SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
26 JULY 2026
Solomon
is likely a teenager when God tells him to ask for anything he wants. Having succeeded his father David as king, he
seems overwhelmed. He is young and
inexperienced in reigning over a vast and diverse kingdom. He could have asked for a long life for
himself. He could have asked for riches
or for victory over his enemies.
Instead, he asks for an understanding heart. He is not asking for academic knowledge. He is asking for an understanding heart that
will help him to be a good and gentle leader, one who can read his people’s
hearts and minds for the good of all. He
seems to understand that money, power, and length of days are not the same
things as happiness, success, or peace of mind.
Saint Paul
writes to the Romans to remind them of the wisdom they have received when they
were baptized. He argues that God knew
them from the beginning of time. The
living Word of God spoke, and they were created. He predestined them and said that they were
very good. He called them and implanted
within their souls a “homing beacon” drawing them into communion with him and
their brothers and sisters in Christ.
God justified them, assuring them that he will always be faithful to his
Covenant with them. He will glorify
them, returning them to the Source of life.
In giving this message, Saint Paul is telling the Romans to keep this
Wisdom as a first priority, especially if they are undergoing difficulty or
persecution.
Jesus
delivered this same message to his first disciples. They were like the person who sells
everything to purchase the field containing a buried treasure. Others were like the merchant who has been
searching for a valuable pearl and found it in Jesus Christ. The earliest disciples realized that the
kingdom of heaven was so valuable that they abandoned everything to follow him. In living out the wisdom they received in
embracing the kingdom of heaven, they trusted that they would be sorted out as
the good fish in the judgment at the end of time.
Jesus is
inviting us to make the wisdom we received at our baptism central in our lives
and put our relationship with him and our brothers and sisters in Christ as the
first priority in our lives. We may be
working hard to provide an income to sustain us. We may value the positive opinion others may
have of us. We may also enjoy the
legitimate pleasures which come along in our lives. But at some point, we need to embrace the wisdom
we hear proclaimed every Sunday as the Lord speaks to us. The kingdom of heaven is not a place. Rather, it is a movement that allows us to
embrace sacrificial love, mercy, and all those qualities which invite us to
experience the peace of Jesus Christ that the world cannot give.
Not too
long ago, I watched a two-part interview on PBS Newshour with Warren
Buffet. He is over 90 years old and has
made a fortune across his lifetime. But
he has already donated and pledged all of it to charity – healthcare,
education, and poverty across the globe.
And he has convinced a few fellow billionaires and millionaires to do
the same. He seems to believe what Jesus
says: “from him who has been given much, much is expected.” Most people would think that Warren Buffett
has found his pearl of great price in money.
When asked why he is happy, he says that he found something he likes to
do. He primarily seeks love, compassion,
and good will in life. It struck me that
Warren Buffet has found true wisdom.
In telling
his parables, Jesus invites us to reflect on what is most important in our
lives. He is inviting us to put the
wisdom we received at our baptism to make sure that our relationship with him comes
above everything else. When we realize
this treasure, then we can know the peace of the kingdom of heaven which the
world cannot give.
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