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Illustration: Parable of the Hidden Treasure by Rembrandt (c. 1630)
Pope Leo’s Angelus Reflection for 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Piazza della Libertà (Castel Gandolfo)
Sunday, 26 July 2026
1st Reading: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12.
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” And Solomon said, “Thou hast shown great and steadfast love to thy servant David my father, because he walked before thee in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward thee; and thou hast kept for him this great and steadfast love and hast given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people whom thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude. Give thy servant therefore an understanding mind to govern thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to govern this thy great people?”
It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word.
Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.
Sunday Gospel: Matthew 13:44-52
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
“Have you understood all this?” They said to him, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
Pope Leo’s Reflection:
Dear brothers and sisters,
At the heart of Jesus’ teachings is the mystery of the Kingdom of God, which today’s Gospel likes to a pearl and a treasure.
The parables suggest the surprise of finding what one could not even hope for.
In this case, selling or leaving everything is not a renunciation, but a gain.
From the very beginning, the evangelists describe Jesus’ call to follow him as irresistible.
It is free, certainly, but also urgent, capable of eliciting an immediate response driven by desire.
This is an important aspect of how God is close and makes himself found.
The encounter with his Kingdom is a turning point that broadens life, not restricts it.
If anything must change, it should be for more possibilities, not fewer.
Jesus seems to place great importance on a second aspect: the person who finds the treasure hidden in the field is likely a farmer.
On the other hand, the pearl is recognized as being of great value by a merchant who is perhaps a traveler.
Two more parables follow, this time with fishermen and a scribe who is an expert in old and new things as the protagonists.
In other parables, the Kingdom is seen in a woman kneading flour, a woman tidying up the house, a king planning war, a man designing a tower, administrators managing payments or investments, and shepherds and farmers.
In short, the Kingdom of God reveals its inestimable beauty through various paths, calling everyone—men and women, young and old, poor and rich—to profound renewal. Everyone can understand and be attracted to it.
Even today, the Church is a community of people who differ in origin, culture, skills, and level of responsibility. Yet, they are all called to recognize themselves as “one” in Jesus Christ. He is the hidden treasure, the precious pearl, and the net that gathers the scattered.
From the beginning, Jesus called and gathered people around him who would never have met otherwise.
In this way, he showed that God does not show favoritism and that he especially chooses those who are small and discarded.
Brothers and sisters, all that remains is for us to ask for the same gift invoked by the young King Solomon.
It is the gift of discerning the pearl of great value and recognizing the treasure for which it is worth selling everything.
While the consumer industry changes our tastes, arousing new desires and selling us unsatisfying and sometimes harmful solutions, we must learn to grasp what really matters: the treasure of our relationship with God, which opens us to joy and helps us live our lives to the fullest.
May the intercession of Mary, Seat of Wisdom, guide our desire for life to Jesus, so that it may be fully realized.
