A Cycle – 17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time 26

Mt.13:44-52

The first words of Jesus as He began His ministry were “the kingdom of God is at hand.’  We know from history that the concept of the kingdom of God was misunderstood by those who were anxiously waited for its coming. The images of the kingdom of given Jesus were not definitive enough to create a unified vision of God’s kingdom on earth.  Jesus did give us more than images of what he kingdom of God was like.  He tells us we must seek it, desire it and sacrifice everything to live in it.  He tells us it is worth more than we could ever imagine and worth what He sacrificed to user it into this sinful world. He is also reminding us how critical it is for us to seek it rather than seeking to be righteous to please God.

Today’s readings were inspired to do exactly what Jesus always did to His disciples. He is challenging and not allowing us to get comfortable with our spiritual journey. Ordinary time in the church can lull us into complacency.  These months of summer in the northern hemisphere. Summertime when living is easy invites us to slack off and enjoy what the summer offers. Our minds are elsewhere because of vacations, hobbies, and less demand on our time. Dring the summer months, many parishes halt spiritual growth programs, choirs, and meetings.  Instead, we are offered parish picnics, CYO sports, summer bible camps for kids. Unseen time and energy are directed at planning for future programs.  The words of Jesus remind us we must not only desire to experience the kingdom, but we must be seeking it to reap the rewards of living in the kingdom of God.

Jesus is not talking about the future kingdom when we are forever in the presence of God. No, He is talking about a kingdom here on earth where we know, experience and interact with God who is always with us.  A kingdom where we can experience God’s love, comfort, and His delight in us.

When Jesus compares the kingdom of God is like a net thrown into the sea, He is reinforcing His mission was to proclaim the good news of salvation.  A net does not discriminate between good fish and poor fish. He is offering every one of us “righteousness” by believing. What does it mean to be righteous before our God.  There is no doubt we believe there are things which are pleasing to God and things that are not.  Did you ever wonder why Jesus was so hard on the Pharisees and tolerated the weakness of sinners, the broken hearted and doubters?  There is no doubt the Pharisees defined “righteousness” by absolute strict adherence to the law, sacrifices, and recitation of prayers.  Jesus made it clear those things do not define righteousness because they do not help us conform to the image of Jesus.

What will help us conform to the image of Jesus is yielding to the plan of God to transform us.  God promised to send us the Spirit to change our hearts so that we will surrender to the will of God for our holiness.  It tis not what we do because we will settle for a comfortable practice of our faith.  We would prefer to depend on acceptable practices, believing we are doing God’s will.  One thing we can do is exactly what Solomon did and that is to ask God for understanding.  Understanding comes when we let go of our beliefs in what is acceptable to God and what is not.  The disciples were often confused and lacked understanding despite the things they saw and heard.    It was all made clear at Pentecost, when the “promise of the Father” filled their hearts and minds.

How many examples in the scriptures confirm and reinforce how we lack understanding until we have an encounter with Jesus or the Holy spirit.  We need to stop and examine where we are dependent on old things and not open to something new to guide our journey to know and feel the embrace of the Father.   We need to examine ourselves and determine if we have been seeking the kingdom of God.  Or is our energy directed at living in the world and adhering to forms of religion but denying the power of it (2 Tim.3:5).  We must give up control of our faith formation and allow the Spirit to give us the gift of understanding and the ability to surrender.  Only then will we experience the kingdom of God in our lives and in our church and in our parish and in our homes.