17TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME A

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THE DISCOVERY





One day on youtube, I saw Kulas, probably the most convincing and dedicated tourism ambassador for the Philippines. He brings people to appreciate the waters, the mountains, the culture, and the people of our country with his inexhaustible energy and infectious joy in presenting the positive side of being Filipino. Surprisingly, Kulas is Canadian, not Filipino. He went through a personal search for the ideal place to live, interact, and enjoy life. And he left behind his family in Canada and his job in Hongkong and embraced the great discovery of his life in our country.



The Lord Jesus invites us today to undertake a journey too. Not a journey for greener pastures, nor for a land of more possibilities. Jesus takes us on a deeper journey of the heart – a search for the Kingdom of God.



For Jesus, there is nothing more exciting, more attractive, more desirable, than the Kingdom that God promises to those who yearn for it.  The Kingdom of God is not a physical place but a situation of the heart when God is the center of everything for a person, where his will is the driving force for every dream and every action, where God reigns supreme.



In life, we can get entangled in the kingdoms of success, of riches, of power, of enjoyment, of hyperactivity, of reputation. Deep inside we feel that none of these can lead to true happiness and contentment. The most that happens to us is that we crave for more of the world and of ourselves in a cycle of gratification, consumption, frustration, anger, and sadness.



Jesus invites us to allow God to take hold of everything in our lives, not to control us, but to lead us to real joy and fulfilling life. Many people who discover this deeper relationship with the Lord soon realize that with God at the center of one’s life, there is nothing more to desire. God is enough for me!



Will you go in search of the Kingdom of God? Will you be willing to discover the pearl of great price, the treasure buried in the field (Mt 13)? Will you come to Jesus and anchor your whole life on his Word, his power and his great love and so discover the Kingdom he speaks of?


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