Shadowing Practice: Be Willing To Sell Everything For Heaven | Fr. Dan Reehil | 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Learn English Speaking with Video
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let's pretend that today when you get home God appears to you
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and says ask me whatever you want and I will grant it for you.
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What are you gonna ask for?
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Think about it really.
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Is it the mega millions numbers or perhaps longer life security, success, wealth, fame, fortune, whatever.
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A lot of us would pick the material over the spiritual.
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But that did not happen today in that first reading where Solomon stands before Almighty God and he's posed that exact question.
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What do you want from me?
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I will grant it.
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He asks for wisdom.
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He asks for wisdom.
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The ability to discern God's will and govern according to God's heart.
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And the Lord was immensely pleased with this response.
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So he granted Solomon not only wisdom but all the earthly gifts you could imagine.
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They all came pouring in to the treasury beyond anything that he requested.
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Why?
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Because Solomon loved the giver more than the gift.
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And that is what made God so happy with him.
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And that is also the lesson of today's gospel.
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Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field.
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A man discovers it, hides it again, and in his joy sells everything he owns to buy that field.
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Then he says a merchant searching for fine pearls.
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And the man who finds the pearl of extraordinary value, he gladly sells everything to possess that pearl.
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Now here's what's really remarkable about the two stories.
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Both of these men, neither one is mourning what they gave up.
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They're not even thinking about what they let go.
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They're only thinking about what they've attained.
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and they're both rejoicing in what they have gained.
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Now the world believes holiness costs just too much.
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Jesus says the opposite.
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The only tragedy is settling for something infinitely less than heaven.
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And today too many Christians bargain with God saying, Lord how little must I surrender and still be saved?
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What's the bare minimum to get into heaven?
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Jesus asked a far different What is worth giving everything up for?
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The answer is the kingdom.
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The saints understood this.
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St. Paul gave up his prestige, his influence, and his comfort.
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Yet we're still talking about him today.
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St. Francis abandoned all of his great wealth.
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St. Thomas More surrendered his office as governor to the king and ultimately gave up his life as well, rather than betray Jesus.
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The martyrs not only gave up their possessions, they gave their very blood because they discovered the pearl beyond all price.
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When you truly encounter Jesus Christ, sacrifice is no longer a loss.
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It becomes love.
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When you truly discover or encounter Jesus Christ, your sacrifice is no longer a loss.
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It is love.
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because that was love.
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That's why he did that, because he loved his father so much that he would do anything to please him, but also because he loved us.
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And that's why St. Paul proclaims with astonishing confidence in today's reading to the Romans, he says, we know that all things work for the good for those who love God.
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Not some things, all things.
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Not only the pleasant things, but all things.
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Our victories, but also our failures.
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our illnesses and our disappointments, our crosses and our tears.
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God wastes nothing when his soul belongs to him.
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Now I'll tell you something.
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If a man suddenly gets serious about Jesus, understand this.
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Something brought him to his knees before it brought him to God.
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And that is a blessing, even though it can be painful.
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It's a blessing if the end result is a closer relationship with Christ.
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But then Paul takes it even deeper.
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He says, those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son.
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So the goal of your life is not merely success or comfort or even avoiding hell.
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The goal is to become like Jesus Christ.
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Every grace, every trial, every sacrament, every confession, every holy communion, every hidden act of charity, shaping us into the image of the Son of God,
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so that one day we can forever share His glory.
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The cross always comes before the crown.
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Good Friday always proceeds, Easter Sunday.
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No pain, no gain.
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This is the message. And that's the treasure.
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That is the kingdom.
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No one reaches it by accident.
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And this is where Solomon's prayer can become our own.
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We desperately need God's wisdom because our culture celebrates intelligence but often rejects wisdom.
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Intelligence accumulates information.
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And that's like a big thing right now.
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It's just more and more information.
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Let's build these giant silos to get more information.
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Wisdom knows what is pleasing to God.
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And there's a huge difference between the two.
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And I'm not knocking intelligence.
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But intelligence always has to be under wisdom.
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You can earn many, many degrees, PhDs, and still lose your soul.
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You can build an entire empire and be spiritually bankrupt.
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And then Jesus asked a haunting question.
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What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
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The wisest investment you will ever make is in holiness.
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And the wisest decision you'll ever make is to commit to daily prayer.
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The greatest habits you can create are confession on a regular basis and receiving the blessed sacrament.
