Gospel Reading: Mt 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.”
TREASURE… PEARL
The twin parables of a treasure buried in a field and of a pearl of great price show the fascination of the Kingdom of God for persons who have found them. They go to great lengths to secure the treasure, and they remain restless until they possess it.
The fascination almost has the effect of the ring on Gollum in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, only this time in the positive sense. The searcher for this treasure lets go of any thing or any person that may prove a hindrance. Outwardly, the searcher may be considered as “out of his mind.”
Jesus himself is considered so by his relatives because he has left behind the security of his family and his occupation in Nazareth to become an itinerant preacher. Because of the crowd he has to minister to, it is almost impossible for Jesus and his disciples even to eat (cf Mk 3:20-21). But the “food” of Jesus is to do the will of the Father who sent him. Nothing can ever equal the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever discovers the Kingdom and knows its true worth will immediately do what is necessary to obtain it.
Earthly treasures keep the heart earthbound.
Heavenly treasures leave the heart unbound.
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SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2017” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
