St. Philip Catholic Church: We rejoice today, the whole church rejoices and this community also rejoices because in a few moments we're gonna have a new member of our church, Julia. And as witnesses of all of us, we become witness of this baptism. It is our responsibility as a community to pray for their parents and godparents so they may become good examples to Julia. So parents and godparents, you have This big responsibility to show her what our Christian faith is all about. So we rejoice today with you. In today's first reading, when we hear that God appeared to Solomon in a dream, and in a way God made an astonishing offer to Solomon. He said, Ask something of me and I will give it to you. Imagine if God will give you the same thing to you. Imagine if God asks you the same thing. Ask of anything of me and I will give whatever you want to you. And most of us will probably be like, You know, God, feeling a little bit sick, so why don't you just give me this perpetual good health for the rest of my life? Maybe financial security, maybe a success in a good career. Or happiness in our families or in our lives. And none of those things are bad. Those are good things we can ask God for. But Solomon goes beyond that. He asked for something unexpected. He says, Give your servant an understanding heart. So why does Solomon do this? Did he miss such a good opportunity at that point to ask for God for everything? And he just wanted an understanding heart. It wasn't just to simply he could become a wise king and make good political decisions. Rather, he wanted an understanding heart so he can seek God's wisdom. So he can put God's wisdom, God's will before his own. See, Solomon recognized something that goodness does not come from. human opinion but from God himself. If he could know God's will and distinguish good from evil, then everything else that he needed, everything else that he wished for, will fall into its proper place. In a way he wanted a gift that will allow him to be faithful to God rather than to be successful into the eyes of the world. And that is why the Lord was pleased with Solomon's answer, because Solomon saw God first, and God gave him wisdom and riches and honor. See when we see God first we He will provide everything that we truly need. And God's wisdom is never forced upon us. It is offered to our hearts, to hearts that are willing to seek Him, to put Him first. And that is why Jesus often chose to teach us in parables. Because we might think there were so many parables in the Bible, in the gospel. And We might think, well, he did that because his teachings were difficult or confusing. But rather it's actually the opposite. Parables invite us to go deeper, to dive in deeper. They are stories that require us to enter into them personally with our hearts. See, Jesus doesn't want us to just hear his words, but rather to discover the meaning behind those. And to discover them we have to use our heart. Today's two short parables are simple. A man discovers a treasure in a field, a American finds a pearl of great price, and in both cases they sell everything that they have. But they sell them, they give it up not because they are losing something, but rather because they have they have found something greater. And my brothers and sisters, that is the Christian life. Following Christ always involves letting go of something our sins, our pride, our attachments, our own desires, our control, even to let go of ourselves. But see, the thing about it is we don't have to focus on just giving up. Because we have to focus on what we are choosing. Yes, we are giving that up, but we're choosing something someone greater. And the kingdom of God is worth everything because Jesus Jesus Himself is our greatest treasure. In a way, this reading invites us to reflect and examine our own e our own spiritual and prayer life. So ask yourselves when you pray, if you have been praying lately, when you pray, what do you usually ask God for? Do you usually ask God for Lord help me to get a promotion? Lord help me to make more money. Help me to take take everything away from me. Help me to get that everything goes according to my plans? Or do you ask him to help me avoid suffering as well? Again, these prayers are not bad prayers, but perhaps God wants to give us something even greater if we ask him for. Maybe we should be asking, Lord, give me the wisdom to make holy decisions. Give me the heart that recognizes good from evil. Help me to choose forgiveness over resentment. Help me choose honesty even when it costs me. Help me spend more time with you and less with my distractions. Help me to let go of whatever keeps me from loving you completely. See, my brothers and sisters, when our first desire becomes God Himself, everything else will find its proper place. The difference between d those two prayers is one is focused on ourselves and the other one is focused primarily on God. Today Solomon teaches us what God is what to ask God for. And Jesus is teaching us that the kingdom of God is worth everything, that He is that treasure. So today let us ask the Lord the grace to recognize Him, to discern between good and evil, just as Solomon did ask for a understanding heart, to recognize that He is the greatest. treasure because brothers and sisters God has given everything to us. He has given everything that He has, even His beloved Son. And today He's only asking to open our heart to Him and to surrender everything to Him. And if we do that, we will realize that we did not lose something, but rather we have gained everything.