Mt 13:44-46 Hidden Treasure“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field.”
Take a few moments to write down the treasures in your life… Do not continue reading this meditation until you have made your list.
Now, if you even made a list, take a look and see if faith, hope and love made it on your treasure list (I know, it’s early in the morning).
I think we would all agree that we need to take time to pray. But it is also important to take time to write down our thoughts. I know, with our busy schedules we barely have enough time to eat let alone think, pray and meditate. But I’m not convinced the problem is with time. I think for the most part, the problem is with patience. Good things come to those who wait; that is, who are patient. The same is true for treasures. They are buried for a reason: to be preserved and protected for the right moment.
When is faith needed most, if not during nights of blindness? Is hope not a must during moments of trial? Even love must be preserved and protected when shocked by betrayal! Our faith, hope and love are a gift from God that can only be strengthened, protected and preserved through prayer and reflection.
Very often, I encourage teenagers to look upon their beauty as a treasure – that is, something that is holy, exciting, amazing, and unique. It is exciting because it is sought after. It is amazing because it causes an internal and external war among one’s suitors! It is unique because it is found only in you. In a certain sense, the young soul that respects his/her body is a young soul that is full of faith, hope and love. It is a soul that prays.
Throughout Scripture we find so many powerful stories of personal conversion. The Lord changes lives. How can we forget the adulterous woman who was willing to give away her precious oil for free and for the Lord, oil she had labored and slaved over for years? Do we remember Zacchaeus who was willing to give half his belongings to the poor and four times the amount he owed to those he had extorted? We should not forget the Roman Centurion who approached the Lord with great faith and great risk of losing the respect of his country and his men! All these, plus more, were willing to sell what they owned to buy what they treasured most.
Youthfulness and beauty are treasures that are found on the surface on the field. Faith, hope, love and prayer are buried much deeper within the soil. But what is buried in the deepest depths of the field is the greatest treasure of all: Christ.
If we dig deeper, reflect and meditate more, we shall encounter the Lord of life; we shall find the pearl of great value. We shall discover the purpose and meaning of our life and death. We shall no longer settle for less; we shall no longer be content with more. We shall have found the fountain of youth and the power of wisdom; the source of joy and the beauty of tears. We shall experience the paradox of losing one’s life to find one’s life. In summary, we shall have found the Risen Lord at the moment we strike the empty tomb.
