Daily Prayers

Prayer is Love, I want to Love

Parables Of The Hidden Treasure And The Pearl

Jesus’ Life: Chapter 7 – The Kingdom Of Heaven

When Jesus had finished telling his disciples a series of parables to explain what the Kingdom of Heaven was like, he asked them if they now understood!

Yes, they replied. Then, like all great teachers, Jesus ended his lesson by summarising his message using two further, but much shorter parables. He said:

  1. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of his joy, he went and sold all that he had and bought that field”.
  2. “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it”.
Pearl inside shell

The dream of finding hidden treasure in a field or a great pearl at sea would have been very familiar to the disciples at that time; there were no banks as we know them today, so people buried their valuables to keep them safe or bought pearls which they could secretly carry in their clothing.

Jesus was saying, the “Kingdom of Heaven”, is like finding such treasures. The Kingdom of Heaven was His Gospel, a treasure of truths that led to eternal life. When someone truly finds it, nothing else compares. (Matthew 13:44-46)

Thought

Is Jesus’ Gospel, a “Great Pearl” to me?

Reflection

Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to understand your Gospel more clearly and the strength to obey its teachings.

Prayer: Faith (St Benedict)

Gracious and Holy Father,
give us the wisdom to discover You,
the intelligence to understand You,
the diligence to seek after You,
the patience to wait for You,
eyes to behold You,
a heart to meditate upon You,
and a life to proclaim You,
through the power of the Spirit of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.