Prayers: Please continue to pray for Billy Edwards mom who is in the hospital.
Please pray for the Poor Clare Nuns preparing for the solemnity of St. Clare, August 11.
Please pray for vocations.
Please pray for the Poor Clare Nuns preparing for the solemnity of St. Clare, August 11.
Please pray for vocations.
Scripture: Matthew
13:44-46: "The kingdom of
heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up;
then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on
finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought
it."
Meditation: What do you most
treasure and how do you keep it secure? In a peasant community the best safe
was often the earth. The man in the parable "went in his joy" to sell
everything. Why? Because he found a treasure worth possessing above everything
else he had. He did not, however, have enough to buy the treasure. Fortunately,
he only needed enough money to buy the field. In a similar fashion, God offers
his kingdom as incomparable treasure at a price we can afford! We can't pay the
full price for the life which God gives us; but when we exchange our life for
the life which God offers, we receive a treasure beyond compare.
Searching for the greatest treasure of all: The pearl of great price also tells us a similar lesson. Pearls in the ancient world came to represent the supremely valuable. Jesus remarked that one should not cast pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6). Why would a merchant sell everything for a peerless pearl? No doubt because he was attracted to what he thought was the greatest treasure he could possess.
Discovering heavenly treasure: discovering God's kingdom is like stumbling across hidden treasure or finding the one pearl of great price. When we discover the kingdom of God we receive the greatest possible treasure - the Lord himself. Selling all that we have to obtain this incomparable treasure could mean many things - our friends, job, our "style of life", what we do with our free time. Treasure has a special connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the place of will and focus. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure.
In this parable what does the treasure of the kingdom refer to? It certainly refers to the kingdom of God in all its aspects. But in a special way, the Lord himself is the treasure we seek. If the Almighty is your gold and your precious silver, then you will delight yourself in the Almighty (Job 22:22-23).
Searching for the greatest treasure of all: The pearl of great price also tells us a similar lesson. Pearls in the ancient world came to represent the supremely valuable. Jesus remarked that one should not cast pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6). Why would a merchant sell everything for a peerless pearl? No doubt because he was attracted to what he thought was the greatest treasure he could possess.
Discovering heavenly treasure: discovering God's kingdom is like stumbling across hidden treasure or finding the one pearl of great price. When we discover the kingdom of God we receive the greatest possible treasure - the Lord himself. Selling all that we have to obtain this incomparable treasure could mean many things - our friends, job, our "style of life", what we do with our free time. Treasure has a special connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the place of will and focus. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure.
In this parable what does the treasure of the kingdom refer to? It certainly refers to the kingdom of God in all its aspects. But in a special way, the Lord himself is the treasure we seek. If the Almighty is your gold and your precious silver, then you will delight yourself in the Almighty (Job 22:22-23).
