July 26, 2026
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 109
Reading 1
The LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, "Ask something of me and I will give it to you."
Solomon answered:
"O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king
to succeed my father David;
but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?"
The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him:
"Because you have asked for this—
not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches,
nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right—
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you."
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm
119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130
R. (97a) Lord, I love your commands.
I have said, O LORD, that my part
is to keep your words.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to your servants.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
For I love your commands
more than gold, however fine.
For in all your precepts I go forward;
every false way I hate.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Wonderful are your decrees;
therefore I observe them.
The revelation of your words sheds light,
giving understanding to the simple.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers and sisters.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
for you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
"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."
or
Jesus said to his disciples:
"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."
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072626.cfm
Commentary on 1
Kings 3:5,7-12; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52
We have today the third and final set of readings centred on
the parables of the Kingdom from Matthew chapter 13. If you have not read last
Sunday’s reflection you might like to go back and refresh your memory on what
is understood here by the “kingdom of heaven” (i.e. of kingdom of God).
We are again presented today with three parables, two of
which are closely linked in meaning, but with slight differences. The people of
Jesus’ time would have understood them all very easily, as they were drawn from
scenes of everyday life with which they were perfectly familiar.
The first and second parables are in effect saying that to
know God and to live according to the gospel are the most precious things in
life. Through Jesus and the gospel we come to know and understand what is the
real meaning of life, what are the most important things in life.
Discovering a treasure
In the first parable Jesus compares entering the Kingdom to a man who finds
treasure in a field. We need to remember that in those days, ordinary people
did not have banks. Only the rich had access to places where their possessions
were secure. If ordinary people did have valuable things, the simplest and
safest thing was to hide them under the ground. Of course, because of war or
some other unforeseen calamity, they might have to leave a place suddenly and
not be able to take their belongings with them. They might not be able to
return or they might die before they could do so. Someone else, then, might
stumble on their treasure and, according to Jewish law, the finder could regard
it as his own.
In this parable, the man comes across the treasure, but the
field where it is hidden does not belong to him. He sells everything he has in
order to buy the field and hence its buried treasure. The obvious idea is that
when one really discovers Jesus and his vision of life, everything else becomes
secondary. In the service of the Kingdom there are no half measures, and in
that service there is a special kind of liberating joy. This was Paul’s
experience:
…I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing
value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of
all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ… (Philippians
3:8)
And again:
For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. (Philippians
1:21)
To have a personal relationship with Christ and to have made
his view of life one’s own is the most beautiful, the most precious thing in
the world. It is not enough, of course, just to say this; one must personally
experience it as a fact—as many have done, and unfortunately, as many others
have never really tried to do.
In search of treasure
The second parable is similar. A businessman is looking for fine pearls. When
he finds the one he wants, he sells everything else he has in order to acquire
it.
A slight, if significant, difference has been pointed out
between the two stories. In the first, the man was not actually looking for the
treasure. Perhaps he found it while digging the ground or ploughing the field,
that is, in the course of his ordinary working day. Jesus—and the real meaning
of Jesus—may come to me unexpectedly through some daily experience. Many people
have described their conversion to Christ as happening in such an unexpected
way. There is a need, as the Gospels constantly urge, for us to be ready
whenever and however Jesus comes into our lives.
In the second parable, however, the man is on the lookout
for the “pearl of great value”. He knows it must exist and he uses all his
energies to find it. Although we are baptised Christians, we still need to
constantly pursue the true and full meaning of the gospel which can escape us
for many years. We always need to understand more, to love more and to serve
more.
Example of Solomon
It is in this context that we can take a look at the First Reading from the
First Book of Kings. The young King Solomon is told by God:
Ask what I should give you.
It is a question that Jesus sometimes asks in the Gospels
and he is asking it of me in today’s Mass. How am I going to answer? What do I
most want to have or to be right now? We can make a good guess at what a lot of
people, including ourselves, would be likely to ask. For many it would be
likely to have some connection with money or material security. But Solomon
asked:
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to
govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern
this great people of yours?
In other words, he asked for wisdom and discernment. Wisdom
is much more than knowing a lot of things or having prestigious university
degrees. Being endowed with wisdom is much more than being just a morally very
good person. Wisdom gives an insight into what is truly important in life, an
awareness of the meaning and purpose of living, of what really matters. It is
an understanding of where our real well-being and happiness lies. That is
indeed a “pearl of great value”—priceless in every sense of the word.
