My Take of 27th July Sermon
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 27th July 2014
Theme of Sermon – The Treasure of God
1. Treasure is something valuable, expensive, scarce
2. Treasure does not come easily & it has to be discovered through hard work and diligent search.
3. So if mere treasure has to be discovered through smart planning, search & hard work, how much more the treasures of God.
4. You need to get the knowledge of where the treasure is & you need a map to get to where the treasure is.
5. What is my map to the treasure of God?
6. After getting the map, what logistics will I need to dig for it?
7. You will need to travel to get the island of the treasure – what are my modes of transportation to find God treasure.
8. As you journey there may be accidents, or incidents on the journey to find God’s treasure. What 1st aid kit do we carry along
9. Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel that the Kingdom of God is like a treasure, which was found, & the person then hides it & goes off to sell off all he has to come & buy the field where the treasure is.
10. How do journey to the where the treasure is? Our mode of transport, we get there is through 2 sacraments that are channels of Grace to the treasure – Holy Orders for the Priest & Religious or Holy Matrimony for the lay faithful.
11. The Map is critical on the journey to the treasure – The map is the Holy Scriptures, the Bible & the teachings of the Church
12. Our 1st aid & healing are the Sacraments of Anointing of the Sick & Reconciliation. When we fall into sin we take the sacraments of reconciliation & when we fall sick we take the sacrament of Anointing of the sick.
13. To get access to the island we need permission, a visa to be accepted onto the island & that is through the Sacrament of Baptism, the gateway to all sacraments.
14. As we dig & dig on the island for the treasure we cannot do it on empty stomach, we need to be fed with food that is everlasting – the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The actual Body & Blood of Christ.
15. Buying it will require us trading something off something before we can get the treasure. “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. ” if there are any things in our lives that prevents from getting the treasure of God, sin, relations, attitudes, choices. Some of the things may not be sin, but we still have to trade them off. Pain, bitterness, anger etc. we need to sell them off to gain the Treasure of God.
16. The treasure does not come cheap; it is in a very secured treasure chest. What are the keys to the treasure chest? The keys to these chests are not common, not obvious but we all have them, & what is the key? It is our hearts. The heart is the seat of wisdom. Wisdom comes from the heart & not from the head like intellect. So you need a heart that is pure, with the grace of God you will find the treasure.
17. We need the Sacrament of Confirmation for energy to revitalize us. The Holy Spirit is our energy in our journey to Christ, the Treasure of God .
17. Like Solomon we need to pray for an understanding heart or wisdom & God will grant it to us. As we pray & taking advantage of the sacraments we will get the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is seeing things from Gods perspective.
18. I’m trading my sorrow – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-jIQsAoQt4
I’m trading my sorrow
I’m trading my shame
I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord
I’m trading my sickness
I’m trading my pain
I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord
And we say yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen
I’m pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I’m blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy’s gonna be my strength
Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning…
Taken from http://lyricstranslate.com/en/Worship-Songs-I%E2%80%99m-trading-my-sorrows-lyrics.html#ixzz38fOoOu12
FIRST READING
1 Kings 3:5, 7–12
The LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” Solomon answered: “O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king to succeed my father David; but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act. I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”
The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request. So God said to him: “Because you have asked for this— not for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right— I do as you requested. I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you.”
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 119:57, 72, 76–77, 127–128, 129–130 (97a)
R. Lord, I love your commands.
I have said, O LORD, that my part is to keep your words. The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Let your kindness comfort me according to your promise to your servants. Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
For I love your commands more than gold, however fine. For in all your precepts I go forward; every false way I hate.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Wonderful are your decrees; therefore I observe them. The revelation of your words sheds light, giving understanding to the simple.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
SECOND READING
Romans 8:28–30
Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.
ALLELUIA
see Matthew 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; for you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Matthew 13:44–52
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. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
“Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes.” And he replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.”
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