Knights of Columbus Board Meeting
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Orlando, Florida
July 29, 2023
Forrest Fenn’s Treasure Hunt
In 2010, a man named Forrest Fenn, hid a treasure chest in the Rocky Mountains. He announced that he had done this and provided clues to its whereabouts. The contents of the chest were valued at more than a million dollars. Over a span of ten years, thousands of people went in search of that treasure. Some quit their jobs; others spent their savings; still others took imprudent risks and a few even lost their lives. A few years ago, an anonymous individual, using clues found in a poem Mr. Fenn himself had written, finally found the treasure chest and sent a photo confirming his find. Paying careful attention to Mr. Fenn’s own words and with extraordinary perseverance, that individual claimed a treasure that had eluded thousands of others.
There are in fact three things to note about this anonymous seeker of fortune: First, finding the hidden treasure chest mattered to him; it was something he wanted. Second, he paid close attention to the words of the person who hid the treasure. Third, he was willing to invest a lot of time and strenuous effort to find it. It turns out, however, that we need to have those very same qualities if we are to take to heart the Lord’s words to us in today’s Gospel – his words about finding and securing a treasure hidden in a field and his words about searching for and obtaining a pearl of great price.
The Treasure
Forrest Fenn filled his treasure chest with ancient jewelry, gold, jade, and diamonds, possessions that that world deems exceedingly valuable. But Scripture directs our attention to the real treasure we should be seeking.
In today’s reading from the First Book of Kings, Solomon asks the Lord, not for riches, but rather for ‘a wise and understanding heart’, a heart that knows how to distinguish right from wrong. He made that request so that he could govern God’s people well and wisely. And God was pleased with Solomon’s request for wisdom and today’s Responsorial Psalm confirms the righteousness of his prayer. “The law of your mouth,” it proclaims, “is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces . . .” and again . . . “. . . I love your commands more than gold, however fine.”
If we would be truly wise, we must seek and find wisdom in Christ our Redeemer. St. Paul says that “in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). The spiritual classic, “The Imitation of Christ”, teaches that “when you possess Christ you are a rich person, for he is sufficient for you”, and it adds, “until you are intimately united with Christ, you will never find your true rest.” In the Rule of St. Benedict we are told, “Prefer nothing to the love of Christ”.
The Treasure Map
If we acknowledge Christ to be the treasure beyond all price, then, let us ask how to obtain it for ourselves. The man who sought Forest Fenn’s treasure found clues in one of his poems. Where, then, do we look for the treasure that is Christ? Let us find our treasure by reading and pondering Holy Scripture, the Word of God. Most of us have Bibles in our homes but often they are on a shelf gathering dust. It’s like having a treasure map at home but perhaps not realizing what it is.
Of course, the Bible is large and sometimes hard to understand. That is why the practice of lectio divina is recommended, literally, “divine reading”, a slow and prayerful reading of Holy Scripture, taking it in just a few verses at a time, allowing its wisdom to penetrate hearts. Often, our mind is filled with distractions, worries, and desires. But when we turn our attention to God’s Word, allowing it to resonate in our hearts, we will often have the beautiful experience our encountering Jesus. As his heart speaks to ours, we discover the hidden treasure we’ve been looking for: God’s Word embedded in human words; God’s Son hidden in the womb of Mary; the Lord of history shrouded on the gibbet of the Cross; the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ hidden in a speck of bread and wine; the love of Christ hidden in the mind and heart of an enemy. God hid the riches of his knowledge and love so that, in freedom and love, you and I could seek and find them.
Perseverance
There is one more quality the anonymous seeker of fortune had that we should have, and it is this . . . perseverance and hard work coupled with a willingness to take risks. It wasn’t enough for that fortune seeker to learn where to look for the treasure chest. To find it, he had to take time off work, spend his money, and trek thru the Rockies. In the Gospel, the one who found the treasure in the field sold all that he had, so that he could buy the field and claim the treasure as his own. The merchant who found the truly priceless pearl sold all that he had to buy it. In other words, the priceless treasure that is Christ does not just fall into our laps. We have to value his love above every other love. We have to look for the treasure of his love where he told us to look. And we have to dig for it, take risks for it, sacrifice for it.
Perhaps this has always been a most difficult feature of our faith, namely, that a desire for God and holiness are not enough. Rather, we need to hunger and thirst for holiness to such a degree that we orient our whole life towards Christ and let it be shaped by his truth and love. Jesus warned us against becoming lukewarm and complacent. Half-hearted disciples simply won’t sacrifice to embrace and live the faith. Complacent disciples won’t make much of an effort to take part in Mass, to go to Confession, to read Scripture, to undergo conversion of mind and heart, and indeed to serve the needs of the poor and the cause of justice. My friends, let us not numbered among the complacent, as if we’re in a treasure field but refuse to pick up a shovel!
The Price Is Right
For some, alas, the price is too high . . . selling all one has to buy the field or to purchase the pearl . . . very expensive! Yet, as we ponder what the Lord is asking of us, we should also remember how expensive was the price that the Lord paid for our redemption. We are redeemed at the price of his precious blood. In the silence of our hearts, let us repeat again and again the words of St. Paul: “He loves me and he gave his life for me!” (Gal. 2:20) And may the Lord bless us and keep us always in his love!