THE HIDDEN TREASURES : THE DISCOVERY OF FAITH
First Reading: 1 Kings 3: 5 and 7-12
Second Reading: Romans 8: 28-30
Gospel Reading: Matthew 13: 44-52
*First reading is from the first book of Kings. A detailed narration about the Wisdom of the Lord God is given. The Lord God is pleased with King Solomon. He is ready to grant any favour that the King asks for. King Solomon humbles himself before the Lord God. He requests the Lord God to give him wisdom that he may know what is right and wrong. The King makes the right choice by asking for discernment so that he is able to make right judgement to rule his people. He realizes the relative values of the things of this world.
*Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Romans. Paul gives the Christian community at Rome and us the comforting message that for Christians all things in life - the painful and the difficult ones as well as the happy ones - work for our good. He encourages us that God enables us to love Him wholeheartedly and when we thus become God's beloved, He will protect us and bless us in all things in life.
The parables of the Kingdom Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. Through three parables, Jesus teaches us about the Kingdom of God. 1. Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a treasure hidden in a field. By chance, a person finds it and he goes and sells all that he has and purchases that field. This parable instructs us that possessing the Kingdom of God is of more value than anything we have in the world and we must make every effort to possess it. 2. Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a merchant in search of very precious pearls. After much search, finally he finds one of great value. He sells all that he has and buys that precious pearl. As above, Jesus suggests that the Kingdom of God is the finest and the most valuable of all possessions in the world. Hence, we must make every effort to posses it. 3. Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a net cast into the sea.Both good and bad fish are caught in the net. When the net is brought ashore, useful ones are collected in baskets. However, the useless ones are thrown back into the sea. Jesus warns us that it will be so at the end of times. The good and the bad will be separated. The Lord allows everyone to come into His presence (net) but those who do not follow His teachings (useless ones) will be left out of His Kingdom. These three parables graphically explain to us the different ways of discovering faith: By chance, by diligent search and by careful discernment. Hence, the discovery of faith is a wonderful experience like finding a treasure in a field, searching for a precious pearl or even like casting a net into the sea.
"The Kingdom of heaven is worth infinitely more than the cost of discipleship and those who know where the treasurer lies joyfully abandon everything else to secure it." - D.A. Carson
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