The Gospel, according to Matthew (13:44-46)
Jesus said to his disciples: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
REFLECTION In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us two very short and similar parables. It seems that the treasure mentioned in the first parable is discovered almost by accident. The person simply “finds” it, stumbles into it. This is different than with the second parable, where the merchant who finds the pearl of great value, of great price, did it after “searching” for it. We often encounter the Treasure of the Gospel without even looking for it. We do it any time God intercedes in our lives without us seeking His intercession. For example, if someone were to offer you an act of charity without you seeking it, this is God giving you a treasure of His Kingdom. Or if someone shares with you their faith, or an inspiration they received, this is indeed a treasure given to you by God. The problem is that many times when we are given these treasures of the Gospel, we do not always see them as treasures. Imagine, for example, if the person in the first parable were to stumble upon the treasure in the field and fail to open it thinking nothing of it. They see it from a distance, have a bit of curiosity about what is in the box, but they do not have enough interest to open the box and look inside. In that case, the person would have no reason to go and sell all that they have, to buy the field in which the treasure is found. One clear message with this parable is that we must be attentive to the countless treasures of God’s graces given to us each and every day. God is so creative in offering us grace, that we truly do stumble upon His grace all the time. Therefore, having eyes to see His actions and ears to Hear His Voice is important. A second message clearly given in both parables is that once we discover the graces God gives us every day, we must adopt within ourselves a desire for those graces, so strong, that we are willing to do whatever it takes in order to obtain them. The discovery is made through the gift of faith, but the discovery by faith must then be followed with a passion that drives our will to conform to that discovery.
ACTION FOR THE DAY Reflect, today, upon two things. First; have you discovered the treasures God has given to you? If you hesitate in answering this, then it’s most likely the case that there is much more you still have to discover. Second; as you do discover the riches that come with the gift of faith, have you allowed that which God has spoken to you to consume you to such a point that you are willing to sell all you have, meaning, do whatever it takes to further accept all God wants to give you? If you decide to go forth on this holy search, you may find that the riches of grace that you obtain are of infinite value.
AUDIO REFLECTION:
