When a typical person is wandering through a field, and they discover a treasure, they keep it. What they DON’T DO, is leave it there, sell everything they own, and purchase the entire field.

So what kind of point is Jesus trying to make with this parable?

Most people understand the treasure represents (either) heaven or Jesus Christ, himself. And Jesus wants to make it clear to his followers that when it comes to the Christian life, there are no shortcuts. You can’t cheat your way into heaven. You can’t steal the Kingdom of God.

You have to give everything.

Dear Family of God,

Telling parables is Jesus’ way of teaching us new things, a new way of thinking, new attitudes in life; His way. The Parable of wheat and weeds is teaching us the mystery of evil; that God is not the source of evil, it is the enemy. We have a tendency to make a quick judgement now, “pulling out the weeds”, but God is teaching us not to pull out the weeds, but wait until the harvest time. First, so that we don’t harm the wheat and second so that the weeds (or the bad ones) will be given a chance to repent, be converted and be saved.

Evil cannot thwart God’s plan. He allows evil so that something greater may come out of it. Joseph’s brothers had an evil plan to sell him into slavery in Egypt, but God’s plan was to use him to save his whole family, and the whole nation from famine. The greatest example of this is that Jesus’ Crucifixion becomes the source of our salvation. God wants us all to trust in Him and be patient with everyone, then do our part in building His Kingdom on earth.

My home has a night routine. First, our toddler gets a bath. Then, we ask if she’s hungry again. If so, it’s “second dinner.” (How do people who are so small eat so much?!) Next, it’s time to brush teeth. After that, all three of us pray together. Finally, milk and cuddles (which currently entails a few “Frog and Toad” stories).

The best part? The prayer. And while I’d like to think my prayers do an adequate job, and my wife knocks them out of the park, every few nights, Georgiana decides she wants to lead. It blows us away every time.

Here is a recreation: “Uh. Thank you for Mommy. Daddy. Ahmee (Grandma Linda). Thank you for Gramma Sue. Frog. Toad. Big bed. Mot (milk). Thank you for toast…” This goes on for about three more paragraphs. And we let her go. It seems nothing escapes her gratitude. SHE JUST TURNED THREE!

Dear Family of God,

Jesus explains the Parable of the Seed and the Soil: “The seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundredfold...” (Matthew 13:23). To listen to the word of God is not enough, we have to understand it too, that is put it into practice in our lives so it will bear fruit. Saint James said in his letter: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).

I remembered an anecdote regarding the parable of the coconut; a mature coconut must be eaten, or, it has to be planted for new life. If we just keep it, it will rot and be wasted. The same is true for the Word of God; just hearing the Word and doing nothing is not enough, it has to have a transforming effect on our lives, bearing fruit and helping others to be “fed”, or influenced by it.

Pop Quiz! Why did Jesus speak in parables?

When I was younger, I always thought the entire point of the parables was to take complicated teachings and make them understandable through the use of stories. If that was your answer, you get partial credit. Let’s take another look at the heart of this Sunday’s gospel.

“The disciples approached him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.”

Jesus used parables to as a way to make difficult teachings more understandable to those open to him, while—at the same time—confounding those whose hearts were (and are) closed to him.

How do we know this?

Dear Family of God,

The Gospel this weekend is very timely as we reopen our Church, after a three-week rest. Jesus gives us an invitation that He alone can truly provide for us who trust in Him: “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28).

This invitation of Jesus is opposite to what the world teaches us, “Do-it-yourself” attitude, that we are entirely independent; create our own futures, do not depend on anyone else. In other words, that we should simply save ourselves. This is the lie of the enemy; this is the lie of pride. We all need God, and He is a providential Father, he won’t leave us orphans, we are always under his care. The wisdom of humility helps us to recognize that in God’s eyes we are included among the “little ones.” We do not reach the Father by being more learned and clever. We come to know the Father by following Jesus, who reveals the Father to us. Jesus Himself is the way to the Father. He teaches us to be, like him, meek and humble of heart.

I trust I don't have to repeat the litany of issues we are all facing these days...and it might not be over. Just last week, a 7.5 earthquake hit Mexico. Then, the next day, a 5.8 said hello to central California. Do any of you really want to rule out The Big One hitting California this year? (I'm not saying I want that to happen, I have many dear friends out West.) The point is - 2020's rough start might just turn into a rough year.

I think it is very important for all of us to ingest a few specific words from Sunday's Gospel reading: “Come to me, all you who...are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

I experience anxiety anytime I open my mouth these days. The avalanche of statistics, articles, video, and opinions on virtually any topic can leave anyone feeling woefully unprepared to speak out with any modicum of conviction.

But there are some things I know...

Today is the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. It is the day we celebrate our Lord sharing himself with every single human who chooses to accept that it is his Body and Blood.

This is key, because once again, Jesus sets the standard.

Dear Family of God,

Do you know a story about what St. Philip Neri did when he saw someone leaving church right after Communion?

He sent servers with candles and bells to accompany the man. The guy stormed back into the Church and confronted the priest. "What kind of joke is this?" he demanded. St. Philip Neri said, "It's no joke. The rules of the liturgy say the Blessed Sacrament should be treated with reverence. You left the Church immediately with no prayer of thanksgiving. You were carrying the Blessed Sacrament within you. So I asked the boys to accompany you to honor Him."

After Communion you and I are tabernacles - the physical presence of Jesus continues in us for a brief time. That's why we have the Communion hymn, a time of silence, the Communion Prayer -- and even the announcements, to build up the Body of Christ in practical ways. I encourage you to use well the time after Communion to say thanks, to express your gratitude, and to pray for one another. Pray that we will all be bearers of God’s love to our broken world.

Dear Family of God,

What is Holy Trinity? Or more precisely, who is the Holy Trinity?

The Catechism teaches that “by sending his Son and the Holy Spirit of love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret: God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and He has destined us to share in that exchange” (CCC 221).

Jesus is the revelation of the Father; He became Man to show us the Father. He became human like us, so He can show us the Love of the Father. He came so that we can share in the eternal exchange of love of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Christ saves us from sin and selfishness so that we can share in the total self-giving love of the Holy Trinity through our union with Him, and through the Holy Spirit.

I rarely do this, but because of two particular emails I received in response to last week’s email blast about fear—and due to current events—I’d like to add a bit to those thoughts. (Don’t stop halfway through.)

In Batman Begins, a character named Scarecrow releases a fear toxic across Gotham City. It feels like the devil has done the same thing to our land.

As I write this, we are dealing with a declared pandemic, people have died, many more have become unemployed, a fire has broken out just miles from the church and has destroyed several homes, those sworn to protect and serve are murdering people on camera, riots are spreading across the land, a curfew has been imposed on law-abiding citizens...and who could forget the murder hornets.