Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time

Lectio

    Matthew 13:44–46

Meditatio

“… out of joy …”

    These two verses are packed with significance for the disciples of Jesus, bringing us joy and encouragement. In describing the kingdom of heaven for us, Jesus gives us not only an image, but also something we can relate to.

    First, this description involves two things that are related to each other: a treasure (or pearls), and a seeker. The seeker finds the treasure and makes that treasure the focal point of his or her desire. He or she wants that treasure more than anything else in the world.

    But the seeker cannot yet obtain the treasure, because he or she is not prepared to purchase it. So the seeker goes away in order to sell whatever it takes to be able to purchase the treasure.

    This parable is about us. We are the ones who have found a treasure. That treasure is the heart of the kingdom: Jesus. But we are not prepared to purchase the treasure, and Jesus does not expect us to be so prepared. The kingdom of heaven consists of the treasure, and the seeker, and the process of selling what needs to be sold, and returning to take possession of the treasure.

    Preparedness, or the ability to live all of the demands of the Gospel, is not a requirement for the kingdom of heaven. The preparedness to obtain the treasure is the consequence of the kingdom of heaven. Knowing that we don’t have to be completely prepared can give us joy—the fuel that drives us to continue selling what we need even to the point that it hurts. Our unpreparedness, our ongoing letting go of what prohibits us from completely being in possession of the treasure—that is the kingdom of heaven.

Oratio

    Jesus, you are the treasure I have found, and the pearl I long to possess. Not only are you the treasure, but also the currency and purchaser of what I need to sell. I know that I’m not ready to possess you. I must sell so many things: fear, unkindness, anxiety, anger, sin. Nourish my longing for you, O Lord, so that it may be stronger than these things I need to sell. With each thing I sell I know you will rejoice with me. That too gives me strength to carry on. Amen.

Contemplatio

    Jesus, my treasure lies in you.

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ORDINARY GRACE Weeks 1–17: Daily Gospel Reflections (By the Daughters of St. Paul)