Wisdom as seeing
Solomon did not ask for wealth, or power, although these things came to him. He
did not ask just to have things, or to have obstacles in his life removed. He
asked to be able to see. A constant theme running through the Gospels is the
healing of blind people and of the incurable blindness of those who thought
they could see. The true disciple is the one who begs Jesus:
Lord, let me see… (Luke 18:41)
The one who sees is the one who has wisdom. The one who has
wisdom knows how to cope with the situations of life, whether they bring ease
or difficulty, pain or joy.
This is what Solomon asked for and this is what God gave
him:
Because you have asked this and have not asked for
yourself long life or riches or for the life of your enemies but have asked for
yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your
word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been
before you, and no one like you shall arise after you.
And, of course, the ‘wisdom of Solomon’ is a by-word down to
our day.
This is the “treasure hidden in a field” for which a man
sells everything to have; this is the fine “pearl of great value” for which a
merchant sells everything he owns in order to get it. The ability to see is
what opens the door to the Kingdom of God, that world of interlocking
relationships between God, human beings and our world which brings to all
security, happiness and peace. For here there is truth, here there is love and
caring, here there is freedom and peace.
For much of the time, we are chasing false treasures, mainly
money, status and pleasure. For much of the time we are locked into the
past—full of nostalgia or regrets, or focused on the future—not yet achieved
longings and desires, or depressing fears and anxieties. Meanwhile the
enriching present passes us by and the treasure is never discovered and the
really valuable pearl is never found.
A mixed bag
This brings us to the third parable today. While the first and second parables
speak of the total commitment and dedication which are the ideal of every
follower of Christ, this third parable helps to put our two feet firmly back on
the ground. While the ideals are valid and still beckon us, they must not lead
us into any form of elitism. This parable reminds us that the Church, and even
the Kingdom in the process of its evolution, is full of all kinds of people.
Our Church is a Church of both saints and sinners. And we might say it is
primarily for sinners:
…Those who are well have no need of a physician but those
who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous but sinners. (Mark
2:17)
The role of the Church is to accept into its bosom and to
lead to the “treasure” and “the pearl of great value”:
…the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. (Luke
14:21)
The lesson of this parable is similar to that of the weeds
growing up with the wheat (see Matt 13:24-43), namely, that the kingdom is a
mixed body of saints and sinners (good and rotten fish). There will be always
be a temptation on the part of some who feel they are more ‘faithful’ to
separate themselves from the ‘bad eggs’ or from the ‘weeds’, but Jesus is here
telling us that is the work of God in his own good time. In the meantime, it is
for us to learn to be tolerant, compassionate and understanding of those who
seem to fall far below the requirements of the gospel and the Kingdom. And, as
we said in discussing the parable of the weeds, there are very few of us who
are not, in the one person, a mixture of the good and the rotten. If there are
some who clearly do fall by the wayside, we can sincerely say, along with Saint
Augustine:
There, but for the grace of God, go I.
Judgment is for later; right now, it is for us to use the
time given to us to go in search of the “treasure” and the “pearl of great
value”—of the gift to be able to identify, with Jesus, the really true, the
good and the beautiful, and to help others too in the same search.
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Sunday, July 26,
2026
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us read the Scriptures
with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In
the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the
presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the
cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life
and of resurrection. Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice
in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the
poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two
disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and
witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity,
justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us
the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.
Gospel Reading -- Matthew 13: 44-52
A Division of the Text as an Aid to the
Reading:
•
Matthew 13:44: The parable of the hidden
treasure
•
Matthew 13:45-46: The parable of the merchant looking
for precious pearls
•
Matthew 13:47-50: The parable of the dragnet
cast into the sea • Matthew
13:51-52: A parable to conclude the discourse of the parables A Key to the Reading:
On this 17th Sunday of ordinary time
we meditate on the three parables that make up the final section of the
Discourse of the Parables: the hidden treasure, the merchant of precious pearls
and the dragnet cast into the sea. Jesus’ parables help us adjust our sight to
better see the presence of the Kingdom of God in the most ordinary things of
life. As we read, it would be good to keep in mind the following: “What is for
me a hidden treasure, a merchant of precious pearls or a dragnet cast into the
sea? How does my experience help me understand the parables of the treasure, of
the pearl and of the dragnet?” The Text:
44 'The kingdom of Heaven is like treasure
hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off in his
joy, sells everything he owns and buys the field. 45 'Again, the kingdom of
Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; 46 when he finds one of
great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.
