In every regular family there is always the battle of the cookies: “Mom, I want a cookie NOW! Why I cannot eat a cookie now?”
As a parent you cannot always give your kids everything they ask for. As parents you have to take care of health and temperance of children. At the same time there are some things that you provide for your children that sometimes they do not realize or appreciate: Food, clothing, education, and even medical insurance. Do your kids even realize that that have medical insurance? These things are just part of being a good parent. How much more so with God the Father! God the Father may not give us everything that we ask for but what parent does? How many times a day do we say the Our Father? And how many times a day do we give thanks for all the benefits we receive from heaven? My brother, my sister, I think sometimes we take God for granted. And sometimes we are not sufficiently grateful for everything we have. Thanksgiving to God is not only the day of thanksgiving in November, is for the entire year!
In the second reading St. Paul tells us that we are called be conformed to the image of the Son. We have to be like the Son of God: grateful, obedient, sober, and so on. Above all, we must feel that there is a relationship with God that He is our father and cares what happens to us.
There is a short story by Scott Hahn [If you are not familiar with him, I strongly recommend his books] very useful to understand this. Mr. Hahn and a Muslim scholar were supposed to have a debéit. Scott Han kept referring to God as our Father. The Muslim became increasingly upset with each reference to God the Father or the Trinity. The Muslim said “God is not Father, Allah is Master.” Despite all the attempts of Professor Hahn to reason with his Muslim companion, he would not accept any reference to God as Father. The Muslim claimed, “God does not love like a Father.” Finally, the Muslim tried to explain God this way, “Look, I have a dog. I love my dog. But I am moving into an apartment that does not allow dogs. While I love my dog, he is my dog, so I will kill my dog because I can’t take him to my new apartment.” Scott Hahn was just amazed and realized how much we take for granted the love God has for us as His children.
My brother, my sister, let us be very honest: we do not understand the love of God. And in that lays the root of our problems. That is the origin of sadness. That is the source of dissension and envy. Solomon's prayer that we hear the first reading should be our daily prayer: God give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. And just as Solomon prayed, not for riches or fame, but for the wisdom to judge what would be best for his people, we must seek a heart full of wisdom and understanding, I mean true wisdom understands that the Kingdom of God, our Catholic Faith is indeed the greatest treasure beside which all else fades. But, father what is exactly this treasure? Well, this treasure is a meaningful, personal, ongoing relationship with God our father. I believe that is why we are here. I firmly believe that is why we come back to Mass week after week. You know, at our very core, at the very essence of who we are, we desire that relationship with our God. No treasure is going to sustain that relationship, nor will pearls. Fecisti nos ad Te, Domine, et inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te, You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.
Today Jesus asks us: Do you understand all these things? Let us get some examination of conscience. Today, as we receive the Eucharist, as we partake of Gods priceless gift to us, let us ask, like Solomon, for the grace and the courage to have an understanding heart and the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Such a treasure will serve us well on our journey to the kingdom of heaven and to find happiness here on earth. Praised be Jesus Christ now and forever, Amen ■
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