“Treasures”
In the Portuguese fable A Caverna dos Tesouros (The Treasure Cave) a poor woman was walking through the forest with her young son when she heard a mysterious voice coming from a cave. Looking inside, she discovered it was filled with unimaginable treasures: gold, silver, and precious stones. The voice told her she could take whatever she wanted, but she could fill only one bag and had just two minutes before the cave would close forever. Overwhelmed by the abundance of riches, she hurriedly filled her bag, constantly replacing one valuable item with another, trying to choose the most precious treasures. As the final seconds counted down, she grabbed a few more pieces of gold and jewels and rushed out of the cave just before the entrance was sealed by solid rock. Outside, delighted with her fortune, she imagined the comfortable life she would now be able to provide. Then, in horror, she realized what she had sacrificed in her frantic pursuit of wealth: she had left her little son inside the cave. The treasure was hers forever, but so was the loss of what mattered most.
Far from being simply a children’s story or a figment of the imagination, this story contains a profound truth: there is a real risk in this life of mistaking what is truly valuable, pursuing certain attractive goods, and losing what is truly worthwhile and gives meaning to life. That is at the same time the glory and drama of our lives. That’s the meaning of “treasure” here: whatever we value most and orient our heart, time, energy, and decisions toward because we believe it gives our life its greatest meaning and fulfillment. “Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Mt 6:21) our Lord explains clearly after he warned his disciples: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.” (vv. 19-20)
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Mt 13:44) With these beautiful words, our Lord Jesus Christ describes the value of the kingdom He has come to establish. The parable teaches that it is something unexpected, undeserved, of incalculable worth, and that it changes your life forever. But what is this kingdom all about? It is not a political or social power comparable to those of this world, as Christ replied to Pontius Pilate when he asked him about his kingdom: “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” (Jn 18:36)
He was even more specific during his arguments with the Pharisees who “asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. His answer was, ‘The Kingdom of God does not come in such a way as to be seen. No one will say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’; because the Kingdom of God is within you.’” (Lk 17:20-21). Within you: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” (Jn 14:23) Astonishing revelation of Our Lord during the Last Supper. The indwelling of God: this is the heart and uniqueness of our faith. God establishes a personal relationship with us, one based not primarily on external acts of worship, but on His real and transforming presence within the soul that is in a state of grace. This is the greatest treasure anyone could ever dream of, for there is no greater good than God Himself. Father, Son and Holy Spirit: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor 3:16)
The other two parables that the Lord uses in today’s Gospel shed light on this teaching. The merchant who is searching for fine pearls reminds us that there is already a longing inside the human heart, soul, for what is precious (“searching”). The love of God that “has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Rom 5:5) is the perfect answer to our deepest desires. Here it comes to mind St. Augustine’s confession at the moment of his conversion after much seeking: “Too late did I love You, O Fairness, so ancient, and yet so new! Too late did I love You! For behold, You were within, and I without, and there did I seek You; I, unlovely, rushed heedlessly among the things of beauty You made. You were with me, but I was not with You.” (Confessions, X, 27) The net thrown into the sea reminds us that discernment is needed because not everything in the world is good or convenient.
In this regard, and unfortunately, it is all too common, even among practicing Catholics, for us to lose our way and seek our treasure, like the woman in the fable, among the things of this world: pleasure, security, possessions, relationships, traditions, influence, work, entertainment, control, recognition, success, food… When St. Paul encountered Christ, all these things took a back seat: “whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Phil 3:7-8) They can still be part of our lives, but as gift from God whom we seek first: “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides” (Mt 6:33)
What is your treasure, my friend?
Previous Letters:
July 19, 2026: Weeds and the Problem of Evil
July 12, 2026: The Soil
July 5, 2026: We Hold These Truths
June 28, 2026: Eyesight
June 21, 2026: Provider
June 14, 2026: Ordinary
June 7, 2026: Salvation Has Come to This House
May 31, 2026: Why Three?
May 24, 2026: Fruits
May 17, 2026: For Greater Glory
May 10, 2026: Orphans?
May 3, 2026: A Good Shepherd II
April 26, 2026: A Good Shepherd
April, 19, 2026: Necessary
April 12, 2026: Merciful Patience!
April 5, 2026: Breaking News!
March 29, 2026: Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
March 22, 2026: Lord of the Dead and the Living
March 15, 2026: Light and Darkness
March 8, 2026: Thirst and Desire
March 1, 2026: Transfigured
February 22, 2026: The Law of Freedom
February 15, 2026: In Defense of Marriage
February 8, 2026: Salt and Light
February 1, 2026: Poor Who Enrich
January 25, 2026: Catholic School Education
January 18, 2026: Humbled and Exalted
January 11, 2026: Born and Reborn
January 4, 2026: What’s the Price of a Mass?
