July 26, 2020

Mt 13: 44-46

‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.

Letting ourselves be found by God

For so long I imagined the buried treasure to be the “kingdom of heaven”, but the Gospel doesn’t exactly say that. Rather, the focus is on the action of the person who finds it, and with great joy sells everything he has to buy it. Naturally, this image invites an interpretation that makes me the searching person, and the kingdom the treasure. But what if the person searching is God, and the treasure God finds buried in a field is me? This reversal, though not exhaustive, consoles me, and resonates with Jesus’s mission to seek and save the lost (cf. Lk 19:10). Today, rather than thinking about how clever I must be to find secret divine treasure in my life, perhaps I can turn the image upside down and see with new eyes how God is looking for me, and that I should let myself be found.

—Deacon David A. Lugo, SJ, is a transitional deacon of the Central and Southern Province who will be ordained to the priesthood on August 15th in St. Louis, MO.  He studies theology at Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid, Spain.

Prayer

Loving God, you love us unconditionally and always desire a deeper relationship with us. Since we know you will never stop looking for us and reaching out to us, help us to accept your love and allow ourselves to be “found” by you.  Draw us ever closer into your friendship. Amen.

—The Jesuit Prayer team