7/30/2023 - 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Choice and Eternity – Delightful Dilemma
One of the greatest gifts we've been given is the capacity for free will, also known as the ability to make a decision from a set of alternatives. Humans have been endowed with free will by God. So, we're going about our days, making our own decisions, and exercising our independence. Options abound in this life. Every day, God gives each of us the opportunity to choose the path we believe will lead to our greatest good. The daily decisions we make add up to the sum of our lives, both the good and the bad. There are always repercussions when you do something or make a decision. Few people give serious consideration to the life God intends for them to have. They let themselves be sidetracked by whatever problems present themselves, never able to concentrate on creating a life they love for themselves.

The quality of our lives is a function of our choices, not our circumstances, as John C. Maxwell once put it. The strongest principle of development lies in human choice, said George Eliot. God has given us free will to decide for ourselves. As a result, knowing what to choose and how to choose may be the most crucial information we ever acquire. There is one decision we must make in this life that will affect us for all of eternity. Knowing God and doing what He commands is optional.

Every man and woman can learn something from Solomon's story, which details how he was given a chance by God in a dream. As a young man who has just succeeded his father as king, he must have felt the temptation to pursue the kinds of things that make us feel superior to others—things like education, wealth, political and economic connections, etc. To the contrary, Solomon's decision was bold and admirable. Solomon's decision to prioritize wisdom over other options can be attributed, in part, to his indifference to fleeting pleasures. The allure of things with an indefinite lifespan was a primary motivator for Solomon. Solomon prayed to God, "give Your servant a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil," in today's First Reading (I Kgs 3:5, 7-12). The modern trend of things, makes it increasingly difficult to discern between good and evil in a world where everybody is encouraged to choose whatever pleases them, making this prayer of Solomon, one that must be said over and over again by all of us. Solomon's determination to earn God's approval underlies many of his decisions. He was never one to give in to the fallacy of labeling people. The desire to do what is right in God's eyes, shapes and directs our decisions. It's a state of mind that develops organically, altering our outlook and priorities in life. This is a crucial consideration because our motivations shape our decisions. The two individuals described in the Gospel Reading fit this description.

They weren't bound by their material possessions. They were driven from within by a desire to acquire something more valuable than anything this world could offer. Their reaction was to "go and sell everything they owned and buy the field and the pearls respectively." Those who are on a quest for meaning in life always have the same mentality: they are willing to sacrifice everything for the things that truly matter. In addition, our preferences reveal the splendor or ugliness of our inner lives and aspirations. When our inner life and our decisions are beautiful, we are just, and when they are ugly, we are wicked. Those who have made good decisions consistently over time will be the only ones left standing by ‘the right side of God’ at the end of the world.

The message of today's Gospel is significant. The advancement of God's kingdom must be our top priority, above all else. According to today's gospel, material possessions will not matter in the afterlife. But look where we've gone. There are few things in life that will bring you as much happiness as seeing someone's sad and pain-filled face light up with a smile because of you. And you understand that every person, regardless of their past or present status in God's eyes, is a priceless pearl. Keep in mind that you are your most valuable asset and give generously of yourself to the world with the reach of your hand.

Fr Tom Kunnel, C.O.