17th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 24.07.2011

1Kings 3:5, 7-12/ Romans 8:28-30/ Matthew 13:44-52

Last week, from Monday to Friday, the priests of the diocese had their annual retreat.

Thanks for your prayers, we priests had a good and spirit-filled retreat, and we prayed for you too.

We had enough to eat, enough of sleep; and most importantly we had time for prayer.

Yes, we had so many intentions to pray for, and so many other things to reflect and think about.

But it was a nice and comfortable five days of retreat.

So much so that we wished that we could have another five more days of retreat.

Seemed like the days passed by so quickly when we are having a good time.

Yet deep in our hearts, we priests know that we must go back to our parishes.

One point of reflection for us towards the end of the retreat was, what kind of parish are we going back to?

Is it our dream parish? Are we looking forward to going back to our parish?

Or are we secretly wishing that we could go to another parish?

So I am going to ask you a sensitive question but it’s a rhetoric question, i.e. no answer is required.

So what do you think? Do you think that Fr. JJ, Fr. Stanley and myself wish to be back in this parish? Or are we dreaming of going to another parish?

Just a rhetoric question, and maybe I share with you this story for reflection.

When a wheat farmer heard that gold was discovered in another state, he became discontented with the golden grain he harvested year after year.

He thought of leaving his farm and even his family in search of the golden fortune.

When his wife came to know what he was thinking, she was frantic.

They had five young children to feed and she knew that her farmer husband could never be successful in discovering gold.

So, very reluctantly, the farmer stayed home but he kept dreaming about the gold.

Then one night he had a dream. He saw himself in a room filled with gold.

After gleefully running the gold nuggets through his hands, he felt hungry.

When he looked for something to eat, he found only gold.

He called for his wife, hoping to be comforted by the warmth of her love, but there was only the coldness of the gold.

He longed to look into the sparkling eyes of his children, but the only sparkle he saw was that of his lifeless gold.

Then he woke up with a start, and he realized what his true riches were.

Yes, the farmer realized that his true riches were right where he was, right under his nose literally, and he already possessed it. There was no need at all to even search for it.

Just a simple story, but it illustrates a very profound truth.

What we long for, what we dream of, what we yearn for, we already have it, and it’s right where we are. It only takes some wisdom to realize it.

Well, back to the rhetoric question – Do you think that Fr. JJ, Fr. Stanley and myself like it here in this parish?

Or do you think we are dreaming of being in another parish?

Well, if anything, the priests retreat made us count our blessings and to be grateful.

And indeed, to be in this parish is a blessing.

For myself, to be with Fr. JJ and Fr. Stanley is indeed a blessing.

Well, in Fr. JJ there is wisdom and experience, and in Fr. Stanley there is calmness and steadiness.

So you see, like that, I can relax, I can even rest and relax.

Yet we need to pray for that wisdom to see the truth of life that the 2nd reading is telling us.

And that is: God will turn all things good for those who love Him.

So be it in this parish, or at home, or at the work place, we must believe that God has placed us there and He wants us to be there.

Because His plans for us are always for our good and nothing less.

Because when we love God, everything becomes the best case scenario, and never the worst case scenario.

So in our homes, we may have our misgivings about our family members.

We may be disappointed and even resentful with our parents, our spouse and our children.

But do we love God enough to believe that this is where God wants us to be, yes, with our parents, our spouse, our children.

Yes, when we love God, He will turn all things for the good of those we are living with, those whom we call family.

Or at the workplace, there may be all that wheeling and dealing, those who cut corners at our expense, the devious scheming and disparaging remarks that makes us so sick with the workplace.

But when we love God, He will turn all things for the good of those whom we are working with, as well as for ourselves.

Yes, when we love God, it will always be the best case scenario, never the worst case scenario.

Anyway, we celebrated our feast day about three weeks ago right?

Now, let me ask you this : Do you remember the theme for our feast day celebration? (Home is where the heart is)

For Fr. JJ, Fr. Stanley and myself, this is our home and this is where our hearts will be.

But in the first place, this is your home, and with your heart you have welcomed us and shared your home with us.

Well, this is not a perfect parish, nor is this a dream parish.

But wait, a perfect and a dream parish doesn’t exist at all.

But there is a treasure that is buried deep in this parish.

This parish is dedicated to the heart of Mary.

And if home is where the heart is, then this is Mary’s home, and we are her treasures.

And in Mary’s home, let us learn this from her.

Let us learn how to love one another.
Let us learn to forgive one another.
Let us learn to bear with the failings of one another and to help those in need.

Let us consecrate ourselves to Mary so that we can love God as much as she loves God.

Let us make this parish a house of God’s blessings, and where our hearts are really at home.