July 26 – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time : There's no way to measure what Jesus is worth

 

First Reading
1 Kings 3:5,7-12
Solomon pleases God when he asks for a wise and understanding heart to better govern the people.

Responsoria Psalm
Psalm 119:57,72,76-77,127-130
The law of the Lord is more precious than silver and gold.

Second Gospel Reading
Romans 8:28-30
God chose us to be conformed to the image of his Son.

Gospel Reading
Matthew 13:44-52 (shorter form: Matthew 13:44-46)

The Gospel metaphors of a buried treasure and the pearl of great price speak as clearly today as they did long ago. Jesus is the treasure and the pearl of great prize. Is it so in your life as well? We have to find that out because we are going to be changed and formed by what we treasure and love. We become what we treasure and love. Psalmist says: “Therefore I love your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold” (Ps 119). This is what we see in the lives of saints. For them Jesus became the most important treasure in their lives. And so Paul says that he considers everything as mere garbage compared to the value of knowing Jesus (Phil 3:7-8). Can we boast of the same? Can I say that Jesus is the most valuable treasure I have? That there is no way to measure what He is worth? May God give us the grace to say that with conviction. “To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances, to seek Him is the greatest adventure, to find him the greatest human achievement” (St. Augustine).