Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday we are blessed to hear the passage of the treasure buried in a field. Though containing only one sentence, this short parable proclaims a message that I have come to slowly embrace as it is continually confirmed throughout my life in powerful ways. The message is simply this: our faith is a treasure. 

This being my last Gospel reflection for a while (as I will be in Rome for the next 7 months), I thought it was a very fitting one for me to end on. If there is a word that I think best expresses my experience with the St. Agatha-James/Newman community it would be just that: a treasure. This treasure, just like all dimensions of the Kingdom of Heaven, is built by the many hearts which composes the whole. And I am very grateful to all of you who have been so good to me and who have revealed to me how valuable of a treasure Christian community can be.

Now, a reality of this treasure explained by Jesus, is that it is a treasure “buried in a field.” In one way, this hiddenness is part of the nature of God’s Kingdom. It is a reality that does not dwell on the surface. It is invisible to the superficial glance, but to those who get on their knees and dig, a treasure of immeasurable value lays waiting below. However, this hiddenness is not meant to be a perpetual state of God’s Kingdom. It is mean to be found! It is meant to be shared! For what is the point of a forever hidden treasure that is unable to be enjoyed?

The treasure we have at St. Agatha-James—our little part of the Kingdom of Heaven—is also meant to be shared. Not out of some sort of stern obligation, but out of a joyful love for those who are also craving the love and communion that we have been freely given.

 Michael Gokie