HOMILY FOR THE 17TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A. (2)

HOMILY FOR THE 17TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.

THEME: Beyond worldly Treasures.

BY: Fr. Uchenna Onyejiuwa.

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s liturgy tells us that the Kingdom of God is the greatest treasure any man can possess, that it’s worth any sacrifice anyone can make to possess it, and it’s only those who are wise enough to look beyond worldly treasures, in total selflessness that can possess it. It, therefore, invites us to think critically as we make our choices in life, especially, as we witness the progresses in the fields of science and technology that tend to draw our minds away from ultimate realities.

The combined effects of bad governance and the exhilarating progress in the empirical sciences have created nowadays a society that is increasingly normalising pagan practices as a means by which, first of all, those who are responsible for the bad governance will protect themselves from the fury of the masses and, secondly, the common man could circumvent the poverty imposed on him by the rich and the political class. Recently a friend of mine drew my attention to a particular scene where a myriad of youths were gathered to perform sacrifices that will bring them money and good luck. She was quick to blame the parents and the youths for their indolence, and I retorted that it is not just about the irresponsibility of parents and laziness of the youth, it is principally the problem of bad leadership or misgovernance.

The poor man can not forever remain enthralled by the many good things technology is offering our today’s world without any means of procuring them. However, it is this concentration on these worldly things of life that has eclipsed our minds from considering the things that truly matter for our salvation. And from the way I’m seeing it, both bad governance in the country and the continuous technological progress are not mutually exclusive, it is not a product of chance but the expected outcome of the work of people who want to see Christianity neutralized. Although this might sound hallucinatory and unconvincing prima facie, it is what last Sunday’s Gospel was telling us, the Devil secretly sowing weeds to choke and supplant the children of the kingdom. Over two thousand years ago Christ made this disclosure, it is as if it was yesterday.

This calls for all of us baptised Christians to be on the alert and to be very wise in the choices we make, no matter the situation we find ourselves in, just like King Solomon in today’s first reading whom God literally presented a blank cheque. Instead of being selfish, he requested the wisdom to take care of the people put under his care and God was pleased with his request. He could have requested wealth, longevity, death of his enemies or unlimitable powers because of the challenges of his time but he didn’t; and because he wasn’t selfish, God blessed him with many other things he didn’t ask for.

Today, in the Gospel, Christ comes up with other parables that describe what the Kingdom of God looks like. One talks about a labourer who discovered a hidden treasure, the other talks about a merchant in search of fine pearls and the last talks about the fisherman who hauls his dragnet on the shore to select the good from all the things caught by his net. We have already explained the first two at the beginning, let us now look at the last one. The last parable tells us that whether we heed these warnings or not a day of reckoning must come and the wise will be separated from the foolish who will suffer damnation. Also, it invites us to examine ourselves often to sift out what is important for our heavenly journey and trash all the unnecessary baggage we have mistakenly acquired over the years. The baggage of greed, selfishness, materialism, corruption, immorality, etc. When we do it we will be able to see beyond this world’s perishable treasures that the devil uses to steal our hearts and behold Christ, the true treasure that endures forever. May the Lord assist us to conquer the ignorance that makes us think that there is a better treasure than Him. Peace be with you. ( First reading, 1 Kg. 3:5,7-12; second reading, Rm. 8:28-30; gospel, Matt. 13:44-52).

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