Hidden Treasure & Pearl of Great Price

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time July 30, 2023

1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12 Ps 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130 Rom 8:28-30 Mt 11:25 Mt 13:44-52

Who here remembers the TV Series “The Beverly Hillbillies?” The series starts out with Jed Clampett, a poor, widowed hillbilly who lives with his daughter and mother-in-law near an oil-rich swamp in Silver Dollar City in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. The opening sequence shows Jed discovering oil on his property while shooting at a rabbit. He wasn’t looking for any riches, he was just simply hunting when he accidentally discovered gold, black gold that is.

That’s kind of what our first parable is like in our Gospel reading today. We are not given any context as to what this person, who found treasure in a field, was looking for. Was this person actually digging for buried treasure or was he or she looking for something else and simply stumbled across this treasure? How often does something like this happen in our lives, where we stumble upon something of great value when we were not looking for it?

Not too long ago I was on Facebook marketplace scrolling through all the things people were selling when I came across an elderly person selling a brand-new Yamaha acoustic electric guitar with a cut away. He was selling it for way less than its full value and it came with a hardshell case. He bought it brand new but only played it once or twice before his wife passed away and then he hid it under his bed before deciding to sell it. When I saw this guitar, I knew I had to have it. It was a hidden treasure that I stumbled upon, so I made an offer to purchase it. Bonnie agreed to let me buy it with the understanding that I would sell my old existing Yamaha guitar, which was only acoustic and had no cut away.

The second parable in our Gospel is somewhat similar but the difference is that this person was looking for something specific. It was a merchant searching for fine pearls, and when he finds a pearl of great price, sells everything he has, to poses it. Have we ever experienced something similar in our lives?

A few years back, before I entered Diaconate formation, when I was still part of the J&A Band, I had an old, refurbished JB Player electric guitar. It was given to me as a gift to play at Mass because we had several acoustic guitar players, and the person who gave me the guitar thought it would be nice to have both acoustic and electric guitars in the band to enhance our music ministry. It was a great transition for me, and I really enjoyed playing the electric guitar at Mass, but I was not entirely comfortable with it, so I began to look for another electric guitar.

I didn’t know exactly what I wanted, but I knew there was something out there that would be better for me. In my searching I came across an Epiphone Wildcat Electric Guitar with a Bigsby Whammy Bar. As soon as I played it, I knew I had to have it. So, I traded in not only the refurbished JB Player, but also two of my electric amps to purchase it.

What is our treasure? What are we searching for? What are we willing to do to acquire it?

These two parables at the beginning of our Gospel from Matthew suggest that the kingdom of heaven is of supreme value and well worth the sacrifice of everything else. This is the theme suggested by Solomon’s appreciation of wisdom and understanding in our first reading, where he sought to acquire wisdom instead of earthly treasures and long life when God asks him what he desires.

Now in one of my study Bibles, a reflection on this reading asks the question: What is the kingdom like for you? How would you answer this question?

For me one answer would be: The kingdom of heaven is like a Steubenville Youth Conference, where 3,500 to 5,000 teens come to joyfully worship God and receive him at Mass; and be with him in Eucharistic Adoration. It is such an amazing experience that many are willing to give of their time to volunteer to help make this experience a reality for our youth.

Treasures on earth like gold, pearls and guitars fade away and are not of supreme value. The kingdom of heaven is that which is of the greatest value. But what exactly is it? In the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, we are given a hint, a clue to this question’s answer.

In chapter 3 verses 1-2 we read: In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

In chapter 4 verse 17 we read: … Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

This expression of “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” refers to the presence of Christ in the world. Jesus, the Word made flesh, brings about the Kingdom of God. His entering into our world, his presence, inaugurates the kingdom of heaven on earth. This is the real treasure.

Where might we find this treasure, this kingdom of heaven on earth? Where might we encounter the real presence of Christ on earth? What are we willing to do to acquire it?

As Catholics, we believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist does not fade away. When we come to Mass, we encounter heaven on earth. When we spend time before the Blessed Sacrament in Eucharistic Adoration, we encounter heaven on earth. This is why I shared that the kingdom of heaven is like a Steubenville Youth Conference where the teens encounter Christ in the Eucharist at Mass and Adoration. But we don’t have to attend a conference to experience it.

The Eucharist, the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ, is a pearl of great price, a treasure to be sought after. What are we willing to do to fully receive it? What are we willing to let go of, to do away with in our lives in order to acquire it? Are we willing to repent of our sins and worldly ways as both John the Baptist and Jesus proclaim early on in Matthew’s Gospel? How often do we take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to Mass and receiving Him in the Eucharist? How often are we willing to experience the kingdom of heaven on earth at Mass and Adoration?

Finally, what are we doing to share this treasure with others? The person in the first parable after finding the treasure in the field buried it to keep it for themselves. But the kingdom of heaven is not one to be hidden and kept for oneself. And so, we should not only ask ourselves “what is the kingdom of heaven like for us?” but also ask “how might my life be a living sign to help others understand what the kingdom of heaven is all about?”