“If I had found God on time I would have dedicated my life to God as a reverend sister” exclaimed a woman who saw me during a rosary procession at the grotto of our Lady of Lourdes, France. She said this citing some of the challenges she experienced in her marriage and showing me to her children whom she had after 14 years of marriage. Then she concluded saying, “father you people (priests and religious) have chosen the better part”. As she said this I pondered and wished every priest, religious or pastor would hear this, especially those going through crises in their vocation and ministry.
Have you ever wondered why people send millions of dollars to support works of ministry all over the world? Have you ever wondered why people spend their time, energy and resources on pilgrimages to Holy cites in order to have profound encounter with God? Only one that have found God can explain this. If you want to find God continue reading slowly…
Cf. Matthew 13:44-52
Jesus said to the crowds, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.
‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.
‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. ‘Have you understood all this?’ They said, ‘Yes.’
POINTS FOR REFLECTION
Child of God, finding God is never an easy venture but when you do so, it brings true peace to our souls. I give you 4 ways of finding God.
1. See God as a “Hidden treasure”
Comparing the kingdom of God to a hidden treasure means that it needed to be sought after. It was out of plain sight, so it couldn’t be stumbled upon and wouldn’t be found without looking carefully. God is ever-present in our lives, but unless we search for Him, we would never realize He was there. The bible says:
“Seek the Lord while He may be found,Call upon Him while He is near…” (Isaiah 55:6).
Since God is spirit, we find Him through prayers and His Word (the Bible). Anyone who finds God experiences great joy that they can give or sacrifice much as gratitude for finding such hidden treasure. This is the vigour behind true kingdom givers! This is the power driving true worshippers to offer themselves or their resources to the church or ministry to support the works of evangelism.
2. See God’s Kingdom as something more valuable than anything else
Immediately the man discovered the treasure, he realized its value was worth more than anything else. The joy it brought him was immense. So, too, is the kingdom of God. Anything imaginable on earth is nothing compared to God’s kingdom. In the kingdom of God we find WEALTH, POWER and GLORY! For this reason Jesus exhorts us saying:
“SEEK YE FIRST the KINGDOM OF GOD, and its righteousness; and ALL THESE THINGS shall be ADDED unto you” (Matt 6:33).
3. Be willing to give up everything when you find Him
We are told in the parable that the man sold everything he had to buy the field. In the same way, when we seek God, we realize that there’s no earthly riches that are worth our place in His kingdom. When we find our place with God, we gladly sacrifice anything we have, even life, to secure our place with Him for eternity. Finding God also gives us the opportunity to give up our sinful ways like Zacchaeus who said when He found Jesus:
Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount”(Luke 19:8). That is why after inviting us to seek God, the prophet adds:
“Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon”(Isaiah 55:7).
4. The treasure is free but the field is costly
We are told the man paid everything he had to purchase the field, but the treasure came free with the field. Thus, finding the treasure is free but ‘keeping or possessing it is expensive! What does this mean?
When we seek Jesus, He asks us to give everything to Him and when we choose Jesus, we choose His will over our own, giving everything over to Him. He gives His grace, love, and forgiveness to us freely, but the cost of following Him may be high. It involves many sacrifices, but gives true peace of mind. I think this last part is what gets many worried and disappointed. They are afraid of the consequences and sometimes walk away like the Rich Young Man in the gospel:
“And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:21-23).
