CHOOSING WHAT IS TRULY WORTH EVERYTHING

Homily for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

1 Kings 3:5,7-12; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52

A wealthy businessman was once asked, “What is the greatest investment you have ever made?” People expected him to mention a company or a piece of land. Instead, he replied, “The best investment I ever made was learning to distinguish between what is valuable and what is merely expensive.”

In life, there is a profound difference between price and value. That is precisely what Jesus teaches in today’s Gospel. He tells two brief parables. First, a man discovers a treasure hidden in a field. Second, another finds a pearl of extraordinary value. In both cases, they sell everything they own to obtain what they have found. Notice that Jesus does not say they reluctantly gave up everything. They did so with joy. Why? Because they had found something infinitely greater than what they were leaving behind.

In the parable, the treasure and the pearl represent the Kingdom of God - not simply heaven after death, but God’s reign already present in Christ. Once a person truly encounters Christ, everything else is seen in a new light. The problem is that many people spend their lives pursuing things that are temporary while neglecting what is eternal. Jesus asks us today: What is your treasure? Whatever occupies our hearts, shapes our decisions, and determines our priorities is our treasure. For some, it is wealth. For others, success, power, pleasure, or reputation. None of these is evil in itself, but they become dangerous when they replace God.

The first reading presents Solomon at the beginning of his reign as the king of Israel. God invites him to ask for anything. Imagine receiving such an offer - a blank cheque. Many of us would ask for wealth, influence, a long life, or the death of our enemies. But Solomon asks for “an understanding heart” to govern God’s people. Why is this significant? It is significant because wisdom enables us to recognize what truly matters. Without wisdom, we may gain the whole world and still lose what is most important. Solomon understood that before one can rule others, one must first learn to discern God’s will.

That same gift is needed today. We live in a culture that constantly tells us what should matter. Success is measured by possessions, followers, titles, or achievements. Yet the Gospel measures success differently. A successful life is one that discovers Christ and refuses to lose Him.

Saint Paul reinforces this hope in the second reading: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God.” This does not mean that everything that happens is good. Rather, it means that God, in His providence, can bring good even out of suffering, failure, and disappointment for those who entrust themselves to Him. That is the confidence of those who have found the treasure of the Kingdom.

The Gospel concludes with the parable of the net, reminding us that the Kingdom also calls us to accountability. One day, good and evil will be separated. The question is not simply whether we have admired the treasure but whether we have chosen it. Today, Christ invites each of us to examine our priorities. What are we holding onto that prevents us from possessing the true treasure? What would we be unwilling to surrender, even for Christ? 

As we approach the altar at Mass, we come to receive the greatest treasure the world has ever known, the Lord Himself in the Eucharist. May He grant us the wisdom of Solomon to recognize His incomparable worth and the courage to place Him above every other desire. For whoever finds Christ has discovered the treasure that never fades, the pearl that can never be lost, and the Kingdom that alone satisfies the human heart.