17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew: 13:44-52

"Angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just."

Reflection
Matthew 13:44-52

In today’s Gospel there are beautiful images of the kingdom of heaven. It is presented as a treasure hidden in a field. We can think of the wonderful treasures from our past that were found buried in fields, the beautiful gold chalices and crosses, the gold and silver coins, that our now on show in our National Museum.

The kingdom of heaven is presented as a pearl of great value – not just any pearl, but one that is priceless like the museum pieces, a joy to see, to admire and to contemplate. The images are clear. The kingdom of heaven is the most beautiful thing in the world. Don’t you wish to be in that kingdom?

But, as Christians, we are already in that kingdom. To be in the kingdom is to accept and to do the will of God, and that is a lovely and wonderful thing. Our vocation as Christians is to build the kingdom of God here and now, by following the teaching of Jesus in the Gospels, by expressing and sharing our belief and faith in God, by loving Him and our fellow human beings, here and throughout the world. That is how to win the fullness of the treasure, the priceless pearl, at the end of time.