Buried Treasure

 Viking Treasure

When I was a kid I grew up in the north of England, in the county of Yorkshire.  Yorkshire was a place where the vikings invaded several times between 866 and 1066.  When I was about 12 one of my neighbors bought a metal detector, and my imagination was captured with the idea that one day my neighbor Mr. John and I would discover some hidden, buried Viking hoard in a field near our house.  

Spanish Gold

Now I live in Colorado, and sometimes I wonder if somewhere around Denver there isn’t buried some ancient hoard of Spanish gold.  The Spanish were here in Colorado in the 1540s, is it possible that some Spanish expedition could have struck out north seeking a new way to bring treasures back to Spain, and due to some emergency have been forced to bury the treasure in a field somewhere, just waiting to discover?  It fires the imagination!  What would my life be like, if I discovered a hoard of Spanish gold?  Maybe I should go and get a metal detector and start searching the fields.

Jesus uses our thirst for treasure

Jesus uses this imagery today to speak to us about the Kingdom of Heaven.  He describes the kingdom of heaven like that - a treasure that lies hidden in an everyday, ordinary field.  He reminds me back to the days of my childhood when I was out with Mr. John’s metal detector searching diligently and imagining what my life would be like if I found that hoard of treasure and I could dig it up?

What is the Kingdom of Heaven? - It is God’s love for us

The Kingdom of heaven is like a man who discovers a treasure buried in a field.  He digs it up and re-hides it in the field and then spends all of his life saving up money to buy the field so that he can have the treasure.  The treasure in the field is the realization that God loves us, and that his love is something that we can never earn, but only discover.  To live in the Kingdom of God is to live our life focused on growing more deeply in love with God - so much so that His love becomes the focus and object of our lives.

God loves me deeply - and created me with a purpose

To live in the kingdom of heaven is to realize that God loves me deeply, intensely and completely.  That he has created me for a purpose, a vocation so that when I pursue that vocation I am realizing and deepening my relationship with Christ. 

Kingdom of Heaven Detector - Discernment like Solomon

What we need is a “Kingdom of Heaven” detector in our lives.  If I had such a thing what would it be like?

In the first reading today we see that God invites King Solomon to ask Him for a gift.  Solomon takes this invitation from God seriously and realizes that God has called him to a particular vocation - which was to lead God’s chosen people, the Jews as their King.

Step 1 - Reflect in Prayer - What is my Vocation?

How can we use this today?  Brothers and Sisters, let us realize that God has called us to particular vocations, so I want to invite you to put the readings into action in your lives this week by starting as Solomon did and reflect on the vocation and situation you find yourself in today.  Why did God place you in this place and at this time?  To what vocations are you being called?

In my case, my vocation is Deacon - that is servant.  It is also that of Son, Brother, Father.  In each of these areas Christ invites me to share his love with those whom I encounter.

Step 2 Solomon asked for a gift to grow in his vocation?

Now we can take the next step - ask the Lord to help us to understand what gift we need to help us to deepen our vocation and pursuit of God?  How do we grow closer to Christ?

For King Solomon he could have asked for desires such as 

• to preserving his life (Health), or 

• to controlling his life (Money) or 

• to triumphing over his enemies (Power)

Yet, Solomon instead asks for the gift that will help him to fulfill God’s plan - wisdom.  This is the key to detecting the treasure in the field.

A 15 minute walk - ask for what Gift you need

I want to invite you to take a moment in prayer this week - make it 15 minutes, and go for a walk, or come to the Adoration chapel, maybe while you are out with the dog or some other way and ask the Lord what Gift you need to deepen one of your vocations.  This takes time because we need to see past the normal human desires like “Lord, I need to win the lottery to realize my vocation of generosity” to pass by and see the deeper need.  If you do not get a strong discernment then persevere and continue to search for the buried treasure - Lord what gift do I need to fulfill the vocation you call me to?

Step 3 - How is God using the events of my life to give me a gift I need

As you are spending this time in prayer, remember that St. Paul starts the second reading with “Brothers and sisters: We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

Part of our discernment this week, part of us hunting out the hidden treasure or the pearl of great price is to take time to reflect on what is going on in our life and to ask the Lord - how is this event helping me to grow closer to you?  Sometimes that is hard for us to see, yet we know that St. Paul’s reflection is true - God uses all things for his God when we love God - even sickness and tragedy and weakness towards sin.  God takes those and (if we allow him) uses them to help us grow in holiness?  

How do I know that the gift I am asking for will help me in my vocation?

Asked for or given, Gifts conform us to Christ

The gifts that we need are the gifts that help us to conform our lives to the life of Christ.  To become Holy, that is set-aside for God, or Happy - in that we fulfill the purpose for which God created us is to become like Christ - for that is what it means to be a Christian.  One way to discern if a gift will help you to grow in your vocation is to ask yourself - how will this gift help me to learn to love like Christ loves?

The Christian Acrostic

In the early Church, believers used the Greek word ΙΧΘΥΣ (ichthus) as a confession of faith because each letter stands for the first letter of the mission of Jesus:

Ι (Iota) – Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous / Jesus)

Χ (Chi) – Χριστός (Christos / Christ or Anointed One)

Θ (Theta) – Θεοῦ (Theou / of God)

Υ (Upsilon) – Υἱός (Yios / Son)

Σ (Sigma) – Σωτήρ (Sōtēr / Savior)

Together, it translates to "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior." 

Jesus = Fish / Christian = Fish / Baptism and Eucharist

This identification of the Fish with Christ and the Christian was explained by Tertullian as both an image of Baptism and the Eucharist.  It is a symbol of Baptism because Jesus goes into the water (death) and yet comes out alive (like a fish).  It is a symbol of the Eucharist because of the Eucharistic miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish.

At the end of the Gospel today, Jesus gives us one more image for the kingdom of heaven.  He says “the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind.  When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets.”

God is casting his net in our lives this week.  Whether we are a good fish or bad fish will be judged by how well our lives imitate the life of Christ, how well we are able to receive and share the love of Christ with those around us.  

St. Jose Maria Escriva, The Way, 280.

We become a bad fish when we lose the supernatural meaning of our lives and our charity becomes philanthropy; our purity becomes decency, our mortification is seen as stupidity; our discipline, a whip; and all our works, fruitless.

Let the Eucharist transform us into Good Fish

On the other hand - We can become good fish by imitating Christ as we allow the Eucharist we share today to penetrate and transform us.  When this happens, we are  the one who has discovered the treasure in the field and the kingdom of heaven is here!