A reading from the gospel according to Matthew 13:44-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
44 “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.
45 Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.
46 When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”

Reflection: Treasure

Good News: There is great joy in seeking and finding the Kingdom of Heaven.

What is the most important treasure in your life? Is it great wealth, political power, or a loving relationship? There is really nothing wrong with spending much time pursuing these goals except that, too often, we somehow get disappointed in the end. And then, when tragedy struck, we realize lately that we may have been pursuing the wrong goal.

And we are back to asking the same question: What is the most important treasure that we should be seeking? We cannot ignore this question. In fact, it should be the only question that should be answered especially for the youth who are starting to venture out of the comfort zone of their family. The earlier this question is answered, the better. And the answer is in the gospel passage above.

In Matthew 6:21, Jesus tells us that where our treasure is, there our heart will be. Therefore, if our treasure is our relationship with our Creator, then we make it our focus in everything that we do. All other things in our life must now take a backseat.

Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to finding a valuable treasure. When we find it, our joy is great. In John 10:10, He said that He came to give us life and life to the full. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus emphasized that when we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all “these things” will be given to us. Moreover, He alone can give us the peace that the world cannot give (John 14:27).

We all seek to be happy. We all seek to have peace of mind. Thank God, now we know how to have them.