Gospel: Matthew 13:44-46
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field. The one who finds it, buries it again; and so happy is he, that he goes and sells everything he has, in order to buy that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader, who is looking for fine pearls. Once he has found a pearl of exceptional quality, he goes away, sells everything he has and buys it.

Reflections
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure.”
Each of us has those that might be considered of great value or significance, those we regard as our “treasure”, our “pearl of great price,” such as: a call to do mission, a role in the community, a significant task at work, the family or loved one. All these are accompanied by a profound and, often times, an in- explicable sense of joy, and it is common to all of them. Joy is the “one thing” that renders them priceless. We can even forgo of the compensation, reward, or anything in exchange for what we have given out of ourselves.
Joy frees us from other concerns, allowing us to focus only on the “one thing.” To the disciples this one thing is the following of Jesus. And to Jesus the one thing is the reign of God, the bringing of God’s love to all creation. In our case, our one thing could be our work, our mission in the Church. The joy that accompanies it pulls us, so that what we have and what we do become a contribution to the in-breaking of God’s reign. Joy is an indicator; it points us to the good, to a pearl of great price.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019