Deacon Tony reflects: What is your treasure?

In the first reading King Solomon sets a great example for us. When asked by God what he would like, he chose “a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil”.

This pleased God as he hadn’t asked for long life, or wealth nor for the destruction of his enemies.

If only the leaders in our world to be granted that same wisdom that there would be no need for wars, enough food for everyone and the planet would be well managed.

In our second reading, Paul reminds his readers that God looks after those who love him, and treats them as brothers and sisters of Christ, able to share in Christ’s glory. In fact they are moulded into the image of Jesus and become like Christ by obeying his commandments to love one another as Christ love the world.

This week I have been on holiday in Scotland, enjoying the beautiful countryside we have passed through and enjoyed long walks by different shores. I can imagine some of the images Jesus described in today’s gospel some of the fields we have passed have have a beauty, some would describe as treasure. Also we have spent time in fishing villages where the fishermen will undoubtedly be sorting out what is good enough to go to market and throw away the ones which are not.

Today’s gospel also resonates for me with one of the latest stops. The National Shrine to Our Lady at Carfin, started off as an empty field. The local parish priest wanted to build a replica of the Lourdes Grotto. He asked local builders and miners who were on strike to help, recognising that they would need a sense of purpose to minimise the effects of unemployment. Within two years, this empty field became a place of pilgrimage, where thousands of people at a time could find a treasure of tranquility, which can only be found when we are close to God. Last year the Shrine celebrated its centenary and has continued to grow into a place where the pilgrims can visit pre-remember, loved ones.

Today Jesus asks us to consider what do we see as a treasure? If we were to list the top five most valuable things in our life where would our Faith be?

There are many Saints of God before us who have discovered their faith is like the pearl of great value in the Gospel, they’ve given everything to attain their goal of reaching God’s Kingdom, what are we prepared to give up?