Our Sermons
26 July 2026
The week after the Patronal Festival on Sunday 5 July, I went on retreat to the splendid monastery of Ostuni in Puglia, my homeland. It was a time of silence. I spent three days immersing myself in the monastic rhythm of prayer and work. The monks treated me wonderfully, and I thoroughly enjoyed their hospitality. I had time to pray, read, meditate, and reflect, with no rush, no pressing administrative tasks, and no other commitments.
What a gift to my spiritual life!
Every time I go on retreat, I realise how much I need this precious time to rediscover the hidden treasure of God’s wisdom in my life. Consumed by work and daily concerns, we are always at risk of forgetting what is truly important, what really matters. More than anything else, our Lord cares about our inner life. In silence, I enjoy his presence and come to realise that he does not really care about my successes or failures. Rather, he longs—as I certainly do—to be with me, to enter my inner sanctuary, and to make his presence known.
Peace is not the end result of prayer and meditation; it is their fruit, God’s gracious gift to me, to you, and to all of us as a community.
Like King Solomon, we are challenged by God’s question: “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
What would you ask God if you were given such an unconditional and generous offer? Have you ever thought about it?
Notice the details of the Scripture passage. God sets no conditions for Solomon. He is not like the genie in the story of Aladdin. He makes an astonishingly generous offer to the king of Israel and patiently waits for his response. We should not underestimate the depth of this moment. God’s trust in humanity is far stronger than we often imagine.
God still believes in us. And here we have Solomon.
As king of a small nation surrounded by powerful enemies, always ready to crush Israel and enslave its people, Solomon could have asked for a strong and invincible army, for the ability to build deadly weapons, for more power, more land, or a long life. Instead, he asked for wisdom. Extraordinary! Indeed, King Solomon is remembered not for military conquests, wealth, or power, but because he was one of the wisest men of his age.
Solomon already understood that what matters before God is a wise and understanding heart. Therefore, God gladly granted his request.
This is the inner treasure of God’s wisdom. It is the pearl discovered by the merchant, who refuses to be deceived by the illusions of power, status, or wealth, and instead seeks what truly matters—what gives meaning and purpose to life.
I go on retreat to monasteries because the lives of monks are a powerful reminder of what really matters. They possess very little and devote their lives to two things: prayer and work, ora et labora, as St Benedict taught his monks. Everything else is secondary.
When we discover that precious gem in our own lives, we experience the same joy as the merchant who found the pearl of great price. Joy becomes the soundtrack of our lives, in good times and bad, in moments of happiness and moments of sorrow.
That same joy teaches us what wisdom is. We develop a kind of sixth sense that helps us recognise the people whose words truly matter. In a world dominated by social media, where everyone seems eager to attract the attention of everyone else, where a culture of self-indulgence and self-promotion often fills our daily lives with noise and distraction, we need wisdom more than ever.
As increasing numbers of people struggle with the fear of being alone with themselves, we need to reclaim space for silence, prayer, and reflection. We need places where what truly matters can be nurtured and allowed to grow.
The story of the hidden treasure is more relevant today than ever because, as the old adage reminds us:
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”