28

17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time —Year A

Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy CMF

 甘天霖神父

Gospel: Matthew 13:44-52

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew,

Glory to you, O Lord!

"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."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily：THE JOY OF DISCOVERING A TREASURE

A man discovers a treasure in the field he is working by sheer accident. He hides it again; goes to sell everything he has and buys that field. The poor farmer, attracted by the unmistakable sparkle of a golden object that has emerged from the ground, immediately intuited that, under the clods, an immense wealth could be hidden. He did not want to lose even a crumb, so he decided to buy the whole field.

The treasure, which Jesus speaks about, is the kingdom of heaven; the new experience into which one who welcomes the proposals of the Beatitudes enters. It has an incalculable value and is only gradually discovered by one who decided to wager his life on it. One is not asked to give up something, but everything.

The fact that this treasure is found by chance indicates its gratuity. God offers it freely to people. It is not a prize for their good works. The discovery of the kingdom of God involves a radical change. This is the meaning of the decision to “sell everything one has to buy the field. This is what happened to Paul. He says; "but once I found Christ, I have let everything fall away and I now consider all as garbage, if instead I may gain Christ” (Phil 3:7-8). 

The second parable differs in some significant details. Unlike the farmer who accidentally stumbles into a treasure, the merchant finds the pearl after an exhausting search. The two discoveries are results, one of a good fortune, the other of one’s commitment. The behavior of the merchant is the image of the man who passionately seeks what gives meaning to his life and fills his days with joy. The two parables are complementary: the kingdom of God on the one hand is a free gift of God, and on the other is also a fruit of man’s diligence.

The third parable is taken from fishing on the Sea of Galilee. In the nets and trawls they often caught good fish but also inedible or unclean ones. On the beach the fishermen proceeded to the separation. Thus—Jesus says—it happens in the kingdom of heaven.

In this net not only the good and the capable are welcomed, but everyone, without distinction. The kingdom of God does not present itself today in a pure state; within the Christian community the presence of evil and of sin is serenely accepted beside the good. No one, though impure, must feel left out or be marginalized. This is time of mercy and the patience of God who "does not want anyone to perish, but that all may come to conversion" (2 P 3:9). 

Of course the time of separation will come. In the end, the separation will not be between good and bad people, but between good and evil. Only the good will enter heaven, all the negativity will be annihilated first…by the fire of God’s love. 

证道：天国的宝藏：天主的馈赠和人的寻找

在田地中发现宝藏的那个人，他的发现纯属偶然。他再次掩埋，然后卖掉自己的所有，买下了那块田地。可怜的农夫，会被出现在地面上明显闪烁的金器所吸引，直觉直接告诉他：在地面下藏着巨大的财富。他一点也不想失去，因此，他决定买下整块田地。

耶稣所说的宝藏是天国，就是那接受真福八端建议的人所进入的新体验。它有无法估计的价值，并且是那决定倾其一生下赌注的人才能逐渐发现的。这不是要求一个人放弃一些，而是放弃一切。

事实上，这宝藏被发现是偶然的赠予。天主免费向人提供的。它并不是他们行善的奖品。天国的发现包含了一种彻底的转变。这就是决定“变卖一切，买下那块田地”的意义。这是在圣保禄身上所发生的事情。他说：“凡以前对我有利益的事，我如今为了基督，都看作是损失。不但如此，而且我将一切都看作损失，因为我只以认识我主基督耶稣为至宝；为了祂，我自愿损失一切，拿一切当废物，为赚得基督”（斐3：7-8）。

第二个比喻在一些重要的细节上有所区分。与偶然发现宝藏的农夫不同的是，商人是在苦苦寻找之后发现的珍珠。这两种发现的结果是：一个好时运，一个献身的投入。商人的举止代表那些热情寻找生命意义，并让自己每天充满喜乐的人。这两个比喻是相互补充的：天主的国，既是天主自由（免费）的恩赐，也是人类勤劳的果实。

第三个比喻取自加肋里亚海的捕鱼经验。他们通常在渔网和拖网中捕到好鱼，但也有不能吃或不洁的鱼。在海滩上，渔夫会继续分拣。因此，耶稣说，这也发生在天国中。

在这渔网中，不仅欢迎好的和有能力的，而是一视同仁地欢迎每一个人。天主的国并没有在今天得到完全的呈现；在基督徒团体内，靠近善（好）存在的邪恶和罪被平静沉着地接受。没有谁会感受到被忽视或边缘化，即使不洁的罪人亦然。这是天主慈悲和耐心的时期，天主“不愿任何人丧亡，只愿众人回心转意”（伯后3：9）。

当然，分拣的时期终将到来。在最末的时刻，分拣并不是在好与坏之间，而是在善与恶之间。只有善才能进入天国，所有负面的都将被天主的爱火首先彻底摧毁。

文本来源：雅颂福传

译者：Fr.James