December 28, 2025: Families Serving Families
December 21, 2025: Decisions
December 14, 2025: Make Firm
December 7, 2025: Hope and Justice
November 30, 2025: Armor of Light
November 23, 2025: Behold Your King
November 16, 2025: Remember Your Dignity
November 9, 2025: St. Leo and the Cross of Christ
November 2, 2025; Dying in Christ
October 26, 2025: Forgive Us
October 19, 2025: Pray For Us
October 12, 2025: Pillar of Faith
October, 5, 2025: Compendium of the Gospel
September 28, 2025: Failed to Do
September 21, 2025: An Enemy Did This
September 14, 2025: In Hoc Signo
September 7, 2025: My Son Carlo
August 31, 2025: Humility?
August 24, 2025: How Difficult?
August 17, 2025: Politically Incorrect
August 10, 2025: Got Faith?
August 3, 2025: Greed
July 27, 2025: Ask and You Shall Receive
July 20, 2025: The Better Part
July 13, 2025: Who is the Samaritan
July 6, 2025: Joy and Spoons
June 29, 2025: In Fire
June 22, 2025: A Beating Heart in the Tabernacle
June 15, 2025: The Mirror
June 8, 2025: Filled With the Holy Spirit
June 1, 2025: He Loved Us
May 25, 2025: Servant of Your Faith and Joy
May 18, 2025: Leo
May 11, 2025: The Deposit of Faith
May 4, 2025: Costly Mercy
April 27, 2025: Who is Peter?
April 20, 2025: I Make All Things New – Arise!
April 13, 2025: I Make All Things New – To Do My Penance
April 6, 2025: I Make All Things New – I Declared My Sin to You
March 30, 2025: I Make All Things New – I Firmly Resolve
March 23 2025: I Make All Things New – I am Sorry for Offending You
March 16, 2025: I Make All Things New – Examining Your Conscience
March 9, 2025: I Make All Things New
March 2, 2025: Pruning
February 23, 2025: The Anointed of the Lord
February 16, 2025: Be My Valentine
February 9, 2025: Wash Away My Guilt II
February 2, 2025: Wash Away My Guilt I
January 26, 2025: Catholic Education
January 19, 2025: Shall Marry You
January 12, 2025: Called by Name
January 5, 2025: Pilgrims of Hope
December 29, 2024: Priests for the Family
December 22, 2024: Messengers of Joy
December 15, 2024: Blessed Are the Poor
December 8, 2024: Love, Hope and Joy
December 1, 2024: Hope Does Not Disappoint
November 24, 2024: Are You King?
November 17, 2024: Seven Words
November 10, 2024: Tu es Petrus
November 3, 2024: Pray For Those Authority
October 27, 2024: These Are the Feasts
October 20, 2024: Someone Else
October 13, 2024: Be Prudent
October 6, 2024: Project and Dreams II
September 29, 2024: Projects and Dreams I
September 22, 2024: Pastor
September 15, 2024: Take Up Your Cross
September 8, 2024: Guardians of Shared Memory
September 1, 2024: From Their Hearts
August 25, 2024: The Cost of Discipleship
August 18, 2024: For Real?
August 11, 2024: Too Long For You
August 4, 2024: A New Manna
July 28, 2024: Bread of Life
July 21, 2024: Shepherds After My Own Heart
July 14, 2024: Woe to Me…
July 7, 2024: Come and Rest (II)
June 30, 2024: Come and Rest (I)
June 23, 2024: Storms
June 16, 2024: I Will be a Father to You
June 9, 2024: Burning Furnace of Love
June 2, 2024: In the Midst of Him
May 26, 2024: Forever I Will Sing the Goodness of the Lord
May 19, 2024: Through the Holy Spirit
May 12, 2024: The Ark of the Covenant
May 5, 2024: Source and Summit
April 28, 2024: Rejoice Always
April 21, 2024: I Believe in the resurrection of the body Part II
April 14, 2024: I Believe in the Resurrection of the Body Part 1
April 7, 2024: Rich in Mercy
March 31, 2024: Sine Dominico Non Possumus About Sunday
February 11, 2024: I Was Ill and You Cared For Me
February 4, 2024: Why Evil?
January 28, 2024: Catholic Schools Week
January 21, 2024: Attachments
January 14, 2024: The LORD Shines
January 7, 2024: Epiphany 2024
December 31, 2023: A Family of Families
December 25, 2023: New Beginnings
December 17, 2023: Christmas
December 3, 2023: Watch
November 26, 2023: Be Healed
November 19, 2023: Sealed
November 12, 2023: Religious?
