‘The kingdom
of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then
in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
‘Again, the
kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one
pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
‘Again, the
kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of
every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good
into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The
angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them
into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
‘Have you
understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Therefore
every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master
of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’
There are a lot popular songs today that
encourage people to believe in their intrinsic worth and value. The
message is, “You’re great, you’re valuable as a person, don’t put yourself
down…believe in yourself.” It certainly is a timely message because the
world is filled with people who feel like they are worthless. The sad thing is,
a song on the radio won’t help much. That kind of inner brokenness is not
healed by a positive message with a catchy tune.
Something that is even sadder is that
the Church is filled with people who are convinced of their innate
worthlessness. It is heartrending to see that so many people who follow a loving and
beautiful God have as much trouble believing that they are worthwhile and
valuable as do people without any faith at all. Something is wrong with this
picture.
We always think of Jesus as the
‘Pearl of Great Price’ who is worth the selling of all that we own in order to
have him in our life but have you ever considered that Christ was talking
about you as the Pearl of Great Price and that God gave all that he had in
order to re-possess the treasure that is you? You, indeed, are a Pearl
of Great Price paid for in blood.
There is a tendency to accept the basic
fact that God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son but then to see each of us as just one of a billion Christian people who make up this vast world.
It’s similar to you loving and appreciating a tree or a huge mountain but
rarely stopping to consider, let alone love, each molecule that is part of that
tree or mountain. It’s easy to feel that you are an insignificant molecule
within the whole mass called ‘the world’ and it's even easier to feel
that God notices the ‘you molecule’ only when you are out of
line or when you have failed. Do you not get more of a
sense of God focusing on you when you’ve done something wrong than when
you've done what you know is right?
Think for a minute. How easy is it for
you to allow yourself to come before the Lord to see complete love and delight
in his eyes? How willing are you to open the ears of your heart to hear, “You
are my Pearl of Great price. I gave everything I had for you even though you’re
broken and soiled from being hidden in the earth. I created you and I only
create wonder and beauty and you are precious in my sight, and honored, and
I love you. (Isaiah 43.4)
Is this comfortable for you? Do you
have an underlying feeling that you’re not good enough to see delight in his
eyes or to listen to how much he loves you without also hearing the caveat that
you should clean up, shape up and stop being so disappointing? Are you
able to spend time with the Lord and simply enjoy being loved by him with no
strings attached? Is this allowed?
It’s not only allowed, it’s crucial
to becoming a whole and holy child of God. Being immersed in his love is what
creates the changes in us that we yearn for and that we mistakenly think are
our responsibility. Our responsibility is to show up, be there and stay there.
Experiencing the fire of his immense love is what does the work of
transformation (pearl cleaning) that we strive to do on our own – and fail
miserably at.
Listen to what St. Catherine of Siena says as
she prays to the Lord:
"Eternal
Trinity, Godhead, mystery deep as the sea, you could give me no greater gift
than the gift of yourself. For you are a fire ever burning and never consumed,
which itself consumes all the selfish love that fills my being. Yes, you are a
fire that takes away the coldness, illuminates the mind with its light and
causes me to know your truth. And I know that you are beauty and wisdom itself.
The food of angels, you gave yourself to people in the fire of your love."
Do you hear how the action is all
God’s? It is God’s fire of love that consumes the selfishness, takes away the
coldness, illuminates the mind and causes inner recognition of truth. And what
does Catherine do? She comes to him. She simply recognizes with utter gratitude
that he is beauty and wisdom. She glories in that. She revels in the ‘food of
angels’. That kind of experience of God was not given to her because she
was so good and finally deserved it. She became the saint she was because she allowed
herself to sit before the fire and allowed herself to receive the gift
of fierce love. She allowed herself to be treated by God as a pearl of
great price and a wonderful treasure.
She allowed herself to find her
reflection in the burning eyes of the Kingdom of Heaven.
When you sit before the Lord and simply
recognize and receive his love, you will become like a scribe who has been
trained for the kingdom of heaven. Then, like the master of a household
who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old, you will begin
to recognize and rejoice in the beauty of everything you have always been (what
is old) because he created you and you will anticipate with joy all that he has
in store for you (what is new) because he is the one who will love it into
being in his own good time.
The Kingdom of God is within you. Look within
and look into his eyes. Behold the Kingdom. Behold the love. Behold the real
truth of your value and worth in the eyes of the Master.
Consumed In Grace (by St. Catherine
of Siena)
I first saw God when I was a
child, six years of age.
The cheeks of the sun were
pale before Him
And the earth acted as a shy
girl
Like me.
Divine light entered my
heart from His love
That did never fully wane.
Though indeed, dear, I can
understand how a person’s faith
Can at times flicker.
For what is the mind to do
With something that becomes
the mind’s ruin:
A God that consumes us
In His grace.
I have seen what you want;
It is there.
A Beloved of infinite
Tenderness.
I Won’t Take No For An
Answer (by St. Catherine of Siena)
“I won’t take no for
answer,”
God began to say
To me
When he opened His arms each
night
Wanting us to
Dance.
Beautiful Jean, truly beautiful
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