July 27, 2014

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
Solomon answered:
“O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king
to succeed my father David;
but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”

The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him:
“Because you have asked for this—
not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches,
nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right—
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130

R/ (97a) Lord, I love your commands.
I have said, O LORD, that my part
is to keep your words.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R/ Lord, I love your commands.
Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to your servants.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
R/ Lord, I love your commands.
For I love your command
more than gold, however fine.
For in all your precepts I go forward;
every false way I hate.
R/ Lord, I love your commands.
Wonderful are your decrees;
therefore I observe them.
The revelation of your words sheds light,
giving understanding to the simple.
R/ Lord, I love your commands.

Reading 2 Rom 8:28-30

Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers and sisters.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.

Gospel Mt 13:44-52

Jesus said to his disciples:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

“Do you understand all these things?”
They answered, “Yes.”
And he replied,
“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household
who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.”

or Mt 13:44-46

Sunday: Priceless Treasures

"The kingdom of heaven is like . . ."

The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/072714.cfm

1 Kgs 3: 5, 7-12

Rm 8: 28-30

Mt 13: 44 - 52

What is your treasure? What or who do you value the most? Who do you cling to as spouse or friend or child? What do you hold so precious that it has been placed in a safe deposit box in order that it never be lost? What activity do you spend a large part of your day or week involved in or thinking about?

Such questions may not be ones we consciously ask ourselves but they do give us the opportunity to set priorities. We all have people, things, activities we hold dear and enjoy. They define our day and our lives.

But a more fundamental question for us Christians is presented to us in our Gospel today. In fact the last two Sundays offered us similar reflections. Parables of Jesus from the Gospels of Matthew 13 continue today, in which Jesus uses an array of images from both nature and ancient agricultural life we may feel a bit of parable overload. Jesus begins with simple images his crowds were very familiar with. He begins, “The kingdom of heaven is like . . .”

“A sower who scatters seed wide and far

Wheat and weeds growing together

A mustard seed which grows to a large bush

Yeast in wheat flour

A treasure buried in a field

A fine pearl of great price

A net thrown into the sea which “collects fish of every kind.’”

In other words, what is your treasure? In all the values we hold dear and the priorities we set, where is that of the kingdom of heaven? The kingdom of heaven is Jesus way of calling us to a new way of life according to his teachings, morals, and priorities. That teaching is not cheap grace but rather a priceless treasure offered to everyone. Yes, to you and me.

The image of a treasure in a field, for example, may be unusual to us but to the ancients it is important to remember that there were no banks, credit unions, or stock markets. There was no safe way for the average person to protect whatever valuables or money they may have had, unless you were among the very rare rich and elite. So, most people would hide their treasures or their money by burying them in the property near where they lived.

However, this false sense of security was easily shattered when thieves would uncover the valuables or if there was war and the residents had to flee their property. Jewish law said essentially “finders keepers” so if you uncovered a treasure, it was yours. Obviously this parable reflects that but in an exaggerated way.

The “treasure buried in a field” must have been so enormous that whoever found it recognized its great value and in order to keep it secure buried it again then went and bought the entire field around it! If Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven, God’s ways, is like that then our faith is priceless and nothing we possess can equal its value. So, why would you not want such a treasure? Yes, we can all be rich.

In the end, our life is called to be one in which we pursue above all other things and even human relationships this treasure of the kingdom of heaven. But wait! How can we give up the people we love? Why would Jesus ask us to do such a thing?

Well, he isn’t. Even monks in monasteries and women religious who may live a cloistered life have special people in their lives. But, if those people become “gods” for us or if they diminish rather than enhance our spiritual lives or somehow pull us away from what is holy and good, then we have misplaced priorities. What are your friends like and how much influence do they have over you?

Our first reading from the Book of Kings presents King Solomon who, at least as he began his rule, had the best of intentions and the right priorities. As King he could have amassed earthly wealth, power and prestige. But Solomon prays: "Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong." Needless to say, God was extremely pleased with this selfless prayer. Unfortunately, Solomon later misplaced his intentions so it is a warning to all of us.

Yet, it’s all about getting our priorities straight as Christians. Certainly as Catholics we have a treasure in our faith, sacraments, traditions, charitable institutions, music and opportunities for serving the needs of others. Are we making the best of what we have been given?

Among the greatest treasures we have is the Holy Eucharist, the true presence of Christ in our midst each time our Mass is celebrated. And each time we approach the altar we are offered a priceless gift: God himself among us who calls each of us to live holy lives and shows us how to do that.

