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All That We Have

28/7/2023

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, July 30th, 2023:
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew
13.44-48

Jesus spoke to the crowds: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad."

Pause. Pray. Reflect

This Gospel passage always makes me wonder what the best metaphor for the Kingdom of Heaven would be from my own life. Is there anything for which I would give up everything I own, in order to possess or keep it? Certain objects in my home are very special to me – mementoes from my childhood, gifts from my parents, piles of handwritten creative writing that haven’t been typed up yet – but they’re not so special that I wouldn’t give them up. Besides, the most important things in my life are not objects at all – they’re people, relationships, faith, and music.

Jesus deepens the metaphor throughout this parable. At first, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, worth so much that you would sell everything that you have in order to buy that field. I’ve never quite been able to figure out why the person in the parable finds the treasure and then hides it before buying the field, but have always figured that he thinks the treasure is so wonderful that he doesn’t want to lose it or let someone else find it before he has a chance to buy the field, so he hides it first. Next, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a most valuable pearl. Pearls are beautiful gifts of nature, and exceptional ones have been highly sought after all throughout history. Lastly, Jesus describes the Kingdom of Heaven in a way that probably made a lot of sense to his listeners, many of whom were surely fishermen: like a net thrown into the sea, full of all kinds of fish. The line about throwing out the bad fish always worries me – I don’t want to be thrown out of the Kingdom of Heaven like a bad fish!

In all of these instances, Jesus makes it clear that the Kingdom of Heaven is incalculably valuable – more valuable than anything else on this Earth. He shows this in three different ways, pitching each metaphor so that it meets the lives of each part of his audience – the farmers and labourers in the fields, the merchants, the fishermen. Simply put, the Kingdom of Heaven is for everyone.

In exchange, we will be asked to give all that we have.

“....in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

“...on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Note that Jesus doesn’t say, “in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, but it’s not enough to buy the field or the pearl and he has to wait several paycheques until he has enough saved up to buy it.” No. All that we have and all that we offer is enough. Jesus is telling us that if we give Him our hearts, our efforts, our trust, and our best, wholly and completely, it is enough. Yes, we still have to strive to live good, Christian, loving lives; yes, we have to keep our eyes fixed on heaven and be prepared to look beyond worldly things; and yes, we may be afraid that we’ll be thrown out with the bad fish…but we can trust in the immensity of God’s mercy. The Kingdom of Heaven is waiting for us all.

As a closing reflection, I’ll leave you with the words of the hymn “All That We Have” by Gary Ault:

All that we have and all that we offer
Comes from a heart both frightened and free
Take what we bring now and give what we need
All done in His name.

(Text and music by Gary Ault, © 1969, 1979, Damean Music.)

Kim Tan

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Windows Into Heaven

27/7/2023

2 Comments

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, July 30th, 2023:
Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Romans
8.28-30

Brothers and sisters: We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

For those whom God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

And those whom God predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

When I was in my first year of faith formation, at a school in the prairies, a Ukrainian Catholic priest visited my class and introduced us to the Eastern Catholic churches. The Roman Rite was all that I knew, so I was intrigued when I learned that (long after their initial separation) several Orthodox churches in the East re-entered communion with the West while maintaining many of their unique expressions and traditions that had developed over centuries.

The priest shared his knowledge of iconography, the sacred art of making religious icons. Traditionally icons are “written” (or painted) with natural materials and each step of the process is rich with symbolism; in modern times many icons are printed. Whatever method is used, each one ought to be a true likeness and near-perfect reproduction of the original. Most religious icons are of Jesus, a saint, or a scene in Scripture, and they have a distinct style that differs from western art.

We were taught that, in the eastern tradition, an icon is “a window into heaven.” Spiritual realities, and the mysteries of our faith, are hidden or “veiled”; icons are tools for prayer and can help lift the veil between heaven and Earth by helping us see the face of God. Any person depicted in an icon will (intentionally) bear a close resemblance to the face of Jesus; these holy men and women are examples of people who have been conformed to the image of Christ, and so when we look at their faces we see His face.

I learned that this resemblance is meant to extend beyond the icon in a different way when I was led through my first icon writing retreat. We wrote the icon of “The Good Shepherd” during Holy Week, and as I followed the slow, sometimes tedious, steps and prayerfully completed my icon I came to learn how the process was a small representation (a microcosm) of the spiritual life. We sanded wood, stretched canvas overtop, secured it with glue, etched our intended image, and for hours and hours we painted with egg tempera. Each stroke of the paint brush appeared to do nothing, because the pigment was incredibly faint against a dark background; it seemed as if we were painting with water. But with several dozen strokes, we slowly saw the fruit of our labour and vibrant colours came forth.

“Isn’t this exactly what prayer is like?”, the priest noted. “With patience and perseverance, God slowly makes us more and more into His image and likeness.”

