Sharing Guidelines
*Sharing is not a time for teaching or debate; it is a time to sense the marvelous work of the Holy Spirit who leads the gathering.
*Reflection sharing is not meant to teach others but to share the meaning you personally have discovered. Therefore, do not criticize or debate another person’s sharing. Avoid boasting of your own understanding or knowledge.
*Respect the grace of the Holy Spirit, who reveals the meaning of the Word while dwelling among us, and listen attentively to others’ sharing, holding it in your heart.
*Keep confidential any personal reflections or stories shared in the group; practicing brotherly love means not passing along private matters outside the meeting.
*When speaking, always use the first person singular (“I”). Be careful not to distance or generalize your story by using the third person (“he,” “they”) or the first person plural (“we”).
*Keep it short.
Reading 1
1 Kings 3:5, 7-12
The LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
Solomon answered:
“O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king
to succeed my father David;
but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”
The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him:
“Because you have asked for this—
not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches,
nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right—
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you.”
-The Word of the Lord – Thanks be to God
Reading 2
Romans 8:28-30
Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers and sisters.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified
-The Word of the Lord – Thanks be to God
Gospel
Matthew 13:44-52
Jesus said to his disciples:
“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.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
“Do you understand all these things?”
They answered, “Yes.”
And he replied,
“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household
who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.”
-The Gospel of the Lord -Praise to you Lord, Jesus Christ
Today’s Reflection
Today, Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a hidden treasure and a precious pearl. To enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we need to let go of everything that is not necessary. Whenever we want to pursue something important, we have to give up something else. We cannot have everything in this life. The same is true when we seek the Kingdom of Heaven. We need to make a firm decision to let go of unnecessary things and keep trying without giving up.
The important question is: What do we really need, and what do we not need? The first reading gives us the answer:
“Give your servant a listening heart, so that I may govern your people and know the difference between good and evil.”
To gain wisdom, we first need to learn how to listen. We often think that speaking is important. But to speak well, we must first learn to listen well.
“Know this, my dear brothers: everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath,” (James 1:19).
Therefore, if we want to speak well, we must first listen well. For this, we need to spend enough time in silence.
When we spend time alone in a quiet place, we can realize how noisy our hearts have been. We can also discover what is troubling us and what is holding us down. Then we can deeply understand why we need the Kingdom of God.
Through this process, we will naturally learn to let go of things that are not necessary for the Kingdom of Heaven. We will become people of faith who know where to make a true and meaningful investment. (김준철 토마스 아퀴나스 신부)
