew that carrying out the mission God had given him had to be the primary focus of his life. When God handed him that blank check, "Ask something of me and I will give it to you," Solomon didn't yield to the temptation to fulfill selfish desires. His request was based on his desire to carry out the mission God had given him. Solomon didn't let anything get in the way of trying to do what God was asking of him.

The Gospel reading again gives us some of Jesus' parables, and they're making the same point: we must make sure God's will is our priority in life. The parable of the buried treasure and the parable of the pearl of great price show the radical demands our faith places on us. The people in the stories were willing to sell all they had -- "out of joy," as the reading tells us -- to buy the field and the pearl, precisely because they recognized the unsurpassing value of them. We're called to further the kingdom of God with the same zeal: to do whatever is necessary and to let nothing stop us in our quest to share the treasure of the Gospel, the good news of God's love for the world.

But this is not easy for us. Our weak human nature is inclined to sin and to selfishness. We tend to cling to more immediate things -- material things, other people, our own preferences -- rather than take that leap of faith and trust wholly in God. Most of us are probably a long way from being able to sell all we have out of joy to buy the field. Oh, we may be at the point where we understand the value of the treasure buried in that field. But we're probably trying to work out some more "sensible" way of securing it for ourselves -- maybe make a down payment and then pay in installments. Nice and slow, a little at a time. It's better not to make ourselves too uncomfortable in the process. I mean, this idea of faith is nice and all, but let's not get carried away with this religion stuff. People might think we're Jesus freaks or something.

The message of today's readings should serve as a wake-up call to all of us. How much are we taking God for granted? How willing am I give God wantever He asks of me, trusting in the fact that He cannot be outdone in generosity? Look at his response to Solomon in the first reading. God grants his request and then some, giving him not just enough wisdom and understanding to rule Israel, but greater wisdom and understanding than has ever been granted to anyone before or ever will be again. That's how lavishly God responds to our decision to root out whatever is keeping us from following Him wholeheartedly.

If we're not at the point where we'd sell all we have with joy to buy that field, then it's probably time to take stock of our priorities and adjust them. Are we making time for prayer each day? Are we trying to open ourselves to listen to God's voice even when the message is difficult or challenging? Are we trying to become more loving to others, and less preoccupied with our own needs, each day? None of this stuff "just happens." It takes work on our parts, and it requires us to carve out some time in each day that is just for God. These are the tools we've been given: prayer and repentance. They're the things that will help us to open ourselves to God's grace. Christ has entrusted the Church with the Sacraments of Confession and Eucharist to help us in our struggle to carry out God's will. Avail yourself of them -- they're gifts from God and fountains of His grace and mercy. They're the source of the joy that will lead us to sell all we have and buy that field.