Homily Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (What is My Treasure?)

Homily Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (What is My Treasure?)

Finding a treasure always makes for a fascinating story.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to find a hidden treasure?

            Recently, during the ongoing Coronavirus scare, a hospital in South Hampton, New York was like many hospitals in that it was trying to expand its ICU capacity.  The hospital needed to go from 7 beds to 21 beds, so they ventured into an old storeroom that had not been opened for decades to see if they could put beds in it.

            When they went inside, they found a treasure trove of abstract paintings, about 120 in all. No one knew they were there.  The Hamptons were a popular place for artists, like Willem de Kooning to come and work and live during the last century.   The various artists were solicited for donations. Many, in charity, willingly gave their works to the hospital.  Whoever collected the paintings, must have thought they were not worth much.  When the artists became noteworthy later the value changed. 

            The last few months, it has been a struggle to raised funds for the hospital.  Without the Coronavirus pandemic, the paintings might never have been found.  A hidden treasure.  Do we know where our treasure is?

            That is what Jesus seems to be asking.  The people in Palestine would have understood Jesus’ example. In the ancient world, there were very few banks.  Banks were available to the very wealthy.  The only bank poor people had was to bury something in the ground.  Palestine was one of the most fought over pieces of real estate in the world.  Very often, civilians would only have a matter of hours to get out of a way of a major battle.  People would quickly hide their valuable possessions with hopes that they could come back to get them later.

            Quite often, the owners would never get back to retrieve their property.  The person who hid their wealth might be killed in the war they were trying to avoid.  Or, they might spend years and exile and die of natural causes.  Hidden treasures were unearthed often.  The wonderful thing was people who found a treasure would have rightful ownership of it.  The man in the parable’s story was not improbable. 

The thing the parable wants us to ponder is what we value more than anything else. One way to consider the question would be to ask, “If our house was burning what would we grab and run out the front door with?” What is more valuable than anything else?

Right now, the house is burning.  We are seeing what people value most in life.  What are people grabbing for.  Some people are grasping health.  We are afraid for our health.  A lot of us have withdrawn from others trying to stay healthy.  We are afraid. 

Others, of us say, my health, is not all important.  I want to grab cling to personal freedom.  If I want to compromise my health, it is my right.  Because of this we have foolish arguments over health protocols that are meant to keep us all safe.  Festering wounds have been torn open as people argue about what their rights are. 

            We are also grasping for material things.  We go out to buy things to make ourselves feel better.  We can’t do anything else right now, so we repair our homes.  We watch our personal investments.  If we have some savings, we might gain some sense of security from that.  We might be depressed if we don’t have enough or if we can’t spend like we have in the past.

            How many people have embraced their faith?  For many people their religion is like those paintings in the storeroom?  The treasure that is their Christianity has been locked away so long that they have forgotten its value.  We are told that one in four people are depressed right now, child abuse is on the rise, alcohol and drug use have skyrocketed.  The one thing that we hear little or nothing about is about people becoming more spiritual. We say we are a religious country, but maybe another myth is being exposed.  Professing faith in prosperous times is one thing.  Clinging to faith in times of struggle is something very different. 

            Belief in Jesus Christ, living life by loving God and neighbor is the treasure many need to find.  We pray, this day, that there will be realization that a Christian’s relationship with Jesus is more precious than anything else. We need to invest in knowing him for that is the pearl of great price.

Reflection Questions:

1.  Do I feel like I have grown in my relationship with Jesus over the last few months?   In what ways is that apparent?

2. Is it easier to pray in time of crisis or is it harder for me?  What will happen if I persevere in prayer?

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Dear Parishioners,

          Bishop Jenky was exposed to the Coronavirus last week and could not take part in the Ordination of Bishop Tylka.  It was a reminder of how serious the present health scare is.  With millions of Americans now infected it is becoming harder to deny we have serious problems.  The “fake news” is that we don’t need to worry.

          Bishop Jenky wrote a letter to all of us after he was told to quarantine.  He spoke out strongly about two things that seem to be debated among Catholics.  One concern was communion on the tongue.  He said communion could be received on the tongue only in the most extreme circumstances.

          One example of an extreme circumstance would be if someone was a paraplegic. Then a minister could communicate them and sterilize their hands afterwards.  Some Catholics have been told that the only reverent way to receive communion is in the hand. Receiving communion on the tongue is not a precept of the faith.  It is a religious custom that is optional.

          Another thing that Bishop Jenky stressed was the wearing of masks. Wearing a mask into church and then taking it off defeats the purpose.  We catch Coronavirus in group settings where we are together with others for a prolonged time (usually indoors).  We need to leave masks on as much as possible.  Some people have health concerns which make it hard for them to breath with a mask.  This is the only excuse for not wearing them.

          The loving thing is to take care of each other.  At Sacred Heart, people have been following the protocols from the diocese. I know pastors have had big arguments with parishioners over the two issues I just mentioned I appreciate your cooperation and love for your neighbor.

          May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you.

Fr. Mark