17th Sunday in Ordinary Time: What is your Greatest Treasure?
If you could ask God only one thing, what is it that you would ask of God?
In today’s 17th Sunday in ordinary time 1st reading in the 1st book of Kings, God told Solomon, “Ask what you would like me to give you.” Solomon asked God for wisdom: “Give your servant … an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. ”
Wisdom is much more than knowing a lot of things or having prestigious university degrees or the knowledge to live a morally good life. Wisdom is the insight into what is the most important in life, an awareness of the meaning and purpose of living, of what really matters. It is an understanding of where our real wellbeing and happiness lies.
In the Gospel today, Jesus offers an answer to the question of what is the greatest thing that we could ask of God, the greatest thing in the world that we could give up everything for. Jesus said it is the Kingdom of Heaven. What is “the kingdom of heaven”? The kingdom of heaven is a biblical expression which simply means “what happens when God is truly king of our world and of our lives.”
Jesus described the Kingdom of Heaven in 3 parable stories in the gospel today: The parable of a treasure buried in a field, the parable of a pearl of great price, and the parable of a net thrown into the sea, which collected fish of every kind.
St. Paul affirms Jesus’ statement about the Kingdom of Heaven as the greatest treasure we can ever seek and find in life. In the 2nd reading in his letter to the Romans, St. Paul said,
“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
The real treasure is the treasure that we find in aligning our meaning and purpose to God’s greatest treasure—the Kingdom of God. It is a bounty where all can share not just for few selected ones.
Many people are looking for treasures in our world today. Unfortunately, for many, the kingdom of heaven is not one of them. Have you met a person looking for a life or for a world where God is king? Most people look for treasures that could give instant and tremendous comfort, security, prestige, power and status for one’s own life. Let us admit it, in one time or another, we dreamed of winning the lotto or marrying an old rich man/woman or hitting it big in business.
Yet, the kingdom of heaven remains untapped for many of us today. The kingdom of God remain buried deep down in the mundane affairs of our lives. Why have we not discovered the kingdom of God? Because the kingdom of God has serious implications for all of us. Many do not want to tap the treasure of God’s kingdom because it will grant true happiness and prosperity not just for the lucky 1% but for the rest of the 99%. The kingdom of God will usher us into a world with true justice, freedom, truth and peace for all people regardless of race, gender, culture and religion.
But Jesus set out to be the greatest revealer of the kingdom of God. Through parables, Jesus proclaimed that the kingdom of heaven is present even in the messiness and chaos of our everyday lives in the world. It is the greatest treasure that God can give us if only we ask and seek it. It is the greatest treasure that can give us joy and fulfillment in life. God’s kingdom is unconditional and open to all. But one can only experience it if all his/her being is properly disposed to it. All can experience the kingdom of God if one’s words and actions seek and participate in it.
In other words, the Kingdom of God implies a change of perspective and thinking (metanoia) different from the thinking of many in the world today. Jesus announced a new way of life that is compatible with the kingdom of God. Jesus drummed up the excitement of the people about God’s kingdom by further proclaiming that the kingdom of God is “already here but not yet.” We can already experience the initial joy, peace and well-being of God’s kingdom now but its fulfillment which would bring unimaginable bliss and contentment is yet to come in the fullness of time.
Like Solomon let us ask God to grant us the wisdom to find and experience the real treasure of the Kingdom of God hidden yet already actively transforming us in our everyday life.
I am passionate about the intersection between new media and technology. I continue to research and apply new media in theology and vice-versa. I am also a fan of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and her continuing relevance in today's digital world.
View all posts by Baclaran Phenomenon
