Deacon Tom Anthony

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 109

Reading 1 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12

The LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, "Ask something of me and I will give it to you."
Solomon answered:
"O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king
to succeed my father David;
but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?"

The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him:
"Because you have asked for this—
not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches,
nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right—
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130

R. (97a) Lord, I love your commands.
I have said, O LORD, that my part
is to keep your words.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to your servants.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
For I love your command
more than gold, however fine.
For in all your precepts I go forward;
every false way I hate.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Wonderful are your decrees;
therefore I observe them.
The revelation of your words sheds light,
giving understanding to the simple.
R. Lord, I love your commands.

Reading 2 Rom 8:28-30

Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers and sisters.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.

Alleluia Cf. Mt 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
for you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 13:44-52

Jesus said to his disciples:
"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 that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

"Do you understand all these things?"
They answered, "Yes."
And he replied,
"Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household
who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old."

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS

 When Paul tells us in his letter that, “all things work for good for those who love God,”  we should really contemplate what he is saying. Being involved daily in our faith and focusing on our relationship with God will bring about not only a change in ourselves but also a change in our environment. As God transforms us, we will become His instruments in transforming others and things around us. Through our loving of God we will be more intent on preserving our relationship with him and will learn how not to sin. Even more, the desire to sin will slowly fade away and be replaced with joy. A byproduct of this process is that God will enter all of our actions and all of our thoughts, influencing what we say and what we do. We will then be builders instead of destroyers. We will be sowers not reapers and we will also be able to experience the fruits of our labor in a positive way which will then bring about more fruit and more life. As long as we keep loving God and putting that love into action, only goodness and prosperity will abound.

With God there is no selfishness. We must model ourselves that very same way. We must give ourselves completely to Him and cherish what He has given us: life, love, and His entire creation for us to experience. Jesus challenges us to put God completely first and foremost in our lives. Everything needs to  be surrendered to Him. There should be a fear of breaking our relationship with Him. We need to be able to have a desire to sacrifice everything from our possessions, comforts, and way of life to what we want for ourselves. When this happens, we then receive the gift of wisdom and revelation, for we will then start to understand more about ourselves and about the thoughts of God. Our decisions and actions will then be influenced by this entire process.

The more that we exercise, be it physical or mental, we become stronger in that area. It is the same for our spirituality. The more time and energy we put into our relationship with God, the stronger it gets. There is an action and reaction here. God calls to us constantly and we must respond so as to feel His presence. Once we respond, we must then stay focused and concentrate on it harder. This is accomplished through prayer, discerning Sacred Scripture, and worship. All of these are equal in their importance and lead to a strong foundation in which we can build on. A floodgate of love and goodness will be opened that will wash away all the clutter and dirt which has blackened us.

When we exercise and eat healthy, we feel good. When we read or challenge ourselves mentally, we feel good. When act out our faith, we feel good. Yet, there are so many times and situations where we stop exercising and eating healthy, stop challenging ourselves mentally, and stop acting out our faith. Why do we do this? It is because there is a dimension of hard work to it where results might not be fully realized immediately. That is when we have to turn to God and ask Him to lend us His strength and support to overcome our frailty. He will respond and He will lift us up. That is when we have to turn to our community and friends and ask for their help. Our community and our friends will respond.

The Kingdom of God is all around us. The Kingdom of God is inside of us. We need to live our lives within that goodness and love which is His Kingdom. When we do this, we can be protected, cared for, and loved appropriately by Him who created us. God will never push us out of His Kingdom. We are the only ones who can separate ourselves from it. When we live in it, we can then see everything from God for what it is: perfect and beautiful. Our reaction to it will bring about more perfection and beauty.

Deacon Tom