1 Kings 3:5, 7-12 / Romans 8:28-30 / Matthew 13:44-52
To go shopping can be a relaxing experience.
It is a form of retail therapy from the stress of life.
To do that, we would usually go to the shopping centres or shopping malls where it is more comfortable and more organized.
We will take our time to walk around and do window shopping.
Along the way, there may be something that will catch our attention and we might consider buying it.
But we don't usually have much time for casual window shopping.
Often, it is shopping with a purpose and with a limited time, and we may already have a shopping list in our minds or in our hands.
But that does not mean that we will always get whatever we want.
On a good shopping day, we will be able to find what we are looking for.
So, we will be able to get our favourite drinks, our favourite snacks, and maybe even get it at a discounted price.
But there are days when we can go from shop to shop and whatever we want is not available or out of stock.
We get this frustrated feeling that we have wasted our time and energy.
Even with online shopping, we may not get what we want and have to settle for a substitute or an alternative.
So, shopping can be relaxing and even enjoyable, but it can also be tiring and frustrating when we cannot get what we are looking for.
In the Gospel, Jesus told two parables that give an idea of what the Kingdom of God is like.
One is about a treasure hidden in a field which someone has found.
He hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns, and buys the field.
Another is about a merchant looking for fine pearls.
When he finds one of great value, he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.
So, it can be said that for those two characters in the parables, it was a good shopping experience of finding what they are looking for.
But as with every parable, there is also a spiritual dimension, as well as a mystery that reveals who God is.
The parables did not say how that person found the treasure in the field.
And neither does it say how the merchant found that pearl of great value.
Here is where we go back to the first reading and recall the dialogue between God and king Solomon.
The Lord God asked king Solomon what he wanted, and king Solomon asked for this.
King Solomon knew that he was young and unskilled in leadership, and he had to govern God's people.
So, king Solomon asked for this: He asked for a heart of understanding.
He asked for a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil.
In other words, king Solomon asked God to grant him wisdom.
It is a wisdom that understands the ways of God and to discern the revelations of God.
It is wisdom that enables a person to pray and discern before getting into action.
And it is with wisdom that we can understand the meaning of the parables.
It is through the revelation of God that the man found the treasure hidden in the field.
It is through discernment that the merchant found the pearl of great value.
It is with the Spirit of wisdom that we will understand what God is revealing to us and how to walk in His ways.
And this Spirit of wisdom will show us how God is speaking to us.
God speaks to us in many ways and especially through nature.
And one example is the trees. The trees don't talk, but they tell us this.
Their roots teach us what holding on looks like, and their leaves teach us how to let go.
May the Spirit of wisdom help us to let go of the things of earth and hold on to God above.
When we hold on to God alone, then we already have what we are looking and longing for.