17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran
A few months ago, I came across a student who was training himself to make the school’s football team. He got up every morning at 5:00 AM to train himself. He would run and lift weights for two hours. Then he would go back to shower, eat breakfast and go to school. After his classes, he would go back to the athletic facility and work for three more hours with his teammates. The next morning at 5:00 AM, he will start the same routine again. He had very little time for his parents, social life, and other work.
Today we have the pearl merchant who sacrificed everything to buy the pearl of great price. We hear of a treasure hunter who sold everything he owned to buy a field with treasure in it. So, what is the connection between a pearl merchant, a treasure hunter, and this young football player? What do they have in common? They have a total commitment to their dream. All of them are willing to sacrifice everything for the goal that they have set for themselves.
This is what Jesus points out in today’s gospel. To be a true follower of God requires total commitment on our part. Citizenship in God’s Kingdom requires us to give 100% all of the time, not just when we feel like it. God’s Kingdom must be the top priority of our life. We cannot be true followers of Jesus only part-time. Being a true disciple of Jesus is like being a pearl merchant. Being a true disciple of Jesus is like being a treasure hunter. Being a true disciple of Jesus is like being a football player. It involves total dedication and commitment.
There is a big difference between a true disciple of Jesus, and our pearl merchant, treasure hunter, and football player. Those three people are striving for earthly rewards, while followers of Jesus are striving for eternal and permanent rewards.
When the pearl merchant dies, his pearl will no longer be of any value to him. When the treasure hunter dies, his treasure will be just as useless to him. When the football player dies, his trophies will only be a keepsake for his family. However, when the true disciple of Jesus dies, the whole kingdom of God rejoices because it will now shine brighter and brighter. All of God’s people will be edified eternally.
Money is good when it is used to help others, not when it is only spent on ourselves. Influence and power can be great when used to lift up those who are down. Think about this. If our pearl merchant and treasure hunter and football player were willing to sacrifice so much for a prize that will never last, how much more should we be willing to sacrifice for a prize that will last forever? Earthly prizes can be good and even satisfying for a time, but eternal prizes are the best.
As true disciples of Jesus, we need to keep our greatest treasure safe, which is our personal relationship with Jesus. We do this by accepting him every day as our God and Savior. By allowing God to have total control over our lives through our loving obedience to His will, by asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, by talking to Him daily in prayer, and by listening to Him in our meditative reading of the Holy Scripture. By getting reconciled to Him and others, asking for pardon and forgiveness for our sins, by offering Him our lives on the altar during the Holy Mass, and by receiving Jesus in Holy Communion.
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