Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jan 15 2025

Scripture Study for

Solomon asks for an understanding heart so that he can rule his people wisely. This request shows his concern for God’s people, not merely for himself. It is no wonder that God is pleased with him. The very last verse of the passage reinforces the tradition of Solomon’s wisdom, claiming that no one before him or anyone after him could compare with him. The wisdom referred to here is not experiential wisdom, the kind that stems from reflection on experience; it is really a gift from God. God chose Solomon to be king, and gave him the wisdom he needed to rule wisely.

Paul’s insistence that all things work for good should not be misunderstood as meaning that everything will work out in the end. Rather, it implies a profound trust that God can bring good even out of misfortune. Paul’s teaching on predestination has often been misunderstood. He states that God foreknew from the beginning of time and with divine power predetermined who would be called, justified, and glorified. And who are the ones called? Nowhere does Paul suggest that some are predestined to salvation and others to perdition. Rather, the entire Christian tradition provides the answer to the question. All are called to be justified and glorified.

The parables of the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price both suggest that the kingdom of God is present though unperceived. However, only the very shrewd discover it and sacrifice everything in order to possess it. The parable of the net is quite different. Like the parable of the wheat and the weeds (see Matthew 13:40b–42, Sixteenth Sunday), it describes a community consisting of both good and bad. Only at the end of the catch will the fish be separated. Jesus asks if the disciples understand his teaching, because they must see that, like the old and new treasures of the householder, the teaching of Jesus, though radically different, is grounded in the original tradition.

Jan 12 2025

What Really Matters?

What does it mean to you, on this day, to hear Jesus say to sell all that you have for the kingdom of heaven? Does it might mean that you empty your bank account, give your resources to the poor, and go become a missionary in a far-off place? Does it mean that you once more offer breakfast (kindly) to an unappreciative teenager when every bone in your body wants to do otherwise? Does it might mean that you put all your cans of green beans and crushed pineapple into a box and drive down to the St. Vincent DePaul Center and leave it on their doorstep before they open?

Not as a pious platitude, but in a concrete-and-practical-everyday sort-of-way, what does “sell all you have for the kingdom of heaven” actually mean? I am guessing, since you are reading this reflection on a hot day at the end of July (when you could be doing so many other things), that this is a question that matters to you.

For that’s what it boils down to, doesn’t it: What matters? Jesus calls us to be single-minded about what matters. If you find a treasure in a field, buy the field; if you find a pearl of great price, buy the pearl. Distractions swirl around us; clutter kills clarity. Focus clarifies. Single-mindedness simplifies. Figure out what matters. Solomon asked God for a listening heart so that he could discern carefully. We ask for that, too. Before we even get out of bed in the morning, we pray, “Lord, make it clear what matters today.” Then in the power of the Holy Spirit, when you discover today’s treasure, with unstinting resolve, go for it! Lay down your life, in matters great and small. Passionately. Totally. For the glory of God.

Consider/Discuss

The morning offering is a prayer in which we give God our upcoming day so that we are conformed into the image of Christ. What most richly brings about our daily transformation?
Where is the clutter? Look at time, thoughts, emotions, activities, possessions, relationships. What can you clean today?

Living and Praying with the Word

Holy Spirit, come and rule the ordinary days of our lives. Give us the grace of discernment to see what really matters. We want to follow where you guide us. Transform our clutter into focus. We don’t always see clearly, but in our heart of hearts, we want to follow you wholeheartedly. Wonderful are your ways! Show us. Lead us. Transform us to be the people you want us to be.

Jan 12 2025

Scripture Study for

King Solomon is known in the tradition for having unparalleled wisdom. The Bible affirms that wisdom comes from God, it is not a human creation. Accordingly, Solomon became wise because he asked for the divine gift of wisdom. God, who might have expected a human king to grasp for wealth or long life, instead receives a request from Solomon for the wisdom to rule justly. Nothing could be more pleasing to the divine will than a desire to serve God and God’s people well and with integrity. Thus God readily accedes to Solomon’s pious request. (And because Solomon did not ask for it, God throws in wealth and the promise of long life.)

