A Shrewd Merchant's Final Purchase

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Homily Outline:

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

What desires bounce around in our hearts? What do we desire, what do we seek? There are so many levels to this question… I want a new bike, I want a hamburger, I want to rest, I want a cold drink of water… I want a friend, I want to be happy, I want meaning in my life, I want love. From superficial physical needs to the deepest spiritual hunger, we are never fully content. Often we think we know what we want, while at other times we are a mystery even to ourselves. What will bring peace and satisfaction to our divided hearts? Only God who comes to us in the person of His Son, Jesus, Himself fully human and fully divine, only Jesus, sometimes given the title “Desire of the Everlasting Hills,” Jesus Christ alone can satisfy the eternal and infinite longing of our hearts.

This is what the image of the merchant is meant to help us realize: this merchant is searching for fine pearls, presumably to sell again later at a profit. A good and shrewd merchant, he is looking for a deal, a bargain. He is looking for quality, beauty, and marketability. And, he is ready to strike… when he finds a pearl of great price, he does not hesitate… he knows value when he sees it, and he acts decisively. He sells all that he has and buys this one superior pearl. Interestingly enough, there seems to be no mention of resale… to have acquired this pearl is sufficient, it is enough, it is the end of his seeking, his buying and selling, his shrewd deals and careful planning.

The only thing that will settle our hearts in peace is the kingdom heaven, Jesus Himself… can we learn from this merchant? Are we willing to look into the depths of our hearts, passing through the surface buzz of little desires, and moving into the deep currents of desire within, with God? To be a good Christian, to follow Christ, this does not mean simply to ignore our desires. We are not just to keep a firm grip on ourselves and pretend that the molten current of hunger and need is not there… in any case, this doesn’t work. If we ignore our desires, they tend to burst out, often in destructive ways. Neither is the Christian path one of simply giving in, acting on each passing whim, obeying each fleeting lust or pull. God will search us and know us, and help us to know ourselves, if we will venture within.

And this deepest desire of our hearts admits no half measures, no convenient compromises! Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Mean, formulated by him more than 300 years before Christ, is often summarized “moderation in all things.” For some reason my Mom has OFTEN quoted this phrase to me, I’m not sure why… but this maxim has its limits. We are to exercise no moderation in our love for God, no holding back in our surrender into the Father’s hands. We do not abandon prudence in answering this call, but there is no prudence in loving half-heartedly. In loving God we are to take up our crosses and follow Jesus who gave Himself to us beyond all measure, beyond calculation, even unto death, death on a cross.

Your patron here, St. Gregory of Nazienzus, often called St. Gregory Nazienzen, is a beautiful example of

St. Gregory Nazianzen

this. Some 700 years after Aristotle taught moderation, he followed Christ with generosity. As a young man he showed great promise as a student of rhetoric, and was given the rich opportunity of studying in Athens with the very best teachers. While studying, he became friends with St. Basil the Great, and St. Basil’s brother St. Gregory of Nyssa. Later the three became known as the Cappadocian Fathers, from the region where they served in what is now Turkey. A lucrative career lay before St. Gregory, but he heard God’s call and sought a life of monastic prayer and study. That is where the Church found him, and he was ordained a priest and set to serve the Church in the midst of difficult pastoral circumstances, becoming a bishop and struggling to navigate the tumultuous currents of heresy and politics. He faced even physical danger preaching the truth in Constantinople, but did not back down. Having found the kingdom of heaven, he gave all he had and all he was for it.

So, where does God find us? Most of us will not be called to some historic endeavor, although perhaps some of us will be. Paul tells us that “all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” All things includes, especially, all the mundane details and small challenges of each day, along with the big events, both blessings and struggles. We are to surrender ALL of this, every last bit, into the Father’s hands. Will we, with Solomon, ask God for an understanding heart, for the wisdom to love God and to love our brothers and sisters?

Let me offer you a very modest and concrete proposal on how to acquire the Pearl of Great Price, the Kingdom of Heaven. Begin, today, to speak to the Lord of the desires of your heart and to offer them to Him. As you go out of Church you will find a stack of simple prayers called a “morning offering.” This prayer simply speaks of giving the Lord our whole day in advance, and uniting that offering to Jesus’ self-offering in the Eucharist. I try to make this prayer my first conscious act each day, rolling out of bed and kneeling next to it to pray. This is not a sufficient discipline of prayer for any Christian, but it is a good beginning. To give all we are to God is a lifelong endeavor, and to offer God our first waking moment is a good beginning each day. Please take one of these prayers with you… if you are willing to offer God that first moment, I suspect you will be surprised by how much He offers you in return! We see His Divine Generosity in the Eucharist He is about to give us. May we today receive the Lord’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity with joy, and respond by offering Him all that we are.

Link to some Morning Offering Prayers.

Link to the Apostleship of Prayer, who promote this devotion and praying with the Holy Father's monthly prayer intentions.

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