GOSPEL POWER l JUNE 17, 2022 

 Friday of 11th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Mt 6:19-23 

Jesus said to his disciples, 19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; 23but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” 

We are only passersby on this earth, journeyers on our way to a trans-worldly homeland. Accumulating earthly treasures as we go will slow us down and unnecessarily delay the progress of our journey. Preoccupation with protecting our amassed treasures from bandits and the elements will rob us of peace and prevent us from appreciating the beauty of the journey. Most importantly, it will divert our attention from our fellow travelers, whose companionship offers us precious opportunities to store up the treasures that truly matter. At the journey’s end, we will only abandon the material treasures we have uselessly carried around and protected from threats. As we reach our destination, nothing will be of value but the immaterial treasures gathered from our God given mission of reaching out to others in loving, life-nourishing relationships. It makes sense to ask ourselves every day: “Where is my heart today?” 

Lord Jesus, draw our hearts toward the treasures that will outlast this passing world. Amen