Sunday 17th Week –A: Kingdom of God – Treasure
Other Treasure-Hunters
Thomas Merton
(Orphaned at 16, communist at 20, Thomas Merton found Christ at 23. At 24 N.Y.Times reporter.
At 26, with all that he owned in a duffel bag, he entered the Trappist Monastery at Kentucky.
He remained there until his
death in 1968. Merton leaves a record of his journey toward faith in this prayer:)
My Lord, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for
certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself.
And the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if
I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about
it.
Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I
will not fear, for you are ever with me, and will never leave me to face my
perils alone. Amen.
Late Have I Loved You
A Prayer of Saint
Augustine
Late
have I loved you, O Beauty, ever ancient and ever new, late have I loved you!
And behold, you were within me and I was without, and deformed I ran after those forms of beauty you have made.
You were with me, lord, and I was not with you. Those things held me back from you, things whose only being was to serve you.
You called, and cried out to me and broke through my
deafness; you flashed, you shone and chased away my blindness.
You became fragrant, and I inhaled and now pant for
you.
I tasted you, and I now hunger and thirst for you; you
touched me, and I burned for your peace.
(Saint Augustine was bishop of Hippo in North Africa. This prayer is from his book, "Confessions.")
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Heavenly Treasure: Happiness is an inside Job
Happy is the person who believes in God despite the seas of sadness that sometimes surround the lighthouse.
Happy is the person who believes in the greatness of a nation despite the poverty and prejudice that affect the lives and hearts of our people.
Happy is the person who believes in law and order despite the crime in the streets and indifference in our homes/communities
Happy is the person who believes in the innate goodness of people, despite the vanity and greed of some people.
Happy is the person who believes in the inherent wisdom of nature and people, despite the ignorance and foolishness that seem to blind the vision of so many leaders.
Happy is the person who believes in the sanctity and serenity of life, despite the restlessness, turmoil, noise and violence that beset our daily life.
Happy is the person who believes in her/his own community, despite some dark areas and the frustration of trying to change them.
Happy is the person who believes in oneself, despite one’s known weakness and futile attempts to correct them.
Finally, happy is the person who believes, for in his/her belief lies her/his strength, her/his chances of growth, and the realization of a richer, fuller life.
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What is the “kingdom of heaven” like? Jesus continues his teaching on the “kingdom of heaven” using little stories based on the experiences of rural Galileans. Like Jesus’ mini stories of the mustard seed and the leaven, those of the treasure and the pearl form a pair of His “kingdom parables.” The kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven is “a society on earth where God's will is as perfectly done as it is in heaven.” By “kingdom of heaven” Jesus is referring to a triple reality: a) a group of people sharing the divine life of sanctifying grace and friendship with God by doing His will, b) participation in God’s life through the Eucharistic celebration in the Church and c) eternal bliss in heaven. This triple reality is worth more than anything else in our lives. In today’s Gospel, Jesus compares it to a treasure hidden in a field, to a pearl of great value and to a net thrown in the sea collecting all types of fish. The "Kingdom of heaven," synonymous in these parables with the "kingdom of God,” is hidden, but it is of surpassing value. The parable of the pearl (45-46) makes the point that the sacrifice of everything must be made for this one thing of immense value. Those who have not sacrificed everything for it will not have this treasure and will come to know how much they have lost.
The parable of the treasure hunter: Frequent battles and foreign invasions encouraged the people of Palestine to bury their treasures like money and jewellery in their fields. For example, the great religious treasure – the Dead Sea Scrolls - discovered in the caves at Qumran in 1947 was hidden there over 2,000 years ago. Sometimes unclaimed and forgotten, the treasures awaited some lucky finder. Jesus tells the story of one such lucky treasure finder who sold everything he had in order to get ownership of the field. According to the Palestinian laws of that time, the mere finding of buried treasure did not entitle the finder to possession unless he also owned the property. In the parable of the treasure in the field and in the parable of the merchant who sought fine pearls, we see the image of one who recognizes the value of the kingdom of God and gives everything to possess it. Matthew, a tax-collector, might have experienced something like this when he discovered the eternal value of the kingdom preached by Jesus of Nazareth.
The parable of the pearl hunter: A well-to-do merchant on the lookout for quality pearls finds a very precious pearl ("pearl of great price"), and immediately "sells everything" to buy it. Jesus wants us to know that the kingdom of God is worth all we have. He has come to offer us God's Kingdom, a unique pearl of the greatest price. The genuine disciples are those who respond to this opportunity with joy and selfless commitment, eagerly giving top priority to life in the Kingdom by doing God’s will, whatever it may be. This parable teaches us that, although we are baptized Christians, we still need to pursue the true and full meaning of the Gospel which can escape us for many years. We always need to understand more, to love more, and to serve more. The first and second parables also remind us that the most precious things in life are to know God and to live according to the Gospel.
