In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about the kingdom of God.
It is like a treasure find. Invest everything in the Kingdom of Heaven and it is worth much more than all you have. Prestige, possessions, influence cannot compare with the Kingdom of God.
Like a collector’s pearl, worth more than all that you possess! Take a good look and recognise what you have found!
Like a dragnet collecting fish. Being at the service of the Kingdom of God calls for response. We can be “good” or “bad”. We can be integral, loving, seeking God’s will or we can choose not to do this. However, there comes a time when we need to make a choice, we cannot just sit on the fence. As a disciple of Jesus, as a Christian, I need to constantly look at my life and make choices. I need to intentionally decide to live the Gospel. There is accountability, I cannot keep putting things off forever!
Things old and new. There is value in the wisdom of the ages. The commandments of God, the wisdom collected in two thousand years of the Christian church, the teachings of the church, the writings of the Saints and the Holy church fathers and mothers. There is also the Holy Spirit making all things new. The Word of God is alive. The teachings of the Church and other true wisdom are alive. We cannot throw away all the old wisdom and teachings handed on to us just because they are old. Neither can we muzzle and control the Holy Spirit who makes all things new. It is not either or. There is a difference between, FUNDAMENTALS OF OUR FAITH and FUNDAMENTALISM.
Fundamentals of our faith are alive, full of mystery, and under the guidance of the HOLY SPIRIT, we are forever needing to adapt them to our realities: we do this without altering them. It is indepthing not rejecting or watering down!
Fundamentalism constricts the Word of God. It is made rigid, narrow and stifling. It is not alive! We pray for the wisdom to live by the real treasure of the Word of God, to make good choices, not to be side tracked but to continue to grow in the spiritual life. We need to patiently and lovingly make good decisions ourselves while also helping others to make good decisions.
