THE BURIED TREASURE
>>> Note. The prayers are inspired by a text of Romano Guardini in The Lord.
Introduction
Jeremiah is the first of the prophets to call God into account. Since he has given his life to God and his God-given mission, how come that he has to suffer so much to do God’s work? God’s answer is: Be converted. Trust in God even in your doubt and continue your mission. It is our lot and way to live with doubts and problems, and still to trust God. He is with us, even if we do not see it. That, precisely, is faith.
The two parables of today stress, each in its own way, that one should give up everything in order to possess the kingdom. In the first parable, the kingdom is the treasure, in the second, not the pearl, not the thing, but the person in constant search of it. Our search should concern the things that really matter: God’s reign among people, which, in response to God’s grace, we prepare through our love, our justice, our service, our compassion and forgiveness, by which we let Christ’s death and resurrection become a reality in our day. But it is a search – an ongoing quest, never fully achieved, but always, so we hope, in growth and progress.
Opening Prayer
Lord God, our Father,
our heart remains restless
until it has discovered the peace you offer us
in your Son, Jesus Christ.
Help us to put our trust and joy
not in brittle, perishable things
but in your Son, his Good News
and the kingdom he came to build among us.
Make us poor and receptive,
give each of us an attentive and wise heart
that keeps seeking until we have found you
in Jesus and in people,
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen!
1 Reading – JEREMIAH 15:10, 16-21
Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth! a man of strife and contention to all the land! I neither borrow nor lend, yet all curse me. When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart, because I bore your name, O LORD, God of hosts. I did not sit celebrating in the circle of merrymakers; under the weight of your hand I sat alone because you filled me with indignation. Why is my pain continuous, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? You have indeed become for me a treacherous brook, whose waters do not abide! Thus the LORD answered me: If you repent, so that I restore you, in my presence you shall stand; if you bring forth the precious without the vile, you shall be my mouthpiece. Then it shall be they who turn to you, and you shall not turn to them; and I will make you toward this people a solid wall of brass. Though they fight against you, they shall not prevail, for I am with you, to deliver and rescue you, says the LORD. I will free you from the hand of the wicked, and rescue you from the grasp of the violent.
Responsorial PSALM 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18
R. (17d) God is my refuge on the day of distress.
Rescue me from my enemies,
O my God; from my adversaries defend me.
Rescue me from evildoers;
from bloodthirsty men save me. R.
For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
mighty men come together against me,
Not for any offense or sin of mine, O LORD. R.
O my strength! for you I watch;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
As for my God, may his mercy go before me;
may he show me the fall of my foes. R.
But I will sing of your strength
and revel at dawn in your mercy;
You have been my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of distress. R.
O my strength! your praise will I sing;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
my merciful God! R.
Alleluia – JOHN 15:15B
Alleluia, alleluia.
I call you my friends, says the Lord,
for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel – MATTHEW 13:44-46
Jesus said to his disciples: “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. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
Commentary
Amazing Grace
The two little parables seem identical, but they are not! In the first, the Kingdom is compared to the treasure that we chance upon. The one who finds it is not necessarily seeking for it, for he happens to stumble upon it. That is Grace working! In the second parable, we mistakenly compare the Kingdom to the pearl; but no, read again: The Kingdom is compared to the trader. He is ‘actively searching’ for the finest pearls; once he finds them, he sells everything he has to buy them! God in Christ is the trader, who is actively searching for the finest pearl—you and me; and upon finding us, he goes and sells all that he has, including his very life (cf. Phil. 2:5-11), to make us his own! If we find God by sheer Grace (first parable), God finds us at great cost to Himself (second parable). Can there be a greater Good News?
Intentions
– For all Christians, that they may hold dear their faith and their life in Christ and keep living up to their convictions, we pray:
– For the leaders of nations, that as they work for prosperity and progress they may not lose sight of what is essential, that is: people, and the deepest human values, we pray:
– For our young people, that their parents and the Church may hand on to them their living faith and the spirit to serve God and people well, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
create between you and us
a holy communion of love.
Come among us in Jesus Christ
in this Eucharist, and in daily life
and reign in us, take possession of us,
to rule and forgive, to sanctify and enlighten,
to lead us and to renew us by your grace.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
in this Eucharistic celebration,
you have again given us your own Son.
Let him nourish in us the growth of your kingdom.
May he open our eyes to the goodness
and yet the relative value of the things of this earth
and let him help us realize,
that our human personality and existence
is nothing else than the concrete manner,
in which you call us
and in which we respond to your call
to build up your kingdom.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Lord. Amen!
Blessing
We know we are dear to God. May God and our faith and God’s kingdom be our joy and treasure. May God be our happiness and may he bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!