THE BURIED TREASURE

July 28, Wednesday

SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

      The radiance on the face of Moses indicates his intimate relationship with God. He is the prophet, the leader, the mediator between the people and God, the reconciler.

      The two parables of today’s stress, each in its own way, that one should give up everything in order to possess the kingdom. In the first parable, the kingdom is the treasure, in the second, not the pearl, not the thing, but the person in constant search of it. Our search should concern the things that really matter: God’s reign among people, which, in response to God’s grace, we prepare through our love, our justice, our service, our compassion and forgiveness, by which we let Christ’s death and resurrection become a reality in our day. But it is a search – an ongoing quest, never fully achieved, but always, so we hope, in growth and progress.

 

First Reading: Exodus 34:29-35

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two Tablets of The Testimony, he didn’t know that the skin of his face glowed because he had been speaking with God. Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, saw his radiant face, and held back, afraid to get close to him.

Moses called out to them. Aaron and the leaders in the community came back and Moses talked with them. Later all the Israelites came up to him and he passed on the commands, everything that God had told him on Mount Sinai.

When Moses finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face, but when he went into the presence of God to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. When he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they would see Moses’ face, its skin glowing, and then he would again put the veil on his face until he went back in to speak with God.

 

Gospel: Matthew 13:44-46

“God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.

“Or, God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.

 

Prayer

Lord God, our Father,
our heart remains restless
until it has discovered the peace you offer us
in your Son Jesus Christ.
Help us to put our trust and joy
not in brittle, perishable things
but in your Son, his good news
and the kingdom he came to build among us.
Make us poor and receptive,
give each of us an attentive and wise heart
that keeps seeking until we have found you
in Jesus and in people,
 We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Reflection:

Treasure boxes

In the old days, in the imminence of war or of an enemy’s invasion, rich people tried to hide their treasure boxes and valuables under the floors of houses before fleeing the place, with a hope to recover them on their return. Many times, the owners could not return and someone else occupied the land or house without knowing about the wealth that lay beneath their feet.
The first parable in today’s Gospel (v. 44) takes one of these stories: by pure accident a man discovers a treasure in the field he is working. He hides it again; goes to sell everything he has and buys that field.
The treasure which Jesus speaks about is the kingdom of heaven, the new condition where one who welcomes the proposals of the Beatitudes enters. It has an incalculable value and is only gradually discovered by one who decided to gamble his own life on it. The fact that this treasure is found by chance indicates its gratuity. God offers it freely to people. It is not a prize for their good works. There is but a behaviour to assume in front of this gift.

Whoever finds it out, should not hesitate, be perplexed or doubt. If one hesitates, he loses precious time, a favourable opportunity may escape and not return. The decision must be taken urgently; the choice cannot be delayed. One cannot miss the appointment with the Lord. Then one has to bet everything. One is not asked to give up just something, but to move all his thoughts, attention, interests, and efforts to the new target.

It will also happen with the pearl, the treasure is not purchased in order to be sold. The discovery of the Kingdom of God involves a radical change. This is the meaning of the decision to “sell everything one has to buy the field.“

This is what happened to Paul, the Jew and blameless fanatic, convinced that the Torah was the treasure that would give him salvation. One day, on his way to Damascus, he met with Christ. All those things that he might have considered as profit, he reckoned as loss. “But once I found Christ, I have let everything fall away and I now consider all as garbage, if instead, I may gain Christ” (Phil 3:7-8).

The second parable (vv. 45-46) is called the twin of the previous one and contains the same message. It differs in some significant details: first of all, it is a wealthy merchant who travels the world with a very specific goal: to find pearls. Unlike the farmer who accidentally stumbles into a treasure, the merchant finds the pearl after an exhausting search.
The two parables are complementary: The Kingdom of God, on the one hand, is a free gift of God, and on the other is also a fruit of human diligence.

 

Video available on Youtube: Treasure boxes