“Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me. "(MK 10;21) As defined in scripture the root word of ‘treasure’ means “to hoard, to store up anything that is collected together (corn, oil, gold, silver, etc.)”. Jesus signifies ‘treasure’ as works of love which are stored in heaven; works of providing for the poor through offering one’s possessions that does not fail. Consider the understanding of ‘treasure’ from the life experiences of the following individuals. “The most luxurious possession, the richest treasure anybody has, is his personal dignity. ”(Jackie Robinson) “Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself. ”(Walter Anderson) “Grant me the treasure of sublime poverty: permit the distinctive sign of our order to be that it does not possess anything of its own beneath the sun, for the glory of your name, and that it have no other patrimony than begging. ”(St. Francis of Assisi) “Truth is the property of no individual but is the treasure of all men. ”(Ralph Waldo Emerson) “God has entrusted us with his most precious treasure - people. He asks us to shepherd and mold them into strong disciples, with brave faith and good character. ”(John Ortberg) “No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure. ”(Emma Goldman) “It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure. ”(Joseph Campbell) “Trust is that rare and priceless treasure that wins us the affection of our heavenly Father. ”(Brennan Manning) “Where a man's heart is, there is his treasure also. ”(St. Ambrose) From an article in the periodical Guideposts, an unexpected discovery led this woman to realize the ‘treasure’ she took for granted. “We are getting ready to show our home to prospective buyers this weekend, so my husband suggested that it might be a good idea to clean out my closet, or at least straighten it up a bit, prior to the showing. Reluctantly, I began sorting through that which had fallen from my shelves. As I bent down to retrieve a couple of items, I found them covering a box I hadn’t seen in a very long time—it was a box that belonged to my Dad.
I reached for it but when I did, I accidentally tipped it over, dumping out all its contents. One by one, I picked up the various buttons, coins, cufflinks, keys and tie tacks. I felt such an overwhelming sense of gratitude as my eyes focused on a half a dozen keys, three little praying hands tie tacks, a little silver cross and Holy Spirit dove pin. It was like God was giving me an object lesson right there in my closet. Honestly, I have no idea what those keys unlock. My father never told me. For all I know, they could unlock a treasure chest full of gold coins or some safe-deposit box that holds precious stocks and bonds. Guess I’ll never know, and I don’t really care because what my father gave me is worth more. That’s what those three little praying hands, the silver cross and the Holy Spirit dove pin represent. You see, he taught me about Jesus when I was just a little girl. He told me that God sent His only Son to die on a cross for my sins. He also taught me the importance of starting each morning with prayer, and that I could talk to God throughout the day, no matter where I was or what I was doing. And, he taught me the Holy Spirit would lead me and guide me in the way I should go. Those life-changing truths are the real treasures my father left me, because he took the time to tell me about Jesus.” Quite possibly, as one individual encourages, finding our true ‘treasure’ can be discovered by striving to ‘take risks that honor God;’ and secondly, ‘live a simple life.’ God Bless, Fr. Tim O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings, all that this day may bring, be they good or bad: for the love of God. Amen.