17th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Cycle
A
July
30, 2017
8:00am
at Saint Mary Parish, Pylesville
11:00am
at Saint Matthew Parish, Baltimore
King Midas
Some
years ago, here in the Baltimore area, there were the Midas Muffler Shops.
They
were a pretty good place to have a new muffler put on your car. Somewhere along the line, Midas Muffler
became Midas Auto Repair and now they do more than just muffler work.
What
interests me this morning is the name Midas.
That was the name of a king in Greek mythology and there is an
interesting legend about him.
The
story goes that one day a stranger visits Midas and finds the king in his
treasure room. Surprisingly, Midas is
sad that his wealth is so limited.
The
visitor asks him, “King Midas, what would
you like?” And Midas replies, “I want everything I touch to turn to gold.”
The
next morning, the king wakes up and discovers that his wish has been
granted. At first, he is elated, but
almost immediately, there are problems.
His bed
has turned to gold and now it isn’t very comfortable. His glasses turn to gold and now he cannot
see through them.
His
biscuits and coffee turn to gold and now he cannot eat or drink – I mean, just
think how awful it would be if for our Dunkin’ Donuts to turn to gold! Well, Midas realizes that his wish was a
mistake and that he cannot live on gold alone.
King Solomon
This legend
from Greek mythology helps us to appreciate today’s readings.
In the
first reading, King Solomon, something like Midas, is invited to ask God for
whatever he wants. Maybe surprisingly,
Solomon asks for wisdom.
He
wants to lead his people wisely. Well, Solomon’s
request helps us to understand Jesus’ point in today’s two parables.
Both
parables are about persons who sell everything they own to have enough money to
buy one thing that they really want.
Jesus explains that both the field with the treasure and the pearl
symbolize the kingdom of heaven.
This
expression – the kingdom of heaven – means the presence of God within us or our
having a close relationship with God.
Jesus’ point is that we should make this the priority or value
underneath the important things we do in life.
Three Standards in Solomon
If we go back to Solomon,
we can see three standards for knowing if we are really seeking the kingdom of
heaven.
You know,
throughout our lives, there are lots of things that we want to do or
accomplish. And by the way, I am
thinking of the more significant things that we want in life, not simple things
like my wanting to stop for a frozen yogurt on the way home today.
Well, what I am
saying is that embedded in Solomon’s request for wisdom are three standards. And these standards can help us to evaluate
if what we are doing is really part of seeking the kingdom of heaven.
Three Standards for the Kingdom
First, notice that
Solomon wants something that is for himself and also for the good of others. So, for example, does our desire for a
promotion at work also include our hope to provide well for our family or to
contribute something to the Mason–Dixon Food Pantry/parish immigration
ministry?
Second, notice
that Solomon wants something that will develop the gifts God has given him. So,
do we see our goal of getting a degree in computer science or whatever it is as
a way of using the God-given gifts that we have?
And third, notice
that Solomon wants something that has more to do with who he is as a person than
with what he owns. So, even though we
want to get that new SUV, deep down are we really working to become a more
patient, thoughtful, truthful, fair and compassionate person?
Conclusion
So, Jesus wants us
to make the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God the priority or value
underneath the important things that we do.
And Solomon gives us three standards for evaluating if we are doing this.
1. Are the significant things that we want not
just for ourselves, but in some way also for the good of others?
2. Are our passions and drives really about developing
the gifts God has given us?
3.
And
deep down, are we invested more in who we become as a person than in what we
own?