Iconography became, for me, a beautiful representation of life, and I grew in love and appreciation for the process of sanctification. It may hurt as God sands our rough edges. There are times where we are caught in chaos and cannot see what He is making of us, but there are also times where we can joyfully recognize God’s hand and work with Him, as He makes us into little icons – windows through which others can see His face.

Kendra L.

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The Law of Our Hearts

26/7/2023

1 Comment

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, July 30th, 2023:
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Psalm 119

R. Lord, how I love your law!

The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

R. Lord, how I love your law!

Let your steadfast love become my comfort according to your promise to your servant. Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.

R. Lord, how I love your law!

Truly I love your commandments more than gold, more than fine gold. Truly I direct my steps by all your precepts; I hate every false way.

R. Lord, how I love your law!

Your decrees are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.

R. Lord, how I love your law!

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

I love that the refrain in this psalm ends with an exclamation point: “Lord, how I love your law!” In fact, the psalmist is full of uplifting enthusiasm and excitement for the Lord’s commandments, precepts, and decrees. Silver and gold pale in comparison to the delight of keeping, living, and following God’s (moral) laws.

I chuckled a bit when thinking about how the refrain would translate into contemporary society: “Nova Scotia government, how we love your laws!” How different to much of the secular worldview of “the law,” which can be felt as oppressive to intrinsic freedom. I believe that if you asked 10 people to define freedom, eight would describe it as “doing whatever I want.” After all, to many, “laws” suggest restrictiveness and a threat to the ultimate goal of individualism.

Praying with this psalm reminded me of my favourite scripture, “the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). When becoming a Catholic as an adult, it was this passage where the penny dropped. It was awesome and profound. I heard and understood it in my bones. Only later did I realize that it had been there the whole time, inscribed in my heart, waiting for my surrender by the grace of God and welcomed body, mind, and soul.

There is a parallel to this psalm in Paul’s letter to the Romans when he says, “What the law requires is written in their hearts” (Romans 2:15). God’s moral law is inscribed in every human heart to be cooperated with and embraced, or not. One leads to life, and the other to sin and inner turmoil when choices and actions are led by emotions and desires alone and not by the moral law of a loving God, freely chosen.

Thank You Lord, for creating me with a heart inscribed with your precepts, commandments and decrees. Your way is the only way to peace and true freedom.

Lord, how I love Your law!

Patty Viscount

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Wisdom & Foolishness

25/7/2023

2 Comments

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, July 30th, 2023:
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Kings
3.5-12

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today.

“And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this, your great people?”

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Solomon asked for wisdom, and God was pleased. Solomon was made the wisest man the world has ever known – indeed, God promised that no one would ever be as wise as Solomon in all of human history. Solomon is famous in both religious and secular circles for his wisdom, and his rulings and judgments are taught as examples worldwide.

It wasn’t enough.

Solomon is famous for his wisdom and infamous for his foolishness. He was charmed by the Queen of Sheba and let her take much of the kingdom’s wealth home with her. He married hundreds of women, many from outside of his kingdom, and permitted them to worship their idols in his kingdom, even funding the construction of temples to false gods. He neglected his religious duties, and he ignored political conflicts from neighbouring kingdoms until they grew out of control. The kingdom of Israel ended with his death, splitting into permanent division. Solomon didn’t make these mistakes out of ignorance. He knew the right thing to do, and he chose the wrong things, over and over.

This is the very definition of sin – knowing right and doing wrong.

I have a vivid memory of an early sin of mine. I remember being a little girl on a big playground, my mother calling me to come down from the tallest tower because it was time to go home, and simply refusing to get down. I knew I should – I’d had fun, she’d been patient, we had other things to do. But I chose not to, because I wanted to do what was important to me and not what was important to my mom. It was perhaps the first time I fully knew right and chose wrong. It was a little thing, easily resolved – I got scared of getting in trouble just a few minutes later, and did indeed face consequences equal to my crime. But human nature means that once we’ve tasted defiance, it’s hard to keep at bay.

In some ways, the Bible is a collection of stories about people who tried and failed to figure out the trick to always doing the right thing. Wisdom wasn’t enough for Solomon. Faithfulness wasn’t enough for Paul. Trust wasn’t enough for Moses. Strength wasn’t enough for Peter. God offered us laws and covenants and lands flowing with milk and honey, but our hearts were never fully satisfied with any of it. And thankfully, God loves us too much to be satisfied with our half-hearted attempts to obey Him.

We are not enough. But God’s love is enough. When we know the right thing and choose wrongly, His love forgives us. When we know the right thing and are too scared to do it, His love strengthens us. Solomon thought wisdom would be enough. We can learn from the mistakes of the wisest man in the world and put our trust in God instead of ourselves.

Jenna Young

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All That We Have

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, July 30th, 2023:Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Pause. Pray. Reflect

Windows Into Heaven

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, July 30th, 2023:Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

The Law of Our Hearts

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, July 30th, 2023:Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Wisdom & Foolishness

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, July 30th, 2023:Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Archives

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, July 30th, 2023:
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, July 30th, 2023:
Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, July 30th, 2023:
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, July 30th, 2023:
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time