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That's the wisest food you can obtain.
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And the greatest friendship you'll ever have, whether you know it or not, is going to be Jesus Christ.
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Because he's the one who made you.
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He knows you inside and out, more than we know ourselves.
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Everything else will pass away.
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Only the kingdom will endure.
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Then Jesus ends today's gospel with a very sobering image.
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A fishing net gathering fish of every kind.
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And at the end of time, there will be a great separation.
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The good will be gathered in to the kingdom.
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And the wicked will be cast out.
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He speaks these words not to frighten us, but to awaken us from complacency.
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Because there's many in the world who are fully complacent and not really interested in pursuing a higher good.
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In growing in wisdom.
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In growing in God's wisdom.
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Every one of us is moving toward an eternal destination.
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The question is, where will it be?
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I'm a big fan of bumper sticker theology.
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There's some good ones out there.
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There's some bad ones too.
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You know, that coexist one.
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That's a big lie.
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That is a big lie.
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You can't coexist with people that want to kill you.
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However, one day I saw this bumper sticker.
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Where will you be spending eternity, smoking or on.
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That's a good one because it makes you think.
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The kingdom also is free.
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It's kind of a unique thing that God did in that your status doesn't matter, your wealth doesn't matter, your health doesn't matter.
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What matters is your heart.
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Do you desire to be with God and his kingdom?
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And if you do, you follow him and become a good disciple.
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That's it.
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It's simple, but it is not easy, not in today's culture.
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But when you stand before Christ at the end of your life,
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you will never regret the rosaries you prayed and the holy communions you took reverently, the holy hours before the blessed sacrament,
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the acts of charity, remaining faithful to your spouse, protecting your children, defending the truth, carrying your cross with courage.
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All these things you will be so happy you did, because they give glory and honor to God.
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Today, Christ points toward the buried treasure.
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He holds up the pearl of great price, and he invites you and I, each of us, to become wise.
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Not worldly wise, but heavenly wise.
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Pray for wisdom that sees eternity more clearly than today's headlines.
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More clearly than our bank accounts and our credit card statements.
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More clearly than our ambitions.
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Pray for the courage to sell whatever keeps you from Christ.
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Every attachment to sin, every idol, every resentment, every compromise we make with the world.
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It all has to go.
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It has to go.
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Choose the kingdom, choose holiness, choose wisdom, choose God.
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Because one day when the net's finally drawn ashore and history comes to a glorious conclusion, may Christ look at you and I and may we hear the words,
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well done, my good and faithful servant.
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Well done.
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Then we will discover that every sacrifice made for Jesus was not a loss at all, but the greatest bargain we ever made.
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For we will possess forever the treasure that can never perish, God and his kingdom.
Exploring Faith and Language: A Look at the Video's Message
The video features a thoughtful talk by Fr. Dan Reehil, reflecting on the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time. He shares stories from scripture, like Solomon choosing wisdom over wealth and Jesus’ parables about the kingdom of heaven as a hidden treasure or a precious pearl. These tales emphasize prioritizing spiritual growth over material gains, a message that resonates through clear, conversational English—perfect for learners looking to practice listening and speaking.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "Discern God's will": To understand and follow what is right. Example: "She prays to discern God's will for her career."
- "Settle for": Accept something less than ideal. Example: "Don't settle for a job that doesn't make you happy."
- "All things work for the good": Even challenges lead to positive outcomes. Example: "I trust that all things work for the good, even when life is hard."
- "Beyond anything": More than expected. Example: "The gift was beyond anything I could have imagined."
- "Betray Jesus": Act against one's beliefs. Example: "He refused to betray Jesus, even under pressure."
Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide to Improve English Pronunciation
Shadowing (or "shadowspeak") is a great way to practice with this video. Here's how: Step 1: Watch the video once to grasp the main ideas. Step 2: Pick a 30-second clip. Pause after each sentence and repeat it, mimicking the tone and rhythm. Focus on phrases like "the kingdom of heaven"—notice how "heaven" is stressed. Step 3: Use a shadowing app to record yourself and compare it to the original. This helps with pronunciation and fluency. Step 4: Gradually increase the clip length as you get comfortable. Remember, the goal is to sound natural, not perfect. With practice, you'll master the warm, conversational style of the speaker.
Learning English with videos like this not only builds language skills but also exposes you to meaningful ideas. Keep practicing, and soon you'll find shadow speak becoming second nature!
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.