Gospel Commentary July 26, Mt
13:44-52
Recently, I played a very enjoyable round of golf with a friend
of a friend for the first time. This gentleman has a very solid golf game which
is an absolute pleasure to watch. He has a very consistent swing and a putting
routine that is well-tuned and effective. He plays golf with a certain ease and
comfort; that is, he can hold a conversation with you that is personal and
thoughtful. At the same time, he is quite focused on the game he is playing,
paying attention to important details like the direction and strength of the
wind, the speed of the greens and where to land on the green so that you have
an uphill putt. It became very obvious to me that this guy is a real student of
the game of golf.
Are you a real student of the Christian life?
Do you treasure your Christian faith? Do you study it, try to
better understand it in order to live it with greater gusto? Do you pray with
the Scriptures seeking to discover the heart of Jesus in the Gospels? Do you
take lessons from the saints? Do you strive to practice the virtues which
enable us to do the right thing with a certain ease and joy?
In our first reading for today, the Lord appears to young King Solomon
and says to him, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” Solomon does
not ask for a long life nor riches nor the life of his enemies, but rather for
an understanding heart to judge God’s people and to distinguish right from
wrong. God is so pleased with his request that he bestows such wisdom and
understanding upon Solomon that “there has never been anyone like you up to
now, and after you there will come no one to equal you.”
A very important dimension of being a student of the Christian
life is to genuinely seek the will of God for our lives and to be humble enough
to follow it. God’s ways often run up against the values of our contemporary
culture. Paul’s line to the Romans is a great challenge: “Do not
be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and
perfect” (Rom 12:2).
My second thought for this week comes from our Gospel passage for
today. Jesus tells a parable about how he wants us to approach our faith and
our love for God. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he
has and buys the field.” Jesus wants us to give him our whole heart. He desires
us to be all-in for him and his kingdom. What do I consider my greatest
treasure?
The life of St. Aloysius Gonzaga is a story about a young person
whose greatest treasure was Jesus Christ. Aloysius was the firstborn son of an
aristocrat, the marquis of Castiglione. His father deeply desired that his
firstborn son be a soldier and an influential member of the court. Aloysius was
sent at a young age to prepare for this life, but it did not interest him at
all. In fact, he developed an interest in spiritual things from the age of
seven. He gradually grew in his love for Jesus and the church. He fought with
his father over the direction of his life. In the end, he renounced his
inheritance and joined the Jesuits at the age of 18.
Aloysius freely chose a life of poverty and asked his superiors
to assign him to the most menial tasks for the community. While living in Rome,
a plague broke out in the city. He dedicated himself to the service of the
sick, bathing, feeding and also evangelizing them in the hospital. Sadly, he
contracted the disease and died within the year, remaining very prayerful and
service-oriented during his illness. Aloysius left this world and went home to
feast of eternal life at the age of 23. Jesus was, indeed, this young man’s
greatest treasure.
Are you a student of the Christian life? Do you study the life of
Jesus, pray with the Gospels, learn from the saints (experts), and attentively
practice the virtues? What do you consider your greatest treasure? For what or
whom would you sell everything?
Fr. Peterson is
director of mission and development for the Youth Apostles.