WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE GREATEST VALUE IN YOUR LIFE? (HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 17TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, as a Christian, what is your outstanding goal and motivation in life? what do you consider the greatest value in your life? What do you seek as the highest or absolute significance in your life? What sacrifice are you willing to make to hold tenaciously to that which you value above all other things in life?  

In the Gospel reading of today, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a man who discovers a hidden treasure in the field, he goes off, sells everything he owns and buys the field. And also to a merchant in search of fine pearls; when he finds one of great value, he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it. 

The man who discovered the hidden treasure and the merchant who found the fine pearls, both held unto their discoveries as that of absolute value for which they made the highest sacrifice to obtain. At the discovery, nothing else mattered to them other than the treasure and the fine pearl. Fulfilment of the heart was only guaranteed at the discovery and possession of the stuff of greatest value. To these did Jesus compare the kingdom of heaven.

Beloved in Christ, the hidden treasure of the kingdom of heaven (field) is Jesus Christ himself. The one whom every Christian discovers through faith. The one whom many kings and prophets longed to see and never saw him, to hear and never heard. The one that is hidden from the learned and the intelligent and revealed to little one (Mt 11:25). The one whom St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians 3:7 wrote: “I once thought these things to be valuable, but now I consider the. Worthless because of what Christ had done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him”. Friends in Christ, this treasure and fine pearl is unravelled to us even in the sacraments: e.g sacrament of the Holy Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine. 

We pray that God will grant us more and more the disposition to constantly hold unto Jesus as the highest value of our lives and grant us the will to make the greatest sacrifice of possessing him above everything else. May God bless his words in our hearts. Amen

Have a lovely day!

Fr Remi osj