by Fr. Tommy Lane
There is only one treasure that brings happiness and that treasure is Jesus. The man in the first parable in the Gospel today found the treasure (kingdom of heaven) and went off happy (Matt 13:44). Do we have to set out on a journey to find this treasure and do we need a map? Yes, we do! The journey is the journey into our own hearts, and the map has been given us by Jesus himself.
In the first two parables in the Gospel today (Matt 13:44-46), the men sold everything they had to acquire either the treasure or the pearl. Searching for Jesus and the kingdom of heaven means we face choices and have to make decisions, sometimes hard decisions that we would prefer not to have to make. There will be passing treasures that in the short-term are tempting but don’t offer us the happiness we really want. In the first reading, Solomon passed up on fleeting treasures in order to have God’s wisdom to discern between good and evil (1 Kings 3:5,7-12). Jesus is the real treasure for whom we sometimes carry our cross in order to find Him; he is the treasure who gives us real happiness. By carrying our cross well we will discover a pearl inside us, and that pearl is Jesus.
A pearl is formed in an oyster which secretes mother-of-pearl to form its shell. When a foreign body, such as a grain of sand, enters the oyster, it is surrounded and cut off from the remainder of the oyster by mother-of-pearl building up around it forming a pearl. This is the way an oyster naturally defends itself. What began as a disaster for the oyster has, in fact, turned it into a most beautiful jewel. Sometimes it is like that for us too. What we thought was a disaster or cross turns out for our benefit. As the second reading said,
We know that all things work for good for those who love God. (Rom 8:28)
There will be passing treasures that in the short-term are tempting but don’t offer us the happiness we really want. Jesus is the real treasure for whom we sometimes carry our cross in order to find Him; he is the treasure who gives us real happiness. By carrying our cross well we will discover a pearl inside us, and that pearl is Jesus.
Do we have to set out on a journey to find this treasure, this pearl, Jesus? Do we need a map? Yes, we do! The journey is the journey into our own hearts, and the map has been given us by Jesus himself. How should we begin? By praying and receiving the sacraments frequently and getting to know our Bible. I believe that none of us is praying enough. That’s why there are so many problems. If we all prayed more, I believe many situations would work out much better. So pray more, and receive the sacraments more often, and get to know our Bible so that the pearl, Jesus, may grow within us, a treasure that will not let us down. Then we can go off happy like the man in the parable. (Matt 13:44)
Copyright © Fr. Tommy Lane 1999
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More homilies for the Seventeenth Sunday Year A
Jesus and Mary our treasure 2023
God turns everything to good for those who love him 2011
Second Reading Related: Homilies on turning everything to good