Working with the Word

Focusing the Gospel

Key words and phrases: The kingdom of heaven is like, treasure, sells all that he has, pearl of great price, sells all that he has, net … full, what is good

To the point: “The kingdom of heaven is like … ” In these three parables, what motivates the actions of the person, merchant, and fishermen is that they have already come upon the extreme good that they seek: the treasure in the field, the pearl of great price, the catch of fish. So it is with us. We have already come upon the extreme good that we spend our lives seeking: the kingdom of heaven. The challenge is to give our all to attain it.

Connecting the Gospel …

… to First Reading: The wisdom that Solomon requested and for which he is famous is one of the most valued virtues of the Old Testament tradition. Like Solomon, we must ask for wisdom so that we can recognize the great treasure of the kingdom of God when it appears.

… to experience: People spend hundreds of dollars taking a chance on winning a mega lottery, even though the odds are many millions to one. On the contrary, there is no chance involved in our spending our lives to receive the extreme good God offers us. We have already been given the greatest prize posssible: the kingdom of heaven.

**From Saint Louis University