Most Reverend Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM Conv DD STL, Bishop of Parramatta
Homily for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Readings: 1 Kings 3: 5,7-12; Romans 8: 28-30; Matthew 13:44-52
Exchanging everything we have for the sake of the kingdom
Dear brothers and sisters,
Recently, there have been reports from many local churches, including our own, of an increase in the number of people converting to the Catholic faith. What is more enigmatic is that this phenomenon is trending in places where Christianity is supposedly in decline. Pope Leo said in an address to the young people in Monaco: “Even today the faith faces challenges and obstacles, yet nothing can dim its beauty and truth. We can see this in the growing number of men and women of all ages who desire to know the Lord and ask to be baptized.”
This is certainly welcoming news, and we ought to nurture an environment in which both cradle Catholics and neophytes are nurtured from the riches of the Gospel. Nevertheless, we should also be under no illusions about the challenges that we face as we enter the era of secularization and disaffiliation. Overall, mainstream churches continue to be affected by the loss of its membership. There are more people not practicing religion than those who do. We are about to have another census. It will be interesting to see how we have fared since the last census taken 5 years ago. Regardless of the statistics, the far-reaching question for the Church is how it can make not just new converts but also true disciples out of all of us.
The liturgy of the Word this 17th Sunday teaches us what it means to follow Jesus. If we are truly captivated by him and his message, then we must be willing to stake everything for his sake. More importantly, if we are disciples not just by profession but by conviction, then the world will have been transformed by the quality of our discipleship. After he was not welcomed into a church in India because of his lower caste, Mahatma Gandhi was reported to have said that he would have been a Christian if it were not for the Christians. In the last analysis, Christianity or specifically Catholicism is not a numbers’ game but the true embodiment of Jesus’ message and mission on the part of his followers.
Solomon in the first reading was young when he succeeded David. He inherited treasures of every kind but realised that he did not have the skills to govern the kingdom that his father had built, so he asked for the gift of wisdom. God was pleased that he asked not for long life or riches or the lives of his enemies but for a discerning judgement and a wise heart. Young Solomon can be compared with the rich young man in the Gospel. The latter approaches Jesus and asks what he should do to inherit eternal life. When he is challenged to let go of his possessions and stake his whole life on the precarious path of discipleship, he reveals his true colours. He refuses to take the risk and chooses the security of his riches instead.
If the truth be known, Solomon did not live by God’s wisdom for which he had asked in his younger days. For later, he accumulated riches and treasures of an earthly nature, including hundreds of wives and concubines. Jesus would critique this excessive display of material wealth saying that Solomon in all his regalia was less than the flower of the lily in the fields.
The Gospel continues the series of parables, some of which we heard last Sunday. The kingdom does not manifest itself in size, in success and in power. Instead, it is found in the smallness of the mustard seed, or in the insignificant amount of the yeast. Similarly, God’s kingdom exists side by side with evil, like the wheat among the darnels. Yet against the odds, it will prevail. Today’s episode gives us another perspective. This time, the parables evoke the sense of decisiveness from the listener. The kingdom is like the treasure hidden in the field or the pearl of great value. Jesus concludes that those who fully pledge themselves to the Kingdom are those who are willing to stake everything on it.
Dear brothers and sisters,
The Word of God today lays bare the radical demands of Christian discipleship. Unlike the rich young man, we cannot hedge our bets or have a bob each way. Jesus makes it clear that to follow him means to stake everything we have and everything we are on God’s promise. It is like Abraham taking Isaac who was the sum of his hopes and surrendering him in an act of total and radical trust. Unless we are ready to exchange our own prosperity, security and safety for the sake of the kingdom, we are not worthy to be his disciples. Radical and vulnerable discipleship commits us to actualising God’s reign even at a personal cost.
The parables refer to decisive, radical and life-altering gestures on the part of the seekers. May we who are drawn by the truth, beauty and as St Paul says the incomparable riches of God’s grace become wholly committed builders of the kingdom. In the world where the desire for possession, the thirst for profit and power and self-interest dominate, we embody the Gospel of shared human dignity, common good and universal justice even at the cost of ourselves. May Jesus, who is the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value inspire us with joy, commitment and faith in action for the life of the world.