47 'Again, the kingdom of Heaven
is like a dragnet that is cast in the sea and brings in a haul of all kinds of
fish. 48 When it is full, the fishermen bring it ashore; then, sitting down,
they collect the good ones in baskets and throw away those that are no use. 49
This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate
the wicked from the upright, 50 to throw them into the blazing furnace, where
there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
51
'Have you understood all these?' They said,
'Yes.'
52
And he said to them, 'Well then, every scribe
who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who
brings out from his storeroom new things as well as old.'
A Moment of Prayerful Silence
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
Some Questions
to help us in our personal reflection.
•
What part of the text struck me most? Why?
•
In my experience of life, what do I understand
by a hidden treasure, a merchant of precious pearls, or a dragnet cast into the
sea?
•
How does this experience of mine help me
understand the parables of the treasure, the pearl and the dragnet?
•
What difference is there between the parable of
the treasure and that of the pearl?
•
What does the text say about the mission to be
carried out as disciples of Christ?
Going Deeper into the Theme
The Context of the Parables Told by Jesus:
The Gospels contain many parables of Jesus.
Matthew even says: “All these things Jesus said to the crowd in parables and
did not speak to them unless in parables” (Mt 13: 34). This was a common method
of teaching used in those days. It was in this way that Jesus made himself
understood by the people. In the parables, he starts from very ordinary things
of life, and he uses them as terms of comparison to help people better
understand the less known things of the Kingdom of God. In this Sunday’s
Gospel, Jesus starts with three well-known things in the lives of people: the
treasure hidden in the field, the merchant who seeks pearls and the dragnet
that fishermen cast into the sea.
A Commentary on the Text:
•
Matthew 13: 44: The Parable of the Hidden
Treasure
Here the term of comparison used to shed light on the
things of the Kingdom of God is the treasure hidden in the field. No one knows
that there is a treasure in that field. By chance, a man finds it. He did not
know he was going to find it. He finds it and rejoices and gratefully welcomes
the unexpected. The discovered treasure does not belong to him yet, it will be
his if he succeeds in buying the field. Such were the laws in those days. So he
goes, sells all he owns and buys that field. By buying the field he also
acquires the treasure.
Jesus does not explain the parable. The same applies here
as was said on previous occasions: “He who has ears to hear let him hear” (Mt
13: 9, 43). Or: “The Kingdom of God is this. You have heard. Now try to
understand!” If Jesus does not explain the parable, nor will I. This is the
task of each one of us. But I would like to offer a suggestion beginning from
what I have understood. The field is our life. In our lives there is no hidden
treasure, no precious treasure, more precious than all else. Will anyone who
comes across such a treasure give away everything that he or she owns in order
to buy this treasure? Have you found it?
•
Matthew 13: 45-46: The Parable of the Merchant
of Precious Pearls
In the first parable, the term of comparison is “the
treasure hidden in the field.” In this parable, the accent is different. The
term of comparison is not the precious pearl, but the activity, the effort of
the merchant who seeks precious pearls. We all know that such pearls exist.
What is important is not to know that they exist, but to seek them ceaselessly
until we come across them.
Both parables have some common and some different elements.
In both cases, it is about something precious: a treasure and a pearl. In both
cases there is a finding of the object desired, and in both cases the person
goes and sells all he owns so as to be able to buy the precious thing found. In
the first parable, the finding is by chance. In the second, the finding is the
result of the effort of seeking. Here we see two basic aspects of the Kingdom
of God. The Kingdom exists, it is hidden in life, waiting for those who will
find it. The Kingdom is the result of a seeking (obtaining). These are the two
basic dimensions of human life: gratitude of love that welcomes us and comes to
meet us, and the faithful observance that brings us to meet the Other.
