The Buried Treasure Is Always Available

Q U I C K S C A N

Our call to holiness is now
Everyday crosses
Saintly models of the past
A closing meditation

Perhaps the most important image or idea in the preaching of Jesus is that of the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of heaven. The image is used so repeatedly and in so many different parables that we sometimes end up with a hazy idea of God’s Kingdom. It’s really not that complex when we boil it down to its essential meaning. Though it can be expressed in different ways, the Kingdom of God is basically God’s saving presence among us or, if you like, God’s redemptive presence at work among us. In a true sense, the Kingdom of God can be communicated in one word: God—God, who by his very nature loves us and is at work on our behalf, forgiving, healing and saving us.

We can strengthen our understanding of the Kingdom if we substitute the words God’s saving presence every time we use the word Kingdom. For example, instead of saying, “The Kingdom of God is like a treasure buried in a field” (Matthew 13:44), we can say, “God’s saving presence 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.” Or when you pray “thy Kingdom come” in the Our Father, think instead “thy saving presence come,” that is, may it advance and spread among us.

Try doing the same with Jesus’ words in Matthew’s Gospel: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things [what we are to eat, drink and wear] will be given you besides” (6:33). Our call to holiness as Christians and as human beings is very much wrapped up in seeking first the Kingdom of God, that is, in seeking first our loving and gracious God, who is always at work among us, saving us. It’s also helpful to see that Jesus, the Incarnate Word, is the embodiment of the Kingdom, for Jesus truly represents God’s saving presence at work among us.

Our call to holiness is now

We are often tempted to think that our real opportunity to become saints will be in some place and time other than here and now. We find ourselves always waiting for the perfect opening, saying to ourselves: “Oh, I’ll get serious about the call to holiness when my home situation improves or when I get rid of my migraine headaches or weight problem or when I get a new job that is not so boring.”

As we keep waiting for the ideal situation to come along, we drift into a state of mediocrity. As we get more in touch with our true human condition, however, we realize that in an imperfect world we are never going to find that ideal starting point or a germ-free atmosphere from which to begin. Our best starting point is now—in the midst of human imperfection. The Kingdom of heaven—God’s loving and saving presence—is among us now. It does not depend upon our having all our ducks in a row or upon our finding that perfect opening.

Everyday crosses

All of our lives we’ve heard about the need to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus. The trouble is we’d prefer our crosses to have a little more class to them or be more to our liking—not these stomach problems that I’ve had for years, not these allergies or embarrassing skin problems, not this annoying coworker, classmate or brother-in-law I must put up with day after day.

We would find these crosses easier to bear if they had little tags on them with messages from God saying things like: “These crosses and challenges have the same dignity as those faced by my Son who ran into all kinds of imperfect people and situations. You are truly sharing in the redemptive work of Christ if you bear these everyday crosses with faith, hope and charity. My loving, saving, healing presence is with you, as you persevere on this noble and glorious mission in the footsteps of my Son.” As a human being like us—except for sin—Jesus would have probably appreciated such messages of encouragement and clarification, too.

Saintly models of the past

Within the next few days and weeks, the feasts of two great saints are coming up: Ignatius of Loyola (July 31) and St. Maximilian Kolbe (August 14). Both of these saints connected very genuinely with God’s saving presence as they faced terrible crosses and very imperfect situations.

Ignatius (1491-1556) was on the fast track to military fame when a cannonball shattered his leg. Ignatius used this event of great human loss and imperfection to open himself to the Kingdom of God. As he convalesced, he read the life of Christ and lives of the saints. Because of his openness to God, this great tragedy or cross became for Ignatius an important stepping-stone to his conversion and spiritual growth.

Maximilian Kolbe, in 1941, found himself also in a most horrific and dehumanizing situation, namely the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz, Poland. Many of us might not see this as an ideal opening for human holiness. Yet in a great act of love, Maximilian offered his life by trading places with another prisoner, a man with a wife and children, who had been selected for execution. The commandant agreed. Maximilian thus entered fully into God’s saving presence, becoming a glorious martyr out of love for God and neighbor.

When we look at those two great saints and other great saints of the past—Mary Magdalene, Paul, Francis, Clare, Anthony, Teresa of Avila, Theresa of the Child Jesus, to name a few—we sometimes tend to see them, with their halos and devout postures, as having great advantages over us. We think of them, for example, as living in an age of greater faith and devotion as compared to our times of greater worldliness and imperfection, or so we think. But we are mistaken. In the things that really matter, they have no advantage over us. The Eucharist and other sacraments at their disposal did not have a superior potency to the sacraments at our disposal today. For in each age, the Risen Jesus is powerfully present within these holy signs.

Nor was the Kingdom of God one inch nearer to them in their era than is God’s saving presence near to us in ours. For the God, who is Creator, Savior and Spirit, is powerfully present in every era. As it was the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

A closing meditation

In every age, the Kingdom of God is near—and the words of the Risen Jesus ring equally true: “I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me” (Rev. 3:20). This invitation of the Risen Jesus has wonderful applications for us during this Year of the Eucharist.

Friar Jim’s Inbox

Readers respond to Friar Jim’s “Catechism Quiz: Sacrament of Matrimony.”

Dear Friar Jim: I can tell you from sad experience that the Church is right on the button when it comes to preparation. For my first marriage I went to my parish priest, who knew me well as I was a CCD teacher there for four years, for pre-Cana. He asked, “Can I talk you out of it?” When we said no, that was it. Less than three years later we were divorced, and now our marriage is annulled. I believe with the proper counseling and questioning I never would have gone through with it.  The night before the wedding I almost called it off in a panic, but I thought it was traditional cold feet. When my girlfriend and her husband married, their parish in Lausanne, Switzerland, offered a one-year post-marriage seminar, and they thought it was great. I wish my parish offered something similar. My “new” seven-year marriage is surviving, but we certainly could have used some guidance! A divorce is nowhere in the cards, but we could have used some help. So when I hear people talking about the Church “interfering” in marriage, I just put in my two cents. Thanks for your column. God bless, Margarette

Dear Friar Jim: I found your article on divorce interesting, as I am divorced. I am a Catholic, who married a non-Catholic who refused to get an annulment from his first marriage. The excuse: The Catholic Church just wants my money. Instead of standing my ground, I caved and we were married by some non-denomination minister. This set the pattern for the entire marriage. He even tried to question the fact that our children were going to be raised Catholic, when he had no affiliation with any church and I attended Mass with child in tow. I watched him do drugs (recreational and prescription). I endured verbal abuse, and my dislike for my husband grew. After the second baby, I grew a backbone and decided I was not going to raise two boys to be like their father and left. My divorce was ugly. The one blessing during the whole mess is that neither of my children, 3 and 5 months at the time, missed the other parent. This was due to the fact that my ex-husband was uninvolved. I am raising two very happy, well-adjusted boys without the influence of their father. Here is a question for you: Do I need to get an annulment even though I was not married in the Catholic Church? Lori

Dear Lori: Thanks for your words about your situation. Truly, yours is a case where divorce is perfectly understandable. You have the right to protect yourself and your children. In answer to your question: No, you do not need an annulment. If another marriage becomes a possibility, all you need is a) your baptismal certificate, b) copy of marriage license and c) copy of the divorce decree. The marriage was not recognized by the Church. Maybe that is a blessing in disguise. If you had convinced him to marry you in the Church, you would have needed an annulment. Now you are saved all that difficulty. God bless you. Friar Jim

Send your feedback to friarjack@franciscanmedia.org.

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