The following Homily is provided by Friar Sidney as a way
     of enriching the ministry of the Word as presented through
     this web site.  Friar Sidney, who has spent much of his
     ministry in India, is currently a Professor of Philosophy
     in Rome.  He can be reached at smascarenhas@ofm.org.  The texts
     used by Friar Sydney come from the Roman Lectionary - which in
     most points agrees with the Revised Common Lectionary.

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


INTRODUCTION:
Let us ask God the grace to live life in a very creative,
redeeming and sanctifying manner. Let us ask Him to help us to be
a good householder.


HOMILY:
In today's mechanized world of huge deep-sea trawlers, we never
have the chance to view the scene described in today's Gospel.
As a little boy, however, I did view such scenes each evening in
Bombay. The boats would come in with nets filled with a catch.
These nets would be emptied on the sand. Crows and all kinds of
gulls would hover above and grab their share of the catch. 
Spread on the sand were fish of all kinds and size.  The
fishermen and their wives sorted out the fish according to their
kind and size.  The little ones and those of no value were thrown
back into the sea.

Today, with the mechanized trawlers around, such scenes do not
exist.

And yet this parable seems so basic to life.

Is life not something like the dragnet Jesus talks about?  Are we
not caught up in a whole network of events?  Do we not have our
appointments, our schedules, our meetings and our leisures? 
Is life not a hidden treasure in a field, especially when it is
meaningful?  Do we not have to give up a lot of our dear
possession in order to pursue our goals in life? 

Is life not a pearl of great value, especially when it is a way
to display our status and position?  Do we not even have to
swallow a lot of snubs in order to find a status in life?

Life is like a dragnet.  We do seem like fish caught in a web of
relationships.

Solomon prayed for the gift to choose that good which would help
him to effectively serve the People entrusted to him by the
Almighty.  He considered the service of God's People the most
precious gift he could ever hope to have.

In other words, he most prized being for the people entrusted to
him, a co-creator, a co-redeemer and a co-sanctifier with God. 
He wanted to be a faithful householder of His only Lord and
Master, God.

Do we conduct ourselves as Co-creators, Co-redeemers and Co-
sanctifiers with the Triune God, of the situations we face every
moment of our life?

When that last breath overtakes us, we will be judged by  how co-
creative, how co-redemptive and how co-sanctifying we have been
in our life situations. 

A reponsible person always finds both, something old and
something new, in each moment of his life! 

A responsible person tries to be creative, redemptive and
sanctifying whatever the situation and whoever the person.
That is being a good householder. Shalom!

   
copyright - Friar Sydney Mascarenhas and  Rev. Richard J. Fairchild 1999 - 2006
            please acknowledge the appropriate author if citing these sermons.