Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest
Throughout the Gospels Jesus uses parables to help his disciples, and in turn us, to understand his teachings. In today’s Gospel Jesus focuses on two parables that he presents to help us understand the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven.
We hear first that “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.” Did you catch the way in which this person sells everything? He does this joyfully! He has found something so valuable that he holds nothing back. He sees how valuable this treasure is that he sells everything he has in order to own it, and he sells everything joyfully. When we are asked to give of what we have to help bring about God’s kingdom, is our attitude always one of joy? May we pray and work to cultivate this virtue today.
The second parable Jesus shares with us talks about the pearl of great price. He tells us, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” Again, we see that the Kingdom of Heaven is so complete and satisfying that once we find it and take part in it, we will need nothing else. Psalm 23 tells us, “The lord is my shepherd. There is nothing I lack.” When we find the kingdom of Heaven, there is nothing else we need. We again hear the same actions repeated that once the treasure or the pearl was found, the person went and sold everything. The things of this world do not matter compared to the kingdom.
There is one distinct difference between these two parables that I feel is important to point out. In one parable the merchant is searching for this one special pearl – searching for the kingdom. In the other, the man just sort of happens upon the treasure. Whether actively searching for it or not, neither person would have recognized the pearl or the treasure for what it was if they had not had their eyes fixed on the kingdom. They were present to God’s movement so they could recognize the kingdom when the found it or it found them. They had trained their hearts and their minds to look for the Kingdom. If they had not been seeking the kingdom, would they have found it in these moments? Just as we hear in Matthew, Chapter 6 - “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” I think it’s important to recognize that although one was searching and one was simply living, both were present to the mystery of the Kingdom of God alive in their lives and responded to it as needed.
May we train our hearts and minds to be looking for the Kingdom of God so that when we find it we too may respond as this merchant and man did. Amen.
—AJ Grimm