Jesus continues to speak to the disciples about what the kingdom of heaven will be like. This time, he likens it to someone who finds a treasure or one who finds a pearl. My friends, we are called to pray for the ability to recognize the gift. Are we able to recognize our gifts?
All of us, I’m sure, can think of examples where gifts seem to be wasted or unappreciated. I think of an athlete, who is so talented and for whatever reason has gotten into trouble. And now, no longer is able to participate in his sport.
Friends, we are called to be aware of the gifts we have received from God so that we do not let them go to waste. In the first letter of Peter, we read, As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. The gifts we have received are not meant for ourselves, they are meant to be shared with others, and with God too!
What is the greatest gift that we have received? The greatest gift that each of us has received is the gift of our salvation. John writes beautifully in his Gospel, that Jesus loved his own and he loved them to the end. This is our pearl of great price because there was a great cost.
One way that we honor our Lord, is that we recognize both the gift of our salvation and that this gift was bought with a great price. As saint Peter reminded us, the gifts we have been given are meant to be shared. This is why Christ is speaking these parables to the His disciples because he wants to increase their urgency/desire to evangelize the world. Fr. Arrupe, a Jesuit priest, writes about how we respond to this gift:
Nothing is more practical than finding God, than falling in Love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, whom you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in Love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.
May the Eucharist we receive today remind us of the gift of God’s love in our lives, and inspire us to make others aware of this precious gift.
In Christ’s Friendship,
Fr. Stephen
What makes your heart sing? 