July 26, 2026 - 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Starting with Dale Carnegie's classic advice on winning friends, Fr. Rob takes a surprising turn by declaring that virtually all of us are liars—not necessarily to others, but to ourselves. We convince ourselves that the next achievement, possession, or status will finally bring us happiness: the shiny car, the cottage, fame, popularity, wealth. Yet every single time we attain our goal, we discover it didn't deliver what we expected. So we lie to ourselves again, chasing the next thing, often repeating this pattern hundreds of times throughout our lives. Fr. Rob points to the Gospel's parable of the pearl of great price as the answer to this exhausting cycle. The true treasure isn't found in possessions or achievements—it's the Kingdom of God, where love, mercy, compassion, and hope are shared freely and generously. When we orient our lives around this reality rather than material or social gains, we discover the contentment and peace we've been seeking. Yet Fr. Rob admits that even after glimpsing this truth, we tend to forget it and revert to our old patterns. Wisdom, like Solomon's, takes a lifetime to cultivate—and Fr. Rob jokes he'll need to live to 117 to finally get there.