(Optional
Memorial for Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church)
 |
| “The Hidden Treasure” By James Tissot, 1886-94 |
Reading
1: 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.
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Commentary on Jer 15:10, 16-21
This selection continues the Prophet Jeremiah’s lament (his
“Second Confession). In these verses the
prophet is having a crisis of faith in his own mission. He cries out first that he wishes he had
never been born (since he was called from the womb to his mission -Jeremiah 1:4-5). Because he constantly challenges the social traditions
that are evolving, because he calls for the people to reform themselves and
predicts God’s punishment if they do not, he is outcast (“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.”)
In response to his lament, the Lord calls Jeremiah to continue his
prophetic work. First Jeremiah himself
must repent from his own rebellious way and return to ritual purity (“If you bring forth
the precious without the vile, you shall be my mouthpiece.”) The Lord pledges unfailing support for the
prophet’s mission and ultimate victory over God’s foes. (“…for I am with you,
to deliver and rescue you, says the Lord.”)
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Responsorial
Psalm: 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. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
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. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
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. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
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. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
O my strength! your praise will I sing;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
my merciful God!
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
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Commentary on Ps 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18
Psalm 59 is a lament which alternates prayers for salvation with
petitions to punish the enemies of the faithful. The plea for salvation in the psalm strikes a
counterpoint to the lament of Jeremiah who is isolated because of his call to
serve the Lord.
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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.”
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Commentary
on Mt 13:44-46
The parable of the Buried Treasure and the parable of the Pearl Kingdom
of Heaven
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Reflection:
The two parables of the
Gospel seem on the surface to be saying the same thing. Indeed they both speak of the inestimable
value of finding the Kingdom
of God
In the analogy to the buried
treasure, the seeker is said to have found the treasure. It is as if they are simply walking in a
field and stumble upon it. In this
analogy it would be like the casual Christian, the person who is a member of
the faith community by accident of birth and upbringing who has followed the
teaching of the Lord more out of habit than real desire to understand the
Lord. One day this person has a
revelation and suddenly sees the value of the peace of Christ which is what the
Kingdom of God provides in this life.
With that revelation and without much fanfare, that person’s life is
transformed and they are filled with joy at their discovery.
There are many such
individuals and they give hope to families who struggle to bring their children
to faith in a world that devalues its teaching.
As parents we must never give up on pushing our children. Our hope is they discover the treasure we
cherish.
The other parable; the
parable of the pearl, speaks of the merchant searching for pearls. That person’s encounter is not an accident
but rather the result of long effort. In
this instance, it would be like the diligent seeker of truth who explores all
manner of faith traditions finally finding Christ and His wisdom. Like the accidental discovery of the buried
treasure, this one sees the priceless nature of God’s love and salvation and
dedicates themselves completely to the goal of attaining that end.
Regardless of our template,
whether we stumble across buried treasure or if we find the pearl of great
price after long effort, we are told that attainment of that treasure requires
single minded dedication to the attainment of that which is freely
offered. It is the lesson Christ offers,
and one we rededicate ourselves to living.
Pax
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
The picture used is “The Hidden Treasure” By James Tissot, 1886-94
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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