Homily of the Seventeenth Sunday of OT: Year A, 2026

Once long ago, a king was traveling through the desert followed by his servants. Suddenly one of the camels stumbled and fell, and a chest fell from the camel's back and burst open. The Jewels, pearls and diamonds spilled all over the ground. The king looked at the treasures and said to his servants, “I am going to continue. You can stay here and take the jewels. Whatever you pick up you may keep,” and he left them. After traveling for a short time, thinking he was alone, he looked back and saw only one servant following behind him. The King asked the servant, “Are you still following me? Aren’t those pearls and jewels important to you? You could be rich for life!” The servant responded, “My king is more important to me than those pearls and jewels. “What a wonderful response from the good servant.

How do we understand the parables of the great treasure and a precious pearl? This is how I understand the parables.

 We are created in God’s image and his likeness. So, each of us is his pearl, his treasure which he loves very much. Unfortunately, our first parents sinned against God and lost. So, to redeem what he had lost because of our sins, God, the Father, had to trade his Only Begotten Son for us. We can say: God always sees each of us as a beautiful pearl which needs to be redeemed. A pearl, a diamond cannot shine on itself, but it needs to be fixed through a good hand. So, the first thing the Son of God had to do was become a man like us, to show us the way to salvation, and then he died on the cross to redeem us. In John 3:16, Jesus said: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

There is an old teacher and a troubled student. This student always caused problems in his class, and he even disrespected and insulted his old teacher. One day, on the street, the teacher saw his bad student being beaten by a group of bad boys. The teacher did not think about his safety, but he jumped into the fight to save his student. After that day, the student had changed into a good student because his teacher did not hate him but regardless of the danger of saving him that day. The lesson of the story is: the teacher has seen his wicked student’s potential talents and goodness. He was willing to sacrifice his life to convert his students.

Dear friend in Christ, every human being was redeemed with a great price which is God’s only Son’s Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity on the cross. His blood was poured out for the forgiveness of Sins. We were all made with the potential to be good and perfect. Sins are not who we are, but God’s image and likeness is. St. Peter said in his first letter, 2:9: “But you are a chosen race, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” How do we respond to God’s love for us? We must rely on God’s mercy and surrender to Him every day. Let His Grace change us and transform us into his instruments of love in the world.