Wednesday 17th week OT even numbered year
This is what the Kingdom of Heaven is like - treasure hidden in a field!
Here we hear about two parables which Jesus announces concerning the Kingdom of Heaven.
The kingdom of Heaven has great importance in Jesus’ teaching for he wants to nourish the hope of God’s chosen people.
Because the Sanhedrin, Pilate and the people didn’t understand Jesus, they condemned him to death. Eve the disciples didn’t understand the nature of this Kingdom announced in parables.
The good thief, nailed on the cross next to Jesus, says to him ’ Jess remember me when you come into your kingdom.’
Here we come to understand the Kingdom of God. The two criminals had been accused and were about to die. The good thief recognises Jesus as the King of the Kingdom after this horrible death on the Cross. It could only be a spiritual Kingdom.
Poverty makes us humble. Jesus begins his Beatitudes like this : ’ Blessed are the poor in spirit.’
On the Cross, Jesu embrace extreme poverty, He was He who ’had no place to rest his head.’
The Gospel is Good News for us, it is this hidden treasure, it is the revelation of Jesus saving us in his Passion. This is where the greatest Love that ever exists manifests itself.
This fine pearl is the mystery of the servant who is brought to birth to Divine Life in an amazing way.
“The man who found it hid it and in his joy sells all he had to buy that field.”
In his first teaching Jesus speaks about the Kingdom of God as being a Treasure that is hidden beneath the earth. Finding it causes great joy and the one who finds it to buy the land it was found on. To do this it means to sell all possessions.
In Saint John we read : ’Come, you, the blessed of my Father; come and receive the heritage of the Kingdom prepared for you ever since the beginning of the world.’
Mary lived this Word intensely for she became the Mother of Jesus, Son of God.
Jesus, Son of God, always presented Himself as the Son of man. We are invited to follow him by putting our steps in his steps. And so our life is in this understanding of God’s Infinite Love that comes to us!
Is this not what it means to buy the pearl of great value?
In Church we need to redouble our faith if we are to live out this mystery : ’I achieve in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s sufferings for his Body the Church, ’ says the Apostle.
When this Word comes about in us, there is no more comprehension, there is total darkness and everything falls into darkness, just as the pearl is in darkness, buried in the ground.
“Again this is what the Kingdom of God is like : a merchant seeking beautiful pearls. Having found a pearl of great price, he went and sold everything he ad to buy it.”
When we sell everything to buy the pearl of great price, we expose ourselves to follow Jesus with his mother Mary. It means continuing His work of Salvation by sharing Jesus’ Glory, after having followed him in His Passion.
The Kingdom is peace, love, justice and freedom. To reach this is at the same time a gift of God and a human responsibility.
Before the greatness of the gift of God, we knowthat there is imperfection and instability of all our efforts which are often destroyed by sin, war and malice, all of which seem impossible to overcome. Yet we need to be confident, for what would seem impossible for humans is indeed possible for God.
In His Passion, Jesu will say ’Father, take this cup far from me, but not my Will, may yours be done.’
Our response to Jesus is ’I believed, Lord, increase my faith!’
In the midst of humanity we bear witness to the healing Jesus has operated. Jesus is the One who continues to sustain our hope.
What is precious for us is the Cross of Jesus Christ. It is the over abundant Love with which He saves us.
In community we ought to save with Jesus, the Only Saviour. We know that we need to hold fast and sustain one another in Love.