Wednesday - August 02, 2017
We must have a real living determination to reach holiness. I will be a saint means I will despoil myself of all that is not God; I will strip my heart of all created things; I will live in poverty and detachment; I will renounce my will, my inclinations, my whims and fancies, and make myself a willing slave to the will of God.
~~Mother Teresa
TODAY'S READINGS
August 2, 2017
Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 403
Reading 1EX 34:29-35
As Moses came down from Mount Sinaiwith the two tablets of the commandments in his hands,
he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant
while he conversed with the LORD.
When Aaron, then, and the other children of Israel saw Moses
and noticed how radiant the skin of his face had become,
they were afraid to come near him.
Only after Moses called to them did Aaron
and all the rulers of the community come back to him.
Moses then spoke to them.
Later on, all the children of Israel came up to him,
and he enjoined on them all that the LORD
had told him on Mount Sinai.
When he finished speaking with them,
he put a veil over his face.
Whenever Moses entered the presence of the LORD to converse with him,
he removed the veil until he came out again.
On coming out, he would tell the children of Israel
all that had been commanded.
Then the children of Israel would see
that the skin of Moses' face was radiant;
so he would again put the veil over his face
until he went in to converse with the LORD.
Responsorial PsalmPS 99:5, 6, 7, 9
R. (see 9c) Holy is the Lord our God.Extol the LORD, our God,
and worship at his footstool;
holy is he!
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
and Samuel, among those who called upon his name;
they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
From the pillar of cloud he spoke to them;
they heard his decrees and the law he gave them.
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
Extol the LORD, our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for holy is the LORD, our God.
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
AlleluiaJN 15:15B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.I call you my friends, says the Lord,
for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 13:44-46
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."
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The Valuable Pearl
When Jesus told the parable of today's Gospel reading, how did he know what it's like to find the reign of God and then sell everything to get it? How could he understand this search for his father's kingdom -- he was born already fully alive in it!
Turn this story around and look at it from another angle. Read it again, replacing "the reign of God" or "the kingdom of heaven" (two translations of the same words) with "Christ's relationship with me", like so: "Christ's relationship with me is like a really valuable pearl that a salesman found in his search for merchandise that would help him earn a good living. When he found this amazing pearl, he quickly sold off the rest of his stock so that he could afford to buy it."
If Jesus were reading this scripture to you, he would explain it this way: "You, my precious friend, are a very valuable pearl. I gave up everything and bought you with my life so that I could have you with me forever."
See! Jesus surely knows what it means to off-load everything to obtain a prize. YOU are that prize. Your relationship with him is a real treasure that he cherishes very much.
Do you feel the same way about him? Have you found a way to afford the high cost of making God the top priority in your life? Is there anything you cherish more than him, such as activities that keep you too busy for quiet time alone with him? Or desires or addictions that displease him? Or the approval of people who don't agree with him?
In other words, have you off-loaded everything that's less valuable in order to obtain more of the kingdom of heaven while you are still living on the earth?
We say we believe that putting God first in our lives is our highest priority, but is it really? How many distractions are pulling you away from this treasure? What unrepented sins?
What are you unwilling to give up in order to obtain the fullness of life that comes from God's Holy Spirit?
And consider this: Do you, at any time, feel like you are not a precious pearl to Jesus? Are there people in your life who are undervaluing you? Disrespecting you? Failing to love you as they should? Don't allow them to distract you from seeing how precious you are to God.
When you understand that you are a treasure, a valuable pearl in God's kingdom, it becomes easier to let go of the desire to feel valued by others. Everything else that makes us feel important and valued becomes less necessary. Intimacy with God is the only thing that really matters.
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God Bless You.....
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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