SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR A 23

17th SUNDAY, 30 JULY 2023, 1 KGS 3. 5, 7-12; ROM 8. 28-30; MATTHEW 13. 44-52: POWER OF WISDOM Punch line: Wisdom - the greatest treasure! Guideline: What makes a life worthwhile and fulfilling and what makes a person happy and satisfied is nothing of the world but only God and His wisdom given 1.      God appreciates King Solomon that he made the right and the best choice. He chose wisdom to be granted by God and not money or long life or victory over enemies. It is this wisdom that endows one with clarity of sight and valuation, choice and implementation. Among many options and possibilities, wisdom is not carried away by the lesser or secondary concerns or gets entangled by them. 2.      In the gospel too, it is the same wisdom that enables both the man in search of the treasure and the merchant in search of a fine pearl to make the right choice in preference to the rest of things. It is the same wisdom that chooses between the good and bad fish. 3.      In the second reading too, it is the same wisdom that enables Paul to see and confirm convincingly that everything works for the good of those who love God. 4.      In wisdom, all these see very clearly that God is the highest priority and He is the priceless treasure and destiny of wisdom. Wisdom enables a person to distinguish between right and wrong, to eliminate what is wrong, to appropriate what is right and to walk steadily and loyally. 5.      And precisely this is what is lacking in many modern men, and that is wisdom. Intelligence and competence, knowledge and resourcefulness, tact and techniques, talent and skill, comfort and ease, and power and prestige-seeking are increasing. But unfortunately, these are not leading to wisdom. In fact, many a time these secondary components even substitute the essentials and the priorities of life. 6.      Most of the time, in life we do not make the right and appropriate choices and decisions. We make eagerly and rushingly choices that are not helpful both to the self and to others. Not seldom do our decisions and choices become even detrimental to life. 7.      This is all a clear dearth and lack of wisdom. It is this wisdom that realises and is convinced that in life, worldly possessions and pursuits are only secondary. The power of spiritual discernment is more important than mere intellectual sharpness. Spiritual wealth is more important than worldly riches. 8.      Good life is more important than a long life. Victory over one's false self and self-deviations is more important than victory over extraneous enemies. Doing good is more important than doing great. Doing right is more important than doing bright. 9.      Benevolence is more important than mere competence. Integrity of life is more important than false dignity. Fervour is more important than power. Devotion is more important than mere erudition. Dedication is more important than mere education. Edification is more important than mere qualification. 10.  Love for God is more precious and important than love for the world. Consigning everything to be ordained by God is more important than organising the whole life with a sense of self-sufficiency and complacency. Surrender to God is more important than undue freedom. 11.  One should realise this truth of priority and primacy of God and good over all the rest. Treasure in the field is more precious and worth searching and acquiring than all the rest of the possessions. The fine pearl is far more worth it than all the rest. The value of life is more important than the cost of living and the best test of following the right. 12.  What are the treasures and pearls in our life? Are we in search of them? Do we discern their primacy and choose to strive to obtain them? Are we ready to part with the rest of the profits and gains in preference to the immense richness we experience? Lifeline: Let us be always permeated with wisdom to discern so that we never lose our focus and search for treasure and pearl. (Reflection 2) Focus: What makes our life meaningful and joyful is not mere knowledge but the Wisdom to discern the priorities   1.      We live in a world where there is a “knowledge boom”. This leads to a soaring of capacity and adds to life ease and comfort. But at the same time, the tragedy is the decline of wisdom which gives one clarity of priorities to pursue and attain. 2.      Many times people unwisely neglect the “treasure” and “pearl” in preference to less worthy things. The man and the merchant in the gospel in wisdom discover and obtain the treasure and pearl. It is because they discern their incomparable value in preference to all the rest. 3.      They also neglect to distinguish between the good fish to be preserved and the bad fish to be discarded. They have no discerning capacity to distinguish between the right things and wrong things and they make a mess of them and take both to them. How many so foolishly stick to secondary and worthless things, and discard and lose the treasure and pearl of God’s love and His kingdom! 4.      But how to have such wisdom? First of all, wisdom is not something that one acquires by his sheer effort. If so, many rich, intelligent and influential would be rated wise. But often the case is the opposite. Many of these fail to be wise because they do not follow a clear scale of priorities.   Direction: Lord, you are our priceless and incomparable treasure and your love and charity are the pearl. Help us to seek them always!   (Reflection 3) Indicative: In life, many think that knowledge and capacities make one successful. But it is not true. Many have bundles of knowledge and are highly capable but are not really successful 1.      Today the word of God teaches us about wisdom. Many have intelligence and competence. But these are not guarantees for wisdom. Wisdom is not a matter of intellect alone. It is not merely a matter of worldly cleverness to tackle the issues. Wisdom is holistic. It affects the whole person and all aspects of life. 2.      In this way, wisdom is essentially connected with spirituality and moral integrity. One cannot claim to be wise but fail to be spiritual and moral. In the light of the Bible, wisdom always refers to a God-fearing, righteous person and a virtuous life. In simple words, there is no true wisdom without piety, virtue, and righteousness. 3.      This idea of wisdom is amplified in different expressions in the Word of God. Wisdom is essentially the power and gift of God that endows one with a clarity of priorities. This enables one to distinguish and discern between the value of different things and to gain what is the right and better option. 4.      This is the wisdom seen in the case of the treasure and the pearl in the gospel. Both the man who finds the treasure in the field and the merchant who finds a fine pearl sells all that they have and acquire the treasure and the pearl. It is because they know clearly that they are far more precious than all the rest. It is worth losing all else for the sake of gaining them. Imperative: Many being complacent make wrong choices and actions. Decisions devoid of wisdom are faulty and actions without wisdom are endangering