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Homily for the seventeenth
Sunday of the year - Year A - Mt. 13:44-52
by
Canon Dr. Daniel Meynen
" Jesus said: «The
kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found
and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and
buys that field.
" «Again, the kingdom
of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding
one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
" «Again, the kingdom
of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish
of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and
sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at
the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil
from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men
will weep and gnash their teeth.
" «Have you
understood all this?» They said to him, «Yes.» And he
said to them, «Therefore every scribe who has been trained for
the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his
treasure what is new and what is old.» "
Homily:
" Jesus said: «The
kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found
and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and
buys that field.» "
Today, Jesus speaks to us
again about the Kingdom of God! What could be more natural for the Son
of God? Moreover, do we not have but a single desire in our heart: to
go to Heaven, our Homeland, to share in the very Life of God there, in
the company of Jesus and Mary?
We might question the
honesty of this man who discovers a treasure in a field, hides it
again, and then buys the field, without telling everyone that the field
contains such a treasure...
This treasure is none other
than the Kingdom of God itself, or rather, the grace of God that leads
to the Kingdom. As God is the only author of grace, it is clear that
the owner of the field is God, and so he knows very well that this
field holds such a treasure. So in the framework of this parable, he
who buys such a field does so honestly.
Let us note above all that
the grace of God, which is this treasure, and which is, by definition,
free, must nevertheless be paid for, albeit indirectly, it is true. We
must, in a certain sense, pay God for the gift of his grace! How? Quite
simply, by giving ourselves, and principally, by giving our freedom...
What more could we give God
than our freedom? There is nothing more personal, more intimate. And by
giving God our freedom, we pay the full price: he who buys the field
thus deserves to receive, in addition, all the treasures of the earth!
These days, the situation
we are looking at takes place quite rarely. Generally speaking, owners
always try to gain the most money possible by selling their goods at a
price above their true value. Thus, the buyer often comes out the
loser. But sometimes we find a good deal: the honesty of the
transaction would then depend on all the circumstances surrounding it.
We must always ask
ourselves if, when justice is satisfied, charity is also satisfied. For
example, if I buy the field of the head of a household who is obliged
to sell his property in order to pay off his debts, I would be obliged,
at least because of charity, to share with him the fruits of my
discovery of a treasure...
" «Again, the kingdom
of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding
one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought
it.» "
This second parable is very
similar to the first: we must do everything, and above all, we must
give everything to God in order to be worthy of possessing the Kingdom
of God! This second parable includes the same idea as the first: the
Kingdom of God must sometimes be hidden and buried under the earth, for
such a pearl of great price must not be revealed indiscriminately to
all: "Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls
before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack
you." (Mt. 7:6)
" «Again, the kingdom
of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish
of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and
sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at
the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil
from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men
will weep and gnash their teeth.» "
If we have given all to
God, at least in spirit, then we must not be afraid of being rejected,
like bad fish, and condemned to the fire of hell. God is faithful: if
we have responded to his Love, notably in the Holy Eucharist, then we
are already resurrected with Christ, having participated, and still
participating, in his Passion until our last breath!
Let us ask the Most Blessed
Virgin Mary to teach us to make a good and holy communion, in order to
fortify us in the fight against sin, and to detach us from this passing
world!
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