What Are You Selling Your Soul For?

 

The Treasure Hidden in the Field

In the Gospel today, Jesus said to his disciples, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field.” The person who finds it hides it again, then goes and sells everything he has so he can buy the plot of land that holds the treasure.

So the question is, what is the treasure?

The answer is Jesus Christ. The Christian way of life is the treasure.

Now, you might be thinking, of course you’re going to say Jesus. You’re a priest. You’re in a church. If you asked a car salesman, he might say the Porsche, the Ferrari, the Lamborghini, the Bentley, the G-Wagon. And if you asked a teenager, they might say being popular, being sought after, being one of the cool kids.

There is a story from fifth or sixth grade that makes the point well. Back then, pants with holes were just a fact of life. Every day at recess meant sliding in the grass, sliding on cement and gravel, and coming home with a ripped pair of pants. Then one day I saw a girl, and suddenly, “Ma, I need new pants.” That was the treasure. Looking good mattered now.

But there is a hint, beyond the fact that we are sitting in a church, that maybe the real treasure really is something deeper.

What Would You Ask For?

In the first reading, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night and said, “Ask something of me, and I will give it to you.”

Imagine that. Whatever you want, it’s yours. Would you ask for good looks? Power? Fame? To be an influencer? Would you ask to be rich?

King Solomon surprised the Lord. He asked for one thing: the wisdom to know right from wrong. And God was so pleased that Solomon hadn’t asked for a long life, a healthy life, riches, or victory over his enemies, that He gave Solomon exactly that understanding, plus everything else. 

Solomon asked for wisdom. And he got it.

And then he turned out to be one of the worst kings in Israel’s history. He lost the kingdom.

So what happened?

What Happens When People Start Paying Attention to You

Think back to your First Communion picture. Think about how reverently you walked back to your seat, how carefully you carried yourself when you were young. And then think about what happens as you get older. People start noticing you. You become more popular. Someone starts paying more attention to you.

That’s what happened to Solomon too. All the admiration, all the attention, and it went to his head. It goes to all of our heads. That is the pattern, and it is as old as scripture itself.

The Wisdom That Takes a Lifetime

Not long ago, my 85-year-old mother was praying the rosary. I asked her what she prays for. 

She said she asks for forgiveness from her parents. She explained that when she was young, she felt like she was living in a jail. Her mother always wanted to know where she was going, who she was with, and what time she would be home. She felt suffocated. She resented it. And now, at 85, she asks for forgiveness for what she put her mother and father through.

That is wisdom. That is what wisdom actually looks like. And sometimes it takes most of a lifetime to get there.

The Fake Treasure

The worst thing that can happen is that you sell everything for the fake treasure.

What is the fake treasure? It is popularity. It is approval. It is any goal that asks you to trade away your values, your morals, your principles, and your faith in order to reach it.

To be elected, some people sell their values and their principles. To have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, some people sell their dignity and their faith. To fit in, to be liked, to be seen as successful, people hand over the very things that make them who they are.

And for what? For something that will never love them back the way God does.

When the temptation comes to compare yourself to everyone around you, remember that you are only seeing one snapshot of their lives. One moment frozen in time. That is not the whole picture.

Hold On to What Actually Matters

Saint Paul says it plainly in the second reading: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God.”

Not some things. All things.

So do not sell yourself short. Do not sell your dignity. Do not sell your values, your morals, or your principles for something that cannot love you back the way God loves you.

If you are going to sell everything, then sell it for the Lord. Keep your morals. Keep your principles. Keep your values. Keep your dignity.

That is the true treasure.