Paul has been writing to the Romans about the hope of glory they have as adopted children of God in Christ. This destiny has been part of the divine plan from the beginning, and is achieved through conformity to Christ, the exemplary human being. Those who are called to this glory are first justified, the divine accomplishment in Christ that has been the subject of much of the earlier part of the letter. The point of this short section is to emphasize that God has had things securely in hand from the beginning. All things work for good for those who respond to the divine call to be conformed to Christ, and thus justified, one day glorified.

Throughout Matthew’s Gospel Jesus has warned that entering the kingdom of heaven is a challenging undertaking, and few persevere. Yet persevere they must. Like a great treasure or a valuable pearl, the kingdom is worth giving up everything else to “obtain.” The invitation is open to everyone. Like a great net, it sweeps through the world capturing everyone. Only those who refuse to conform their lives to it will find themselves cast out. The kingdom is a gift but, paradoxically, one that comes at a price. Those who understand this are able to accept both his “new” teaching and recognize that it is a reflection of the “old” teaching of the law and prophets (Matthew 5:17–20).

Dec 17 2024

Persisting in Prayer

In this delightful story from the book of Genesis, Abraham is presented as being on such intimate terms with God that God not only talks things over with Abraham, but responds to Abraham’s gentle nudging. Notice how Abraham first “draws nearer” to God, asking if God will really sweep away the innocent with the guilty. Then he increases the pressure: “Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?” Quite of bit of chutzpah there! In the end, God momentarily yields to Abraham’s persuasive—and persistent—intercession.

Jesus urges his disciples to persist in prayer to God, after teaching his prayer to them. This great prayer is the basis for our approaching God with persistence. We are told to call God Father, and then to make two prayers of praise and three petitions to God. Those praying move from blessing and praising God’s name and sovereignty to asking for our most basic needs: bread, forgiveness, and deliverance from evil. Jesus follows the gift of his prayer with advice and encouragement.

His advice is to persist; his encouragement is to remember that God is a father who loves his children. God will not refuse the gift of the Spirit to those who have been buried with Christ and have already been raised with him in baptism. As the author of the Letter to the Colossians reminds us, God brought you to life along with Christ even when you were dead in sin. How could God refuse us anything that was truly good for us?

Consider/Discuss

Do you have confidence that God will hear your prayer?
Do you ask for the Holy Spirit to help you in your prayer?

Responding to the Word

Lord, may I come to know the truth of the words of today’s response: “Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.” May we rest peacefully in that assurance that we have received a Spirit of adoption that allows us to cry, “Abba, Father.”

Dec 17 2024

Scripture Study for

The account of the dialogue between Abraham and God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah is actually a discussion about the nature of divine justice. In traditional societies, there is a tension between communal guilt and innocence and individual guilt and innocence. More emphasis is given to the group than to the individual member. At issue in this passage is the extent to which the righteousness of a few people can balance the sinfulness of most. The story demonstrates the power of the righteous. God is willing to allow a few righteous people to save many.

Paul describes the effects of the triumph of the power of God in the lives of believers as it is manifested in the resurrection of Christ. He does this by relating Christ’s burial in the grave of the earth with the burial of Christians in the waters of baptism. Paul’s argument moves from consideration of actual physical death to spiritual death, the condition of those who, because of sin, are separated from God, who is the source of life. It is important to note that it was precisely while they were sinners that they were saved. The debt owed because of transgressions of the past has been canceled.

Jesus’ own practice of prayer prompted his disciples to ask for direction in their prayer, just as the disciples of other religious leaders asked to be taught to pray. Jesus’ discourse on prayer can be divided into three separate but related segments: the Lord’s Prayer itself (vv. 1–4), an example of persistence in prayer (vv. 5–8), and the assurance of that prayer will be heard (vv. 19–13). There is question about whether this passage should be seen as an actual prayer or as a pattern to follow when praying. The persistence with which one should pray is characterized by the story of the man who woke his sleeping friend. This entire discourse encourages the disciples to persevere in prayer.