20220727 THE PRICE OF FINDING YOUR TREASURE
27 July, 2022, Wednesday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Jeremiah 15:10,16-21 © |
They will not overcome you, because I am with you
‘Woe is me, my mother, for you have borne me
to be a man of strife and of dissension for all the land.
I neither lend nor borrow,
yet all of them curse me.
‘When your words came, I devoured them:
your word was my delight
and the joy of my heart;
for I was called by your name,
Lord, God of Hosts.
I never took pleasure in sitting in scoffers’ company;
with your hand on me I held myself aloof,
since you had filled me with indignation.
Why is my suffering continual,
my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
Do you mean to be for me a deceptive stream
with inconstant waters?’
To which the Lord replied,
‘If you come back,
I will take you back into my service;
and if you utter noble, not despicable, thoughts,
you shall be as my own mouth.
They will come back to you,
but you must not go back to them.
I will make you
a bronze wall fortified against this people.
They will fight against you
but they will not overcome you,
because I am with you
to save you and to deliver you
– it is the Lord who speaks.
I mean to deliver you from the hands of the wicked
and redeem you from the clutches of the violent.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 58(59):2-5,10-11,17-18 © |
O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.
Rescue me, God, from my foes;
protect me from those who attack me.
O rescue me from those who do evil
and save me from blood-thirsty men.
O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.
See, they lie in wait for my life;
powerful men band together against me.
For no offence, no sin of mine, Lord,
for no guilt of mine they rush to take their stand.
O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, it is you to whom I turn,
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
the God who shows me love.
O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.
As for me, I will sing of your strength
and each morning acclaim your love
for you have been my stronghold,
a refuge in the day of my distress.
O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, it is you to whom I turn,
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
the God who shows me love.
O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:105 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn15:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 13:44-46 © |
He sells everything he owns and buys the field
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.
‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.’
THE PRICE OF FINDING YOUR TREASURE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 15:10,16-21; MT 13:44-46]
The Lord said “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt 6:19-21) In today’s gospel, Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to a “treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.”
What is our treasure? Is our treasure truly the Kingdom of God? Indeed, this should be the only treasure because this treasure encompasses all other treasures. “Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt 6:31-33) All the other things will pass; food and things can only provide us a good life but not a meaningful life. Rather, to seek righteousness is to seek values and meaning. This can only be found in right relationships, service to God and our fellowmen, fostering love and harmony, and caring for the weak and the suffering. Living a meaningful life, knowing that we have not lived this life in vain and truly making a difference in the lives of others, bringing joy, love and peace is the most rewarding life.
However, loving and serving people, and giving up your life for the service of others is not always an easy task or often appreciated. Those of us who are in public and religious or even humanitarian service will realize that whilst there are some who are very appreciative of what we are doing for them, there are also many who are jealous of what we do. Some have an entitlement mentality and are demanding, and others are never happy regardless what we do for them. So we must never imagine that those of us in public, religious and humanitarian service are always well received, welcomed and supported. The fact is that there are jealous competitors for fame and recognition, and there are disgruntled people. So we too have to suffer with Jeremiah.
Jeremiah was sent by God to be a prophet for the people of Judah but was rejected. The people of Judah were living in a precarious time as her enemies were waiting to seize the kingdom. Jeremiah tried to help the leaders and the people to be united so that they could face their enemies. He tried to put them back on the path of the Covenant, observing the laws of Moses and living a righteous and honest life. Instead, he was persecuted for seeking to do what was best for the people and the country. He was accused of being a traitor and a pessimist weakening the morale of the army. Hence, he cried out to God, “Woe is me, my mother, for you have borne me to be a man of strife and of dissension for all the land. I neither lend nor borrow, yet all of them curse me and avenge me on my persecutors. Your anger is very slow: do not let me be snatched away. Realize that I suffer insult for your sake. Why is my suffering continual, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Do you mean to be for me a deceptive stream with inconstant waters?”
So how can we remain true to our calling, keeping the treasure in our hearts and not giving up so easily? We need the Word of God to strengthen us. Jeremiah found the great pearl in his life when the Lord spoke to him. “When your words came, I devoured them: your word was my delight and the joy of my heart; for I was called by your name, Lord, God of hosts.” For Jeremiah, the Word of God filled him with delight and joy. This is true not for Jeremiah only but for many of us when we read the Word of God with faith, devotion and sincerity. We read the Word of God as if God is speaking to us and not just mere words as St Paul praised the Thessalonians. “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.” (1 Th 2:13) Indeed, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16f)
But reading the Word of God cannot be a mere intellectual process. It must be a prayerful reading and listening to the voice of God through the scriptures in a spirit of prayer and docility. We need to go beyond discursive meditation of the Word of God. We need to progress to the affective level of our relationship with God so that we will feel loved by God and Him speaking to us. This was how Jeremiah felt when he cried out to God. And he heard the Lord assuring him of His divine assistance and protection. The Lord replied, “If you come back, I will take you back into my service; and if you utter noble, not despicable thoughts, you shall be as my own mouth. They will come back to you, but you must not go back to them. I will make you a bronze wall fortified against this people. They will fight against you to save you and to deliver you it is the Lord who speaks. I mean to deliver you from the hands of the wicked and redeem you from the clutches of the violent.”
We too need to hear from the Lord in our discernment process. Even our Lord Himself was assured by His Father in the last days of His life when He was discerning how to move forward in His mission. At the Transfiguration on the Mountain, the Father gave Him a preview of the future and, most of all, affirmed that He would fulfil the Old Testament and be the true prophet and teacher in the New Testament because He is the beloved Son of the Father. (Mt 17:1-8) So at every stage in our life too, especially during trials and temptations, as in the case of Jeremiah and our Lord, we need to hear afresh the voice of God which happens often at prayer. Such affirmation will give us the strength to persevere in doing God’s will. Making time for prayer and for the Word of God is of critical importance for us in pursuing the Kingdom of God.
This is why we must be ready to make sacrifices for the greater good. Like the man who found the hidden treasure, he went off to sell everything to buy it. For the sake of greater joy, we must be ready to put all our security in it. Everything else must be secondary to our desire to find greater life and joy in seeking the kingdom of God. This wholehearted response will help us to set our priorities. That is provided we are convinced of the joy of living the gospel life. Hence, the real question is, do we know what we really want in life? And where is this meaning and joy to be found? Sacrificing everything for the kingdom is not so much a sacrifice because it is for the greater joy, just as the merchant who sold everything to buy the field. We read “he goes off happy.” So in truth, it was a worthwhile exchange.
Perhaps, we need to fall in love with Jesus before we can truly say that Jesus is our pearl and the hidden treasure we are looking for. Until and unless we encounter the Lord, it would be difficult for anyone to give up everything for the Kingdom. It is true in daily life as well. Unless, we have fallen in love with someone whom we love with our heart and soul, and who is able to give us the joy, warmth, security and happiness, we will not be ready to give our entire life, all our resources for that relationship. For the sake of love, we would give up everything as the Book of Songs says. “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of one’s house, it would be utterly scorned.” (Songs 8:7) Let us pray that we might fall in love with God and for His grace to have a personal encounter with Him so that we will know not just from our heads but in our hearts that He is truly the treasure and pearl of our life. Like the apostles, we can then leave everything and follow after Him. With the psalmist, we “will sing of your strength and each morning acclaim your love for you have been my stronghold, a refuge in the day of my distress.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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