The Courage to Give Up All to Possess Eternal Treasure

07-30-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Anthony Okolo, C.S.Sp, V.F.

What particular gift would you ask of God if he spoke to you in a dream tonight and gave you your choice? Many would ask for badly needed health for themselves or for a family member. Others may ask for financial help just to pay off debt and keep the family comfortable. Others would wish to live for many years. But those who would ask for the gift of true wisdom to govern their earthly lives according to justice and charity may be a small percentage. Yet this is the only gift that has eternal value.

The first reading and the gospel have this search for an eternal value as a common theme. For King Solomon the greatest treasure was the wisdom to enable him to govern his people well. For us the greatest treasure is the kingdom of God which, when discovered, one should sacrifice everything to possess it. Jesus invites us to choose wisely in life. Solomon asked for the wisdom to govern his people well and got it, but he failed badly in governing his own personal life, but that can only be done by regulating his life according to the wisdom God has revealed to us.

Palestine was probably the most fought over country in the world and when the tide of war threatened to flow over them, it was common practice for people to hide their valuables in the ground before they took to flight in the hope that when they come back, they could regain it. It is such treasure that we read in the gospel that someone finds by chance. Even though he found it by chance he was not necessarily searching diligently for the treasure but going about his daily business. Jesus is the greatest treasure we can seek in life, and it is possible that we can find Jesus by chance as we embark on daily routine. Besides, when one finds something extremely precious in life, he goes to any length to possess it for keeping. As Christians we should realize that Jesus is the most precious treasure to seek in life and we should do everything to maintain that relationship with Him.

Life sometimes offers us certain chances that should not be lost since they would never come our way again. To choose the kingdom of God is not something that should be delayed. The treasure found in the second parable is because of diligent search which means it is through hard work. The message Jesus gives us in these two parables is that the admittance into the kingdom of heaven is both a gratuitous gift from God and the fruit of hard work on our part.

In summary, the readings invite us as Christians to imitate these two wise people in the gospel and surrender all possessions, if necessary, in order to gain eternal life. Heaven is within the reach of all who follow the ordinary vocation of life and partake of the world joys and pleasure within the framework of God’s commandment. We should choose heaven as our greatest treasure in life and by choosing heaven our life would be regulated by the wisdom and commandment of God. If we have everything we need in life and failed to reach heaven, our life would not have been complete.

Fr. Tony