A HIDDEN TREASURE FOR YOU TO FIND.

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME. YEAR A.
July 27, 2008.
(First reading: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12) (Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 97a, 127-130)
(Second reading: Romans 8:28-30) (Gospel reading: Matthew 13:44-52)


A HIDDEN TREASURE
FOR YOU TO FIND.

There is a treasure greater than anything else; a treasure hidden but not unreachable; a treasure which brings the kingdom of heaven into our world; a treasure which brings God's life into our life.

What is this treasure?
In the First Book of Kings king Solomon describes this treasure as "the understanding heart to judge [and relate to] your people and to distinguish right from wrong" (1 Kings 3:9). The treasure consists in the peaceful and harmonious coexistence among all human beings.

Psalm 119 identifies this treasure with the law of God: "The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces... For I love your command more than gold, however fine. For in all your precepts I go forward". The laws of God set the path for true and universal human progress. This treasure "sheds light, giving understanding to the simple" (Psalm 119:72, 127-130), to those whom the world considers undeserving of possessing fulness of life, true prosperity, justice and peace.

This treasure is worth more than "long life... and riches" (1 Kings 3:11), is worth more that any kind of worldly power.

The treasure, however, is hidden under:
- Half truths our world promotes as being true. It is extremely difficult to find the treasure in a world which manipulates the truth in order to justify oppression and injustice, in a world which says that there cannot be peace unless you prepare yourself for war, in a world where the "fulness" of one's life is reaches only by destroying another's life.

- False sense of happiness. It is extremely difficult to find the treasure in a world where the only source of happiness comes from the possession of material wealth, where in order to obtain wealth, one must exploit another.

- Deceptive promises. It is extremely difficult to find the treasure in a world that promises "freedom and democracy" but delivers wars, poverty and death.

If we are to find the treasure we must be motivated to do so.
The First Book of Kings speaks of Solomon's motivation to find the treasure:
- We must accept that every human being is the image of God. "I serve you in the midst of the people you have chosen" (1 Kings 3:8), says Solomon.

- We must accept our role as servants to our fellow human beings. Solomon refers to himself as "servant" (1 Kings 3:6) when he asks God for the treasure.

Once we find the treasure, we must be willing to give up everything else in order to acquire it.
The gospel tells us that when the person finds the treasure, he "goes and sells all that he has and buys the field" (Matthew 13:44). That is, the finder must give up anything that is a negation of that treasure, the finder must give up exploiting his fellow human beings, worldly riches, abusive power.

What happens once we possess the treasure?
The person (or any society, for that matter) who comes to possess the treasure becomes the recipient of God's goodness. Saint Paul says: "All things work for good for those who love God" (Romans 8:28).

May our world come to understand that the treasure, though hidden, is there for us to find it.