“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.” (Matthew 13:44).  

The major theme for this 17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time continues to focus on the Kingdom of God, centering on our Christian discipleship, accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and sacrificing everything to do God’s will, which are equivalent to discovering and possessing the most valuable treasure. In other words, learning from Jesus, keeping a personal relationship with Christ, following His teaching, and sharing the Gospel values are the most beautiful, valuable, and precious things in the world.

Appreciating or valuing our Christian discipleship should go through the process of: (1) “Choosing” – in order to be a value, there must be a “free choice” or “freedom to choose” without pressure or coercion from a variety of “alternatives” and a “thoughtful consideration” of the consequences of each choice; (2) “Prizing” – values flow from things we cherish and esteem, that make us “willing” to proclaim and affirm our election “publicly” that makes us “truly happy”; (3) “Acting” – when a value has been recognized and accepted, it will become part of who we are, and give direction, purpose to our way of life. Appreciating or valuing Christian discipleship do not occur once in a lifetime but persists and tends to exhibit a pattern in life.

God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, Dynamic Christian disciples are those who (1) BELIEVE, (2) GROW, (3) SERVE, (4) LOVE and (5) LEAD others to Jesus. Today’s topic invites us to obtain the greatest treasure of all, to become authentic Christian disciples, thus entering the Kingdom of God to follow Jesus Christ more closely, to repent our sins, to exercise our Christian stewardship, to use our time, treasure, and talents to love God above all, and to love our neighbors as ourselves, participating in the works of mercy, to accomplish God’s will in our lives to glorify God.  

How can we keep our greatest treasure, the Christian discipleship, and obtain salvation?

Wishing everyone a blessed week in the Lord.