Worth everything

In the classic western The Magnificent Seven, a group of impoverished farmers offers everything they have in order to obtain a gunfighter’s assistance. The gunfighter pauses and responds slowly, “I’ve been offered a lot for my work, but never everything.”

The farmers were facing slow death at the cruel hands of robbers. They recognized this, so they made to choice to give up everything for the hope of rescue.

Our souls are facing slow death in the fleshy traps of this world. The biggest problem is that we do not recognize it.

In today’s Gospel (Matthew 13:44-46), we hear two parables about men who sell everything they have in order for each to buy a single item of great price: for one, it is buried treasure; for another, it is the finest of pearls.

This sounds crazy to us. What is the point of being left with nothing except one pearl, no matter how valuable?

The problem is that we do not understand how truly valuable that pearl is.

The ultimate point, of course, is that pearl of great price represents the Kingdom of God and if we do not understand the parable, it is because we do not really understand how truly valuable the Kingdom of God is.

Oh, yes, we know theoretically. It’s not rocket science – infinity and eternity outweigh everything – but too often our feeling for finite, temporary things outweighs our feeling for God.

May the grace and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ fill our hearts completely and instill within us a true appreciation of and desire for the Kingdom of God, so that we may give up everything that keeps us from it, for the Kingdom of God is truly worth everything.