•
Matthew 13: 47-50: The Parable of the Dragnet
Cast into the Sea
Here the Kingdom is likened to a dragnet, not any kind of
net, but a net cast into the sea and that gathers fish of all kinds. It is
something typical of the life of those who were listening, most of whom were
fishermen who lived by fishing. This is an experience they are familiar with,
the casting of the net that gathers all, some good and some less good. The
fisherman cannot prevent the less good fish to enter the net, because he cannot
control what happens in the deep waters of the sea where he drags his net. He
will only know when he pulls up the net and sits with his mates to sort the
fish out. Then they will separate what is worthwhile from what is worthless.
Again, Jesus does not explain the parable. He just gives a hint: “This is how
it will be at the end of time.” Then the good will be separated from the evil.
•
Matthew 13: 51-52: Conclusion of the Discourse
of Parables
In Matthew’s Gospel, the discourse of parables ends with a
brief dialogue between Jesus and his listeners and that acts as a key to the
reading of all the parables. Jesus asks, “Have you understood all these?” The
people reply, “Yes!” Then Jesus concludes with these very beautiful words,
“Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of Heaven is
like a householder who brings out from his storeroom new things as well as
old.” These closing words are another parable. “The things new as well as old
that the householder brings out from his storeroom” are the things of the life
that Jesus has just suggested in the parables: seeds cast in the field (Mt 13:
4-8), the mustard seed (Mt 13: 31-32), the leaven (Mt 13: 33), the treasure
hidden in the field (Mt 13:44), the merchant of precious pearls (Mt 13: 45-46),
the dragnet cast into the sea (Mt 13: 47-48). Each person’s experience of these
things is his or her treasure. It is in such experiences that each person finds
the term of comparison that will permit him or her to better understand the
things of the Kingdom of God! Sometimes when the parables do not mean much to
us and do not yield their message, the cause may not be a lack of study, but a
lack of experience in life or a lack of depth in one’s life. Those who live
superficially without any depth of the experience of life, have no storeroom
from which to bring out things new as well as old.
A Deepening: The Teaching of the Parables
The parables of Jesus are a
pedagogical device that uses daily life to show us how the things of daily life
speak to us of God. The parables make reality transparent and reveal the
presence and action of God. They transform one’s sight into a contemplative
gaze. A parable is about the things of life and thus is an open teaching that
involves us. We all have experience of the things of life. The teaching in
parables begins with a person’s experience of common things so as to be able to
understand the Kingdom: seed, salt, light, sheep, flowers, woman, children,
father, net, fish, treasure, pearl, etc.
Jesus did not usually explain
his parables. Generally, he ended with this phrase: “He who has ears to hear
let him hear!” (Mt 11: 15; 13: 9, 43), or, "That’s it. You’ve heard! Now
try to understand!” Jesus left his parables open ended, he did not finish them.
This is a sign that Jesus believed in the ability of people to discover the
meaning of the parable starting from their own experience of life.
Occasionally, at the request of his
disciples, he would explain the meaning. (Mt 13: 10, 36). For instance, verses
36-43 explain the parable of the wheat and the weeds. It is also possible that
these explanations are the reflection of the catechesis given to the
communities of first Christians. The communities met and discussed the parables
of Jesus, seeking to understand what Jesus meant to say. Thus, gradually, the
teaching of Jesus started to be assimilated into the catechesis of the
community and this then becomes an explanation of the parable
Palm 19: 7-14
The Law of Yahweh is Perfect
The Law of Yahweh is perfect,
refreshment to the soul; the decree of Yahweh is trustworthy, wisdom for the
simple.
The precepts of Yahweh are honest,
joy for the heart; the commandment of Yahweh is pure, light for the eyes.
The fear of Yahweh is pure, lasting for ever;
the judgements of Yahweh are true, upright, every one, more desirable than
gold, even than the finest gold; his words are sweeter than honey, that drips
from the comb.
Thus your servant is formed by
them; observing them brings great reward. But who can detect his own failings?
Wash away my hidden faults.
And from pride preserve your servant, never let it be my
master.
So shall I be above reproach, free from grave sin.
May the words of my mouth always find favor, and the
whispering of my heart, in your presence, Yahweh, my rock, my redeemer.
Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to
understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions
and grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us.
May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word.
You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever
and ever. Amen.
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