WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS,

THERE ALSO IS YOUR HEART

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The title of my homily is, “Where Your Treasure Is,  There Also Is Your Heart.”

 

Those are words from today’s gospel reading of part of the sermon on the mount.

 

In January of the year 2000 I was sitting on a rock wall in Israel. It was about  3 feet high. It  looked  down onto a big field – that went all the way down to the sea of Galilee.

 

I was with a group of about 25 priests – on a retreat – and a tour of the Holy Land lead by Stephen Doyle – the Franciscan scripture scholar.

 

He would read a scripture passage that connected with a holy spot in Israel and then ask us to take an hour of quiet prayer.

 

That day was the place of the Sermon on the Mount – or the place that got many votes on being that place.

JAPANESE

 

Just then about 20 buses pulled into the parking lot – just outside the gate where this place was.

 

From where I was sitting I figured they were a Japanese tour group. I figured too that they were Protestant Christians – because everyone was holding a Bible. They marched down a road along side the field – stopped -and walked into the large field and sat down.

 

A leader had a bullhorn speaker – and proceeded to give a reflection – maybe even the Sermon on the Mount.

 

A thousand thoughts began speaking in my brain. They didn’t disturb my prayers – and thoughts that day about the Sermon the Mount.

 

I think of that day, that moment, that spot every time we have readings at Mass on the Sermon on the Mount.

 

TREASURE?

 

There are all kinds of guesses, thoughts, wonderings about this treasure in the gospels – here in Matthew.

 

Some think that the author of Matthew took a document – perhaps even in Aramaic – or it was Matthew Q – another theory – and put it in his gospel.

 

We have been listening to the Sermon on the Mount – all our lives.

 

Which text do we treasure?  Which image – statement of Jesus – is in the center of our heart?

 

It could be the Our Father – which Father John McGowan preached on yesterday – or the words about not being a hypocrite – but spending secret unseen time in our inner room – mentioned by Father John Collins on Wednesday.

 

The Sermon on the Mount was heard by a group of priests and a group of Asian Christians that January day in 2000 – as it has been heard by all kinds of folks – before and after that day.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Go through the Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5, 6, and 7 – and magic mark in yellow – which words you treasure the most. There are many. Bring them to deeper and deeper prayer.