The parable of the fishing net: In Palestine there were two main ways of fishing. The first was with the casting-net, which required a keen eye and great skill in throwing the net at the correct moment. The second was with a drag-net or seine, as it is sometimes called. Galilean seine-nets were tied to two boats and drawn through the water. The catch was sorted only afterwards, with edible or kosher fish going to market and the unacceptable fish being thrown away. Just as a drag net collects good and bad fish indiscriminately, so the Church is a mixture of all kinds of people, good and bad, useless and useful. This parable encourages the church to adopt an open approach to evangelism. The parable also teaches that a time of separation will come when the good and the bad will be sent to their respective destinies. This parable pictures this separation as happening in the final judgment. This parable is thus a counterpart to the parable of the weeds and the wheat.
The teaching: The three parables illustrate the opportunity as well as the challenge of discipleship. The first and the second parables speak of the total commitment and dedication which are the ideal of every follower of Christ. What the parables really teach us is that, when one discovers Jesus and his vision of life, everything else becomes secondary. That is what St. Paul meant when he said: "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8) and again "For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 2:21). To have a personal experience of Christ and personal relationship with Him – in other words, to have made his view of life one's own – is the most precious thing in the world.
The concluding simile. Jesus concludes his parables by advising the listeners to imitate wise scribes (Jewish scholars -- the experts in the Law and/or Scriptures). Hence a scholar need not give up his scholarship when he becomes a Christian; rather he should use it for Christ. A businessman need not give up his business; rather he should run it as a Christian would. Christians are also expected to be like scholars who know how to value both the old and the new.
Messages:
1) We should live every moment in view of our precious goal. Most of the time, we are chasing false treasures such as money, status or pleasure. Often we are locked into regrets over the past, or focused too much on the future. As a result, the enriching present passes us by, and the treasure is never discovered. Thus, the really valuable pearl of sharing in God’s life here on earth and later in heaven is never found. Let us always remember that heaven is within the reach of all who follow the ordinary vocations of life and partake of this world's joys and pleasures within the framework of God's commandments. Right now, it is for us to use the time given to us to go in search of the pearl of great price and to help others in their search. We are challenged to search and discern where the Lord is calling us so that we may know what path to take. Let us remember that whenever we fight against discrimination, whenever we trust completely in God, whenever our selflessness conquers selfishness, whenever our love overcomes sin and our faith overcomes suffering, whenever we render humble service to others, we are doing the will of God as it is done in heaven and hence we are already in the kingdom of heaven while we are still on earth.
2) A lesson in tolerance and compassionate understanding. The lesson of this parable is similar to that of the weeds growing up with the wheat, namely, that the kingdom is a mixed body of saints and sinners (good and rotten fish). There will be always a temptation on the part of some who feel they are more "faithful" to separate themselves from the “weeds”/”bad fish.” But Jesus reminds us that the final judgment resulting in reward or punishment is God’s work. Thus, we must learn to be patient, compassionate and understanding with those who seem to fall far below the requirements of the Gospel and the Kingdom. Let us humbly admit the fact that there are only a very few of us who are not a mixture of good and evil. Let us admit as St. Paul did, “I am what I am with the grace of God.”
I'd like to tell you about someone who illustrates the power of God's providence - St. Catherine of Siena. She was the 24th (!) child of Giacomo de Benincasa and Lapa Piagenti. Her parents could have said, "23 is enough," and no one would have said they lacked generosity. Still, if they had not had their twenty-fourth child, they would have deprived the world of a remarkable saint. Catherine was a light in a time of great darkness - the fourteenth century. The people of that century experienced the Great Plague that killed about a third of Europe's population. And the Church endured a spiritual plague - for seventy years the popes abandoned Rome to set up court in Avignon, France.
No one could convince the popes to get back to Rome. The people of Italy sent
delegations to plead with them. Kings applied pressure; theologians wrote
learned letters. All to no avail. Finally, the
solution came. God inspired a young Dominican Sister - Catherine of Siena. Even
though she was only twenty-nine years old and had little formal education, the
Holy Father listened to her. In 1376, Pope Gregory XI left Avignon and returned
to Rome. By her holiness and simplicity, St. Catherine accomplished what
politicians, scholars and merchants could not.
The Meeting
"In 1923 an important meeting took place at Chicago's Edgewater Beach Hotel. Attending the meeting were the following men:
"The president of the largest steel company, the president of the largest utility company, the president of the largest gas company, the president of the New York Stock Exchange, the president of the Bank of International Settlements, the greatest wheat speculator, the greatest bear on Wall Street, the head of the world's greatest monopoly, a member of President Harding's cabinet."
That's a pretty impressive line-up of people. Yet, 25 years later, where were those nine industrial giants?
According to the story on the place mat, the president of the largest steel company, Charles Schwab, died a bankrupt;
The president of the largest utility company, Samuel Insull, died penniless;
The president of the largest gas company, Howard Hobson, had gone insane;
The president of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney, was just released from prison; the bank president, Leon Fraser, died a suicide; the wheat speculator, Arthur Cutten, died penniless;
The Wall Street bear, Jesse Livermore, died a suicide; the head of the world's greatest monopoly, Ivar Kruegar, died a suicide; the member of President Harding's cabinet, Albert Fall, was just given a pardon from prison so that he could die at home.
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