11th Friday - Where Your Treasure Is There Your Heart is Also

 

 In the Gospel today, Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.”

Today, many suffer from materialism. We desire so many things that we really don’t need. We see all the wonderful things on television and we notice our neighbors have things we wish we could have. We feel like we have to have the latest fashions, the newest cars or the largest television sets.

I am told, one of the fastest growing businesses in the United States today is storage facilities. If we don’t have room at our house, we will rent storage to store our extra stuff. Children today have so many toys, that they can’t decide which toy to play with.

Some of the people whose homes you have worked on this past week were poor, others recently lost spouses, some were depressed. One had medical problems. But you gave all of them hope, by your good deeds. I heard from several of the people whom you helped that the youth were wonderful. They said the youth were polite, spiritual, joyful and happy. They loved your enthusiasm. They said, you can tell they really enjoyed doing the work. You bore witness to Christ, not only by your good deeds, but also by your positive attitude. You made a tremendous impact in the communities you served. This has a ripple effect throughout the community. It was really an out pouring of love and mercy. Your deeds of mercy flowed from the love you have for God and for your neighbor.

You are storing up treasure in heaven. What are the treasures of heaven? Jesus made it clear that those who have given up everything to follow him will be rewarded for what they have done, and the repayment will come not only in the next life but in this one at an astonishing rate of interest: “a hundredfold now in this time . . . and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:30). We know also that scriptures refer to doing good deeds as atonement for sin. Good deeds make up for our sins and so we could consider good deeds as our treasure because they will help us to avoid purgatory.

Perhaps another way to look at treasures in heaven could refer to our degree of glory. The greater the saint, the greater the sacrifices, the greater the love in this life, the greater the glory in heaven. We should not settle for mediocre glory. We should give our self, our life, all that we do totally for God. And in this way, we will receive the glory that God intended us to have from the moment He created us in our womb.

In this life, Jesus in the Eucharist is our greatest treasure. May we come to Jesus often in Holy Communion. Spend time with Him in adoration and delight in His presence, knowing He is the giver of all the treasures of heaven.

And let us turn to our Mother Mary, and ask Her to help us to have that zeal to seek the treasures of heaven and give our all to God. So that on our day of judgment, Jesus will see a heart of gold--- filled with charity towards or neighbor.