Gospel: Mt 13:44-52
«The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hidden in a field, which a man finds, and hides again, and for joy thereof he goes and sells all that he has, and buys the field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who is looking for fine pearls, and when he finds a pearl of great value, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that is cast into the sea and gathers fish of all kinds; and when it is full, they draw it ashore, sit down, and gather the good ones into baskets and throw the bad ones away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the righteous, and cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth: have ye heard all this?» They say to Him, «Yes.» And He said to them, «So every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his ark new things and old.».
Fruit: To value in our life what the Kingdom of God implies, especially His presence in our family to keep it united.
Guidelines for reflection:
The comparisons that our Lord makes about the Kingdom of Heaven should help us to better understand its value. A treasure, a fine pearl to be found. It is there, it must be discovered and at the same time that it is discovered, one sees that everything else takes second place. One sells what one has to get this treasure that is eternal.
1. The hidden treasure
Why is the Kingdom like a hidden treasure? The value of a treasure is understood by the one who finds it. In Scripture it is said that he who finds a friend finds a treasure. And the Kingdom is God himself acting around us, in our own lives. That is why the evaluation we can make of this treasure can only be at the appropriate level if we rightly value all that the life, passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Friend par excellence, meant. This treasure is at hand, and we can make it accessible to others. The Christian seeks to extend the Kingdom by making the Gospel alive in his work, at school, in the family. We must unearth this treasure, so that it no longer remains hidden but shines in our lives.
Pick up the good ones and throw away the bad ones.
Every day we see how we struggle between good and bad deeds, thoughts and omissions. Our society is imbuing human relationships with relativism and obscuring the need for grace in order to have relationships more in keeping with the Gospel. Today we see how many young people are torn between drugs, alcohol and uncontrolled sex; to speak to them today of sanctifying grace, of the need to avoid evil by doing good, is seen as something very distant. However, it is not. A convinced Christian is capable of transforming lives. Weren't the apostles simple fishermen..., and they became pillars of the Church in a paganized world? We too can be living stones where the Church can build the Kingdom in the hearts of these young people. The image of the Gospel with the net that catches good and bad fish should also make us reflect on the urgent need for fewer bad fish and more good fish. This is achieved through the new evangelization, making others experience Christ. Praying for them, inviting them to Mass, to a retreat, to a retreat, to a mission trip..., but the most important thing is that they see us living a Christian life.
3. Crying and gnashing of teeth
This is the image of hopelessness, of the eternally despondent heart that does not find its way to God, or rather, that has eternally lost the possibility of being face to face with God. A soul is worth what the shedding of Christ's blood is worth. He came to save us all. With his death he redeemed us and with his resurrection he opened the gates of heaven for us all to obtain eternal salvation. In the face of so much despair in people, stress, meaninglessness of life, the Christian has an answer to give, and that answer is Christ. He is the only one who can satisfy the troubled hearts that wander through the cities in search of happiness. Let us not allow others to lose their way if we can show them The Way to true happiness. Let us not allow our brothers to weep and gnash their teeth if we can bring them closer to God in this life and even more, making them also live with God in eternity.
Purpose: I will invite an acquaintance to Sunday Mass.
Listen also to our monthly online retreat.
