World Day Against Trafficking In Persons (UN)

A treasure hidden in the field and fine jewels seem to be luxurious materials for us. These, Jesus says, however, are images of the Kingdom when they are placed in the context of making choices, a discerned effort and goal. Indeed, there is a significant difference between the two. In the first parable, the man discovers the treasure in the field by accident. He was not looking for treasure at all. Perhaps he just came across it while working in someone else's field. That is the way people found our Church and chapels - as the safe quiet space to pour out their labour and woes, then they encountered Jesus. It happened to Edith Stein who was curious as to why a woman after running her market errand would drop into a church briefly to pray. Conversion happens when people turn their whole life around.

In the second case, the merchant has a very definite goal in mind-the perfect pearl. There are people who search for real meaning in life. All attempts may be met with only partial satisfaction. Their encounter with the compassion of Jesus prompts them to accept the answer they have been looking for. Everything else is secondary when Christ Jesus is the focus. Indeed, our better choices in life are always oriented towards love of God and of neighbour. The Good Samaritan parable evokes compassion in the kingdom of God, such urgent human value must be our witness.