Homily for the 17 th Sunday of OT, Year A, 2017 (1 Kgs 3:5-12; MT 13:44-52) At the beginning of his reign as King of Israel, Solomon had obtained the pearl of great price. Other pearls of lesser value had been presented before him, like fame, power, military might, abundant riches and other earthly perishable treasures. But despite their temporal appeal, the son of David asked God for the gift of wisdom. Now the Jewish People saw wisdom to be much more than the ability to make cleaver choices, ones that would be advantageous first and foremost for the one making them! Instead, they saw wisdom as coming right from the mind of God, meaning the one who exercised this wisdom did so with the Spirit of God guiding them and manifesting a wisdom that excelled that of any human being. Solomon knew that he was unable to govern his nation by human wisdom alone. He knew he needed the God of Israel if he was to make the kingdom of his father David continue to grow and prosper. Only the wisdom of God could allow his kingdom to
flourish! He had obtained the pearl of great price and reaped the benefits of this pearl, being given by God not only wisdom but wealth, freedom from enemies, the opportunity to build God a glorious Temple and to be known as one of the greatest kings of the ancient world. Based on today s first reading, one might inclined to think the story of King Solomon ended by saying and he lived happily ever after. Yet such was not the ending of the story of King Solomon. Instead, his end was marked by the tragedy of having lost the pearl of great price by becoming satisfied with clouded pearls that seemed to shine brightly but were quick to sparkle and fade. The final days of King Solomon saw his wisdom become consumed by lust. His 300 wives and 700 concubines had turned his heart away from the Wisdom of God, compelling him to make rash and even blasphemous decisions. He even permitted his wives and concubines to erect their favourite idols in God s Holy Temple, so
clouded had his wisdom become they he no longer feared the God of Israel and gave his heart to false and empty idols. To give a modern comparison of the blasphemy that took place in the Jerusalem Temple, imagine if they allowed a satanic cult to enter into St. Peter s Basilica in Rome and begin one of their dark rituals on one of the many side altars of that grand basilica, while Catholic priests offered the Holy Mass on neighbouring altars! Imagine countless tourists walking by these competing sacrifices, one to God and one to Satan, perhaps taking a picture or two of what was going on and them walking on to the next exciting sightseeing venue in the basilica dedicated to the Fisherman of Galilee! Something similar is what King Solomon allowed in God s Holy Temple! The actions of a once wise man who had become those an old and pathetic fool, casting aside the pearl of great price to settle for tainted pearls of lust and appeasement. And King Solomon s folly did not only put his own salvation in question but also had dire consequences for the entire Kingdom of
Israel! Solomon s sin lead his people to sin and destruction, tearing the kingdom in two and leaving it vulnerable for conquest, which would occur in the coming centuries. The loss of the pearl of great price by one man lead to the downfall of an entire nation! My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we have been given many pearls of great price from Our Lord. The first pearl was the gift of baptism, the beginning of eternal life and liberation from sin. Then came the gifts of our First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion, and countless confessions and communions to follow to continually know the pearl of God s mercy and forgiveness and the healing that comes from consuming His Holy Body and Blood. Then the pearl of Confirmation, being sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. For many then came the pearl of Marriage in Christ, for myself and other men the pearl of Holy Orders, and we can await that final pearl of the Last Sacraments, departing from this world knowing our souls are ready to see God face to face.
The great pearls we call sacraments, in addition to our lives of personal prayer and charity towards others are the means God has given us to confidentially walk the narrow path of salvation. Yet when we are honest with ourselves, we know how easy it can be to cast away these pearls, or to no longer want to make the effort to put them before all else. Gratitude will be one of the most important means to assure that we continue to seek the pearls of great price that God freely offers. From a young age we are taught to show gratitude for the good that other do on to us, and to even be grateful when we suffer and are treated poorly as they avail us to learn from these painful experiences and hopefully foster a deep trust and reliance on God. We know that we should be grateful to God for all that we have and all that we offer. But if we do not take time on a daily basis to express our gratitude to God, most especially for the pearls of great price that He offers, we can quickly become ungrateful and then unsatisfied or
indifferent to God, filling the void with passing things that give momentary satisfaction but fail to provide everlasting fulfillment. Let us each consider how we can find time each day to express our gratitude towards God. For many, it could when making a daily examination of conscience. Many are familiar with the practice of reflecting on one s day, and recognizing where one fell into sin and where one needs to seek the Lord s forgiveness. This is a noble and dare I say indispensable practise for any Christians who wants to grow in their life of faith. But may I suggest that in addition to reflecting on one s day to know where we need to be forgiven, that we also take time to thank God for everything that occurred that day, both the blessings and the moments of frustration and suffering? The more we speak to God with a spirit of gratitude, the more we will foster a deep trust in Him and become incredible thankful and aware of those pearls of great price that keep falling into our laps from hands of our Heavenly Father.