Two-Minute Reflection by Colleen Tracey for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023.
“Having a sense of purpose gives us a spiritual compass to orient our lives and the treasure we seek on Jesus.”
- Two-Minute Reflection Transcript
Two-Minute Reflection Transcript
Author: Archdiocese of Brisbane
In this Sunday’s gospel we could be challenged by the risky choice in selling off all we have to buy a field, in order to claim a hidden treasure. Beyond what seems like a ‘one off’ trade, Jesus is offering us a deeper and life changing experience. He is inviting us to a transforming experience that will uncover the hidden treasure of God’s presence in our hearts. Did you ever go on a treasure hunt as a child or with your children? Or, while sitting on the beach put your hands in the sand and dig to find any hidden trinkets? Of course, we are hoping to find something of value, some treasure we can take home and enjoy for ourselves. But for me, I enjoyed the thrill of the search.I think Jesus also wants us to use the search as an integral part of our journey in life. Just as we enjoyed the delight of digging in the sand, so too, we can use our earthly journey as our search for purpose and meaning. Having a sense of purpose gives us a spiritual compass to orient our lives and the treasure we seek on Jesus. Through this sense of purpose, our lives become focussed, more inspired and open to all the possibilities it entails! This is the joy which comes from letting go of our earthly wealth and placing our trust and our hearts on the Kingdom of heaven. This is the joy which comes from emptying ourselves of pride and ego to leave room for the Spirit of God to work through us. And this is the joy Jesus refers to when he speaks of selling all we own to buy the field with the hidden treasure.
But there is another part of this gospel which has a significant relevance for us. When Jesus asks the crowd if they understood all he had said to them, they replied with a yes! Y. E. S. Such a simple word, but what a profound statement it makes! Jesus tells them that with this yes comes responsibility, our faith calls us to so much more than to just know the person of Jesus. He challenges us to take all the wisdom, knowledge and faith which comes from our storeroom, that is the storeroom of scripture, traditions, and the growth from our personal encounters and use it to bring others to know, love and be healed by God. That is the yes each of us has every time we are moved to do His Will.