If you can find anything better than that – then go for it!

O God, protector of those who hope in you,

without whom nothing has firm foundation,

nothing is holy,

bestow in abundance your mercy upon us

and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide,

we may use the good things that pass

in such a way as to hold fast even now

to those that ever endure.

(Collect for Sunday: Roman Missal)

Insight Scoop

Christ is the Treasure Hidden in the Field

"The Hidden Treasure" (illustration from 'The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ') by James Tissot (1836-1902) [WikiArt.org]

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for July 27, 2014 | Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• 1 Kngs 3:5, 7-12
• Psa 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130
• Rom 8:28-30
• Mt 13:44-52

How good are you and I at recognizing something that is valuable, even priceless?

That question captures some of what the final three parables in Matthew 13 are meant to impress upon readers. These parables are all quite short, but along with the previous four parables they show how important it was to Jesus to repeatedly explain the mystery of the Kingdom from different but complimentary perspectives.

The parable of the treasure buried in the field and the parable of the pearl draw upon common but powerful experience: the joy of discovering what was previously hidden. Man, by nature, is a creature of curiosity, a seeker who believes there is something really worth seeking. And while his curiosity can be caught up for a time in natural wonders and pleasures, he always longs for more. He wants to discover who he is and why he exists. The answers to those essential questions can be given only by God.

Some of the early Christian Fathers saw in the parable of the treasure a metaphor for the Incarnation and how the truth about God is finally found hidden in a man—not any man, but the Son of God, Jesus Christ. “If any one, therefore, reads the Scriptures with attention,” wrote Saint Irenaeus, “he will find in them an account of Christ, and a foreshadowing of the new calling. For Christ is the treasure which was hid in the field, that is, in this world . . . but the treasure hid in the Scriptures is Christ, since He was pointed out by means of types and parables” (Against Heresies, 4.26.1).

The treasures of Christ and Scripture are intimately linked to one another, for Christ fulfills Scripture even as, of course, Scripture proclaims Christ. Both can be explored by the seeker of Truth. As Jesus stated earlier in Matthew’s Gospel: “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Mt 7:7).

But why does the man who finds the treasure bury it again? Because by law the treasure belongs to the owner of the field, which means the man must purchase, or redeem, the entire field. His decision is a radical one: he “sells all that he has and buys that field.” In doing so, perhaps he makes a new start, renouncing his old, self-centered way of life for the pursuit of what is good, perfect, and holy—the person of Jesus Christ. “Indeed, the preaching of the Gospels has no strings attached,” remarked Saint Hilary about this parable, “but the power to use and own this treasure with the field comes at a price, for heavenly riches are not possessed without a worldly loss.”

Buying the entire field in order to have the treasure reflects, in a way, how God has redeemed the entire world so that he might save those who accept the invitation to become his children, freed from their bondage to sin and the evil one. As children of God by grace, Christians emulate the perfect example of the One who was a Son by nature, giving up everything in order to have the treasure, to hold the pearl of great price.

At first glance the final parable might appear to be a sudden, harsh departure from the joyful images preceding it. What does the final judgment and the fiery torments of hell have to do with the Kingdom? It is this: we must choose, and we must act accordingly. There is no compromise, nor is there time to waste. We may die at any moment; we assuredly will meet our mortal end. We are the ones who will write the endings to the parables by the choices we make.

The question asked by Jesus of the disciples is also asked of us today: “Do you understand all these things?” If our answer is “Yes,” then we know what is valuable, even priceless. Which means one thing: its time to start digging!

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the July 27, 2008, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

Regnum Christi

Christ´s Kingdom: the Path to Joy

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

July 27, 2014. Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 13: 44-52

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; 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; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come into your presence seeking to know you better. I believe that you take the lead in seeking me. You want me to find you. I trust that in your mercy you will bring me to intimacy with you. I open my heart today to receive your friendship.

Petition: Lord, help me to strive for the for the Kingdom of heaven for myself and others.

1. The Treasure of the Kingdom: “From the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Christ’s heart overflows with irrepressible zeal for the Kingdom of heaven. He longs for everyone who hears him to fall in love with that Kingdom. “His descriptions of the Kingdom flow from his lips like water over a waterfall — his vision is so rich and vibrant that language itself can barely contain it” (Fr. John Bartunek, LC, The Better Part, 184). At times we stumble upon the Kingdom of heaven almost by accident, like the treasure in the field. But we know that treasure is worth more than all the earthly fields we can ever hope to possess. Other times we make a long and diligent search before encountering the Kingdom, like the pearl of great price. Its beauty captivates our hearts.

