Mahlabathini, 26 July 1987

Solomon asked to receive wisdom so that he might understand everything properly. We, too, do not lack the wisdom through which we can understand that, in finding the love and Kingdom of God, we have found a treasure greater than everything else. We celebrate today’s Mass with joy because we recognise this truth.

Solomon asks God for wisdom.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Life is becoming difficult, is it not?

How much money must we spend to obtain food and all our other necessities!

And yet it is still not enough.

Sometimes we need clothes and must repair other things, or the children need money for school.

There are many reasons why we must keep paying out money.

Sometimes we do not know where we will find the money to pay for our needs.

Nevertheless, we pay because we need these things.

Some of us pay in instalments because this is necessary.

To earn the money we need, some of us work for other people as their employees.

Therefore, we spend much of our time, strength and money simply trying to live—to have at least a reasonably decent life.

Families work hard to meet the needs of daily life.

Excuse me, may I ask you: what are you prepared to do to obtain eternal life and to enter the Kingdom of God?

I do not mean the offertory collection — unless you are among those who think that a few cents are sufficient for the work of the Church and the Kingdom of God.

Nor do I mean the parish contribution — unless you are among those who think that the Church can meet the needs of the community without the contributions that have been neglected.

No, I am thinking of something much greater than that.

It could be very easy, especially for wealthy people, to imagine that they demonstrate their commitment to the Kingdom of God simply by giving money to the Church. But then it may appear as though people merely want other people’s money.

I believe that the Kingdom of God demands something far greater from us.

In the Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to a treasure and to a precious pearl. People give up everything they possess in order to obtain it.

The Kingdom of God is like a treasure and a pearl of great price.

Our faith is not merely a matter of shopping wherever things are cheapest.

We cannot obtain God’s love in proportion to the size of an offering, a parish contribution, our prayers, or our attendance at church services.

Is God the source and owner of love, or is he like a dog that becomes quiet when someone throws it some food?

God does not want our money.

God does not want only our prayers.

God does not merely want this thing or that thing from us.

God wants you yourself.

God wants all of you!

God did not merely give us this thing or that thing.

Instead, he gave us his very self in Jesus Christ, who offered himself upon the cross and died in order to save us.

Jesus gave himself completely to save us.

The response of our faith is that we should give ourselves to God and continually place our whole being in his hands.

When we live for God, we must continually seek him and his will.

When we live for God, we try earnestly to keep his commandments, because they show us the way and teach us love.

When we live for God, we do everything in our power to enable the Church to meet its needs through our offerings and through our own service in the Church’s various ministries.

The Lord Jesus paid with his life so that we might be saved.

I believe that our response should be nothing less than our whole life.

We should live our lives as an offering to God and to all those people who need our love and assistance.

The reward God gives us is not merely a pearl or treasure in this earthly life, but eternal life and God himself.

Amen.