This morning, Fr. Martin Ip began Mass with a heart-felt thanksgiving. Together with 200 odd youngsters, he took the Qantas Airline to return Hong Kong on July 23! Immediately, the name Qantas sent a chill down the spines of the members of the congregation. On July 25, a 6-foot hole was made near the fuselage of the right wing of a Qantas 747 plane at 30,000 feet. Luckily, it landed safely in Manila. He thanked God because he was sure that they were chosen by our God. This goes well with the theme of the readings today. They were about making choices. We make choice. But at the same time, God has also chosen us.
The readings began with the story of King Solomon asking God for wisdom to rule over Israel (1 Kings3:5-12).
And thy servant is in the midst of thy people whom thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude.
Give thy servant therefore an understanding mind to govern thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to govern this thy great people? (1 Kings 3:8-9)
God was pleased with his request. Therefore, God gave not only what Solomon had asked for, but also things he did not ask.
behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.
I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honour, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.
And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days (1 Kings 3:12-14).
Obviously, this is an idealized rendering of the whole story. It was further supported by the legend of his judgment over two women fighting for one baby and the visit from the Queen of Sheba. If David had fathered the Psalmist tradition, Solomon had become the patron saint of the Wisdom tradition. Many books of wisdom were attributed to him. This was possible only when a country had achieved a certain level of economic prosperity. Indeed, King Solomon had brought huge prosperity to Israel. He engaged in horses and chariots businesses. He was politically smart. He engaged in many diplomatic marriages to form alliance with neighbouring countries in order to maintain a peaceful environment for Israel to grow. Therefore, he had a lot of wives and concubines who did not believe in Yahweh! He spent 7 years to build the Temple which David had dreamed of building but was denied by God. You may admire his devotion to Yahweh. However, Solomon spent 13 years to build his own palace. To please his concubines, Solomon crowded the Temple with many gods and baals. Politically, it was harmless but religiously, it was disastrous. He was able to enjoy a relatively peaceful reign because none of the neighbouring countries were strong enough to build up any empire. Babylon and Assyria were not yet on the rise. But after his death, Israel was divided in the northern kingdom of Israel and southern kingdom of Judah. Therefore, this beatific story of Solomon certainly soothes the injured psyche of the Jewish souls.
In the gospel reading, Fr. Martin chose the short version. It was the parables of the Great Treasure and the Priced Pearl (Matthew 13:44-46). True to his colours as a tax-collector, only Matthew recorded these two utilitarian parables. Surely, these parables appeal to modern businessmen as well with all this language of cost-benefit analysis. This is the beauty of using parables. You can interpret them to whatever depth you want. Traditionally, we may equate the Treasure and the Pearl with eternal life. Then the parables teach us to sacrifice whatever is needed in order to gain eternal life. This seems obvious. But can there be any other interpretation?
To begin with, why did the merchant in the parable buy up the treasure or the pearl? To earn more money! Of course, the merchant can be rich enough simply to spend money collecting items that fancy his heart. But such a reading would belittle the value of eternal life and Matthew should have chosen a rich man instead of a merchant! Would the treasure or the pearl be the final desire of the merchant? Well, this is an open question. We simply cannot answer. Only the merchant can. So, if I stick to the merchant, I will say he is on his quest of making more and more money. Apply this to our spiritual life, we should strive on, sacrificing minor physical comforts to gain major spiritual benefits. In fact, it is a life long process and our treasure changes according to our stage of life. When I asked Symphorian what his treasure was, it was Bakugan 爆丸! When Fr. Martin asked the congregation, most people answered it was their family. Very middle-class Catholic! I think younger people have more choices open to them. As for the aged, their time and choice are very limited indeed. What about eternal life? Probably it is too idealistic. But hasn't Jesus taught us so?
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well (Matthew 6:33).
My dear Advocate, teach us what best to choose at our particular stage. Money, family, fame and achievements may not be the best. Whatever choices we make, may they be pleasing to You. Amen.
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