2. The Joy of the Kingdom: Though the Kingdom of heaven sparkles like a many-faceted gem, one feature always shines forth: Discovering it fills the heart with joy. Have we ever caught a glimpse of the Kingdom? It is there in the ardent vigor of thousands of young people acclaiming Pope-Emeritus Benedict at World Youth Day. It is there in the reverent silence of a lone adorer in a Eucharistic chapel. It is there in the enduring strength of present-day mothers such as Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, who give up their lives for their unborn children. The Kingdom of heaven is worth everything and demands everything. Have we sold all we possess in order to attain it? What still holds us back? What earthly plots do we still cling to, fearing to sell them for a treasure beyond what we dare hope for?

3. “Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth”: The Kingdom of heaven is also like a net thrown into the sea. Not all that the net collects is worth keeping. So, too, not everyone enters into the Kingdom. What a sudden contrast to the joy of the Kingdom that pervades the first two images! Why does Christ include this third and final description of the Kingdom? He knows how easy it is for us to forget the most important truths of our lives: the reality of the last judgment, for which we should be preparing at every moment. Christ knows that the stakes are high, and we need to be reminded of them in order to have the courage to sell everything to reach the Kingdom. “The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1035). Let us continue to pray and sacrifice, so that one day we and all the souls entrusted to us will arrive to the eternal joys of the Kingdom of heaven.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I want to be generous and give up everything for the sake of your Kingdom in my life and in the lives of those souls entrusted to me. You know that I cannot do so on my own. Help me with your grace to be generous.

Resolution: I will be open to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit in responding to the opportunities to bring someone closer to Christ’s Kingdom today.

If God Gave You One Wish, What Would You Ask For?

Dr. Mark Giszczak

July 27, 2014
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
First Reading: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072714.cfm

If God appeared to you and gave you one wish, what would you ask for? I bet most of us have a readymade list that we present to God on a regular basis anyway. We might just start at the top and see if he’d let us sneak in a few bullet points under the “one wish” heading. Money, power, prestige, safety, security, a big enough nest egg to retire at 65, a promotion, a paid-off home loan, a nice long vacation: There are quite a few things that would simmer to the top of our minds given such a chance. While most of us won’t get the opportunity, Solomon did.

Context

Our first reading on Sunday comes from 1 Kings, which tells of the beginning of Solomon’s reign. Solomon inherits the throne from his famous father David and sets out to consolidate the kingdom’s gains to turn Israel from a backwater military state into a real kingdom. The reading omits 1 Kings 3:6, where Solomon retells a bit of his family story and how he came to be king. The author of 1 Kings tells us how Solomon would offer sacrifices to the Lord at heterodox sanctuaries. The scene, which unfolds in this reading, takes place at one of those “high places,” called Gibeon. Likely after a day of many animal sacrifices, the Lord appears to Solomon in a dream.

The Bargain

Without any preamble, the Lord tells Solomon, “Ask what I shall give you.” Or to put in Disneyish: “You have one wish. Ask whatever you will and I will grant your one request!” It might be worth asking why the Lord would offer anyone, including Solomon, such an opportunity. I think the Lord is simultaneously showing his faithfulness to the son of David and testing his devotion. It would be like the Lord to kill two birds with one stone.

Humility First

Notably, Solomon does not begin with a wish, but a story. He recounts the Lord’s faithfulness to David, which is manifest in the fact of his son Solomon’s reign. Solomon knows how to show a little gratitude where it is due. He is not hedging or avoiding the question, but royally responding to the True King with appropriate reverence. Then he acknowledges his own feebleness as “a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in” (1 Kgs 3:7). The thing about going out and coming in is a biblical word picture for childhood and old age. Moses himself talks about his old age as preventing him from “going out and coming in” (see Deut 31:2), a kind of reversion to childhood. Though Solomon probably received the best in ancient Israelite education as the favored son of the king, he acknowledges his deficiency before the Lord and the awesome responsibility with which he will be entrusted: to reign over God’s own people as king. Solomon knows what true humility is all about—not silly self-abasing, self-deprecating mud-wallowing, but knowing and doing your role, conscious of your limitations. He does not insult himself, but realizes that he needs to depend upon the Lord for success.

