Pope Francis meditated on the parable of the businessman who seeks a “pearl of great value” and is invited to avoid mediocrity and routine, cultivating dreams of good and seeking the novelty of the Lord, who always brings changes and renews life on 30 July, Sunday at the Angelus.
“Am I on spiritual pension? How many young people retire?”, questioned Pope Francis on the eve of the celebration of the next World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon (Portugal) which is scheduled for August 1-6.
In this context, the Pope urged “rekindle the desire to seek, find and embrace Jesus, who changes our lives.”
“He is the precious pearl of life” and “it is worth investing everything in him, because when one encounters Christ, life changes,” said the Holy Father from the window of the study of the Vatican Apostolic Palace when commenting on the Gospel of the XVII Sunday of Ordinary Time that tells the parable of a merchant in search of precious pearls ( Mt 13,46 ).
The Pope underlined the first gesture of the businessman: Search. “It is about an enterprising businessman, who does not stay still, but leaves his house and starts looking for precious pearls. He does not say: ‘The ones I have are enough’, but he looks for more beautiful ones”.
“And this,” the Pope pointed out, “is an invitation not to lock ourselves in habit, in the mediocrity of those who are content, but to rekindle our desire: to cultivate dreams of goodness, to seek the novelty of the Lord, because the Lord is not repetitive, he always brings newness, he always makes the realities of life new (cf. Ap 21,5)”.
The Pontiff paused in his meditation on the “gestures of this merchant, who first seeks, then finds and finally buys the precious pearl.”
Next, he explained the second gesture of the businessman: Find. “He is a cunning person who ‘has an eye’ and knows how to recognize a pearl of great price. Is not easy. Think, for example, of the fascinating oriental bazaars, where stalls, packed with merchandise, crowd along the walls of crowded streets; or in some of the stalls that are seen in many cities, full of books and various objects”, noted the Bishop of Rome before the faithful and pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter’s Square.
“Sometimes,” the Pope continued, “in these markets, if one stops to look carefully, one can discover treasures: precious things, rare volumes that, mixed with everything else, one does not notice at first sight. But the merchant in the parable has a good eye and he knows how to find, ‘discern’ the pearl”.
Immediately afterwards, he indicated that this is also a lesson for us: “Every day, at home, on the street, at work, and even on vacation, we have the opportunity to glimpse the good. And it is important to know how to find what matters: train ourselves to recognize the precious gems of life and distinguish them from trinkets.
The Pope underlined the merchant’s last gesture: Buy the pearl. “Realizing his immense worth, he sells everything, he sacrifices all his possessions to have her. He radically changes the inventory of his warehouse; nothing remains but that pearl: it is his only wealth, the meaning of his present and of his future ”.
So, he emphasized that this is also an invitation for us. “But what is that pearl for which you can give up everything, that the Lord speaks to us about? It is Himself, Jesus! He is the precious pearl of life, to be sought, found and possessed. It is worth investing everything in Him, because when one encounters Christ, life changes.”
In the end, the Pope returned to the three gestures of the merchant – search, find, buy – and urged us to ask ourselves: “Search: am I, in my life, searching? Do I feel good, fulfilled, happy, or do I train my desire for good? Am I on spiritual pension? How many young people retire? Secondly, to find: “Do I train myself to discern what is good and comes from God, knowing how to renounce what leaves me little or nothing?”
Finally, he indicated: “Shopping: do I know how to dedicate my energy to Jesus? Is He in the first place for me, is He the greatest good in life? It would be nice to tell him today: “Jesus, You are my greatest good”. “May Mary help us to seek, find and embrace Jesus with all our being”, The Pope concluded.