The good, the bad, and the treasure

Jesus takes the ordinary for his story asking what you would re­ally want never to lose/ asking what your treasure is. Is it money, reputation, locality? I gave up a better job but had time for the family and for love’; words of a young father. We know that par­ents give up a lot for their children; as do grandparents/ godpar­ents and others. As people we look for what’s most important in life: the love of God; deep and enduring friendships/ success after hard work in school/ commitment to the poor – what can­not be lost and what is worth sacrificing other good things for.

Life is a mixture of the good and the bad. There is an old Dub­lin saying: ‘There’s good in the worst of us and bad in the best of us. We work for God with the strengths and weaknesses of all we work with. God sows the seed of the gospel in good and bad soil; it bears fruit in its own way wherever it is sown. The treasure is in our people. So much hidden generosity comes out at bad times – floods, power cuts, illness and death. We need al­ways to find the hidden treasures in our own people and even in our history. The kingdom of God is close, near and is within us.

Reflection by Donal Neary SJ