Solomon’s Two-Fold Wish

Now that Solomon has recounted the Lord’s faithfulness and acknowledged his own weakness, he is ready to make his request. He asks not for fame and riches, but for a “heart of hearing” (lev shomea‘). Usually this phrase is translated as “an understanding mind” (1 Kgs 3:9 RSV) or something like that, which is fine, but sometimes the woodenly-literal is actually more poetic. Notably, his request comes with a purpose clause attached, “in order to judge your people, to discern between good and evil.”

From a Catholic theological perspective, Solomon’s request is spot on. He’s asking for the virtue of prudence and the gift of wisdom. Sometimes we put these two things together because they are so close, but terminology aside, Solomon knows what he’s up against: a huge responsibility that he might not be able to fulfill without divine help. He also knows what he needs: the wisdom to make good decisions every day. He knows that his decisions, his judgments, will impact the lives of many other people and even the course of history. Anyone would need God’s help!

Other Wish-Encounters

While Solomon’s special chance at a single God-granted wish might seem like a singularity, St. Thomas Aquinas got his shot too. One time when he was praying in the chapel, he went into ecstasy, started levitating in front of the altar, and found himself face-to-face with a talking crucifix. Reportedly, Jesus asked him, “What reward do you want?” St. Thomas, as a good theologian should, responded “Nothing other than you, Lord.” Fortunately, both Solomon and St. Thomas gave the right answer, but there is a kind of anti-example. You might remember the gospel story where Herod offers his step-daughter “whatever you wish” and she asks for the head of John the Baptist, who had publicly criticized as unlawful Herod’s marriage to Herodias, his brother’s ex-wife. Demanding the death of a saint is not a great idea, but not everyone gives the right answer when presented with such a tempting prospect of a free wish.

So what can we do with Solomon’s wish? We’re not likely to get a God-sent wish-for-anything package anytime soon. But I think we can put ourselves in Solomon’s shoes and ask ourselves, “What would I wish for?” Given the opportunity, a lot of things would present themselves to our minds. However, Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt 6:21) and “out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Our answer to the question reveals the desires of our heart. What would you ask for?

Scripture Speaks: Kingdom of Heaven

Gayle Somers

Today, Jesus teaches about the kingdom of heaven in parables that are so clear, even the apostles understand them.

Gospel (Read Mt 13:44-52)

The Gospel reading gives us another cluster of parables about the kingdom of heaven, adding to an unusually high number in just one chapter. The first two are very similar. In one, the kingdom is compared to a “treasure buried in a field.” The one who finds the treasure immediately recognizes its great value, so he hides it again, for safe-keeping, and “out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” He is thrilled with the prospect of the riches the treasure will bring him. Knowing its value, he has no trouble selling all his other possessions. Nothing he currently owns is worth more than the treasure in that field. In the next parable, a merchant is out searching for fine pearls. He finds one of staggering quality; he, too, “goes and sells all he has and buys it.” He knows that the pearl of great price will more than compensate him for whatever losses he has to count. What is the message here?

The comparison Jesus makes between the kingdom of heaven and great earthly treasure helps us understand that the call to repentance and conversion is worth whatever we have to give up in order to respond to it. Jesus is not talking specifically about selling all our possessions in order to follow Him, but He is making it clear that we always get more than we give up in discipleship. Some of us are called to literal poverty in order to follow our vocation; all of us are called to self-renunciation in our vocation as His disciples. If we are honest, our love of self is even greater than our love of our stuff (we love the stuff because we love ourselves). These parables remind us that the treasure of attaining the kingdom of heaven will dwarf our “losses” along the way. Because we are such earthbound dust, we are vulnerable to forgetting this. We need all the reminders we can get.

The last parable in our reading returns to the idea expressed in an earlier one about wheat and weeds (Mt 13:24-30). In this one, the kingdom of heaven is “like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind.” When the fishing expedition ends, the good fish of the haul are separated from the bad. Jesus says this final evaluation is how “it will be at the end of the age.” It is an image of the final judgment. The emphasis here, as in the earlier parable, is that, for a time, the good and bad are all mixed in together. The kingdom of heaven, which is the Church on earth, will have both good and bad. When we see this, we need to have confidence that a just rendering will one day take place. This keeps our attention on ourselves, making sure we are ready for it, and not on our neighbor, whom we are tempted to suspect isn’t. That decision is, fortunately, not ours to make.

