psalm 119: my portion is the Lord - 17th sunday A

Today we reflect on our responsorial psalm and allow this to explain to us more clearly the words of Jesus in our gospel.

Psalm 119 verse 57, the first line in our responsorial psalm says, "I have said, O LORD, that my part is to keep your words. The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces." That my part or portion is to keep your words

This line is significant to me personally and in my choice to become a priest 24 years ago for it recalls the essence of the priesthood starting in the Old Testament with the Tribe of Levi.  When God parceled the promised land to the twelve tribes of Israel, one tribe was not given any land.  At the time of the Old Testament land means life – with land man can survive, because land is income, one can earn his keep, one can build his home, the place where his children shall be raised, the produce can provide a stable means of living and the stability or permanence which a growing family needs.  Land therefore is a blessing.  But the tribe of Levi, the tribe of priests were not given land for the Lord said, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them." Then God said to the tribe of Levi, "I am your portion and your inheritance."

Why?  Because the Levites are to totally dedicate themselves to the Lord, they had to live on him alone, reliant on his provident love.  They have also to rely on others too, in the generosity of their brothers and sisters from other tribes so that they can dedicate themselves to the Lord more fully. 

In Psalm 119 this part, this portion of Levi is not only limited to God but also to his word.  As a Levite, his inheritance, his part is to keep God's words, to treasure it, to guard it, to meditate on it day and night and to love it, for it is to them more precious than gold and silver pieces.

I said that in my choice to become a priest this line in the book of Psalms was significant.  It is a choice over what to value most, what to keep as more precious, what to choose as more valuable, what to do as more important, what to possess as one that is more loved above the many other loves in my life.

Many times, in the span of 24 years as a priest I also have my share of bad choices – when I came to value and fancy things and perhaps relationships other than my relationship with the Lord and with his word.  Many times, because of insecurity about the future I chose to trust money and possessions more than the Lord whom I should trust to provide for my needs.  Sometimes I forget about this promise, I forget and need to recover my original choice.  Thus, our psalm today is a reminder because we need to be always reminded of our original choice to seek the Lord as our treasure and our only security.

Our psalm today and our gospel especially puts the same questions before each one of us – what and who is it that you treasure, who or what do you value most in your life?

I have said it many times that temptation and distractions in our lives are not always choices between good and evil.  Many times it is a choice between two goods.  In the gospel the man who finds a treasure in the land goes back to sell everything that he has in order to buy the land and keep the treasure to himself.  What he possessed were good, the treasure was also good.  What would he choose to possess then?  A merchant was searching for fine pearls and he found the pearl of great price that he was searching for.  And so he sold all that he had and bought the pearl of great price.  His possessions were good, the pearl was also good.  Now what would he choose to possess?

Everyday we are put in the same dilemma, someway somehow, big and small choices, great and lowly options - family or career; financial stability or presence with the children; money and security or personal happiness and fulfillment;

And almost always they lead us to the original question, what is it that you treasure most?  What is your pearl of great price?

Today seminary Sunday of our parish, the fifth Sunday of every month, we are reminded that there are people who make it their choice to try it out to follow the Lord in the religious vocation.  Indi man sila tanan magpari, but they're trying it out.  And a very big part of trying that out is to see for themselves where their heart is, what is it, who is it that they treasure most, who is it that they are looking for as a pearl of great price? 

It cost a lot to train them, and so at least once a year they get to experience how it feels to look for money and resources in order that the seminary can continue to fulfill its mission.  The collecta in this mass is for the seminary and the seminarians themselves will do the collecta.

Again, in whatever we do, in the choices that we make, big and small, great and ordinary, we should always be conscious and ready to answer the question, what is it that you treasure most?  What is your pearl of great price?