In a rare moment, Jesus then asks the disciples, “Do you understand all these things?” We are so used to them not understanding that perhaps we are surprised by their unqualified “yes.” It is easy to second-guess them, isn’t it? Did they really get it, or were they just saving face? Jesus doesn’t quibble with them. He goes on to announce, “anyone instructed in the kingdom of heaven [He uses the word “scribe” for this] is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” This can sound mysterious, but Jesus is simply saying that the apostles, in preaching the Gospel to the world, will use truths from both the Old Covenant, revealed in the Old Testament, and from the New Covenant, revealed in Jesus. Often, they will be the same, as we will see in several of our other readings.

Possible response: Lord Jesus, help me remember that following You is the pearl of great price, worth more than all my distractions.

First Reading (Read 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12)

In this reading, we find an example of a man who understood that the greatest treasure a man can have is one that makes him rich in goodness, not possessions. Solomon had just ascended to the throne of his father, David. He was humbled by the responsibility of governing God’s people. When God said to him, “Ask something of Me, and I will give it to you,” Solomon asked for the wisdom he new it would take (and knew he didn’t have) to govern with understanding and justice. The request pleased God, because Solomon had not asked anything for himself. The self-renunciation of his request showed him to be a man who longed for the pearl of great price (in this case, wisdom). For him, that had more value than anything temporal.

For us, this is an “old” treasure from the storeroom of Israel’s covenant with God, very much like the “new” treasure of Jesus’ wise parables.

Possible response: Heavenly Father, I want to desire Your wisdom as deeply as Solomon did.

Psalm (Read Ps 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-130)

This psalm is another “old” treasure from the storeroom of the Old Covenant. The entire psalm, the longest in Scripture, is about the riches of God’s Word. The psalmist knows the same truth that Jesus taught in His parables: “The law of Your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” The psalmist loves God’s Word because it “sheds light, giving understanding to the simple,” just as Solomon understood. Because of the great power of God’s Word, the psalmist loves His commands “more than gold, however fine.”

These two readings help us see that Jesus, in His parables, was often teaching an old truth in a new form. Some of God’s people had become dull of hearing; the parables help them (and us) to stay awake and think.

Possible response: The psalm is, itself, a response to the other lectionary readings. Read it prayerfully as your own.

Second Reading (Read Rom 8:28-30)

St. Paul helps us understand why the kingdom of heaven is the pearl of great price. To live in its light is to perceive ourselves and everything in our lives in an entirely new way (this is what Jesus meant by the “new” from the householder’s storeroom). In His kingdom, we recognize that God is always at work for good in the lives of those who love Him. That is because God has always had a plan for us: He gave us a destiny before we even existed (a “pre-destiny”). His purpose in creating us is to conform us to the image of His Son. To accomplish it, He will justify us (cleanse us of all our sin) and glorify us (make us like divinity).

What man, knowing that this is what possessing the kingdom of heaven will mean for him, would not, with joy, renounce anything and everything that might keep him from it?

Possible response: Heavenly Father, when I see Your plan so clearly expressed here, I wonder why I ever bother with worry or fear.

One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 30, Issue 4

<< Sunday, July 27, 2014 >>

17th Sunday Ordinary Time

1 Kings 3:5, 7-12
Romans 8:28-30
View Readings

Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-130
Matthew 13:44-52
Similar Reflections

GOD'S VOMITING

"When he found one really valuable pearl, he went back and put up for sale all that he had and bought it." —Matthew 13:46

Many people don't want to put all their eggs into one basket. So they become "Christians" but still keep one foot in the world. This way, if Jesus isn't real, at least they haven't wasted their whole lives for Him. However, if Jesus is the meaning of life, they're at least church members, without losing the "fun" of the world.

This is the most common approach to Christianity in America. It makes Jesus feel like throwing up (Rv 3:15-16). Jesus died on the cross for us. He poured out every drop of blood and breathed His last breath for us. As we kneel before the crucified Jesus, we realize that it is sacrilegious to give Him anything less than everything.

The kingdom of God is like a buried treasure or a precious pearl (Mt 13:44-46). The cost of discipleship is everything. We may not have much, but we each have an all — and that all is what we must give. The first commandment is: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind" (Lk 10:27).

Prayer: Father, "give Your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge Your people and to distinguish right from wrong" (1 Kgs 3:9).

Promise: "We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His decree." —Rm 8:28

Praise: Praise Jesus, the Good Shepherd, risen Lord, and true God! Alleluia!

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