As I sit in my office writing this piece, I look around to a
number of my treasures. One is a pen
holder made of needlepoint, created by late mother. It means a lot to me because it reminds me of the
love of my mother. On the other side of
the desk is a crucifix given to me by my childhood parish in recognition of the
time I spent training other young people to be altar servers. It means a lot to me because besides
reminding me of the sacrifice of our savior, it brings me memories of the
wonderful priests and teachers that were such a big part of my formation. Also, on my desk is a wooden desk
calendar. It is made of blocks with
numbers for the dates and other blocks with the names of the months and days of
the week. While it is a very useful
item, it is a treasure to me because it belonged to my grandfather. I recall seeing it on his desk when I was a
child. So, as I change the date each
day, I think of Grandpa. I remember who
he was. I recall the things that he said
to me. I realize much of his advice
still guides me today.
In total those three treasures that I just mentioned have a
combined value of less than twenty dollars, probably actually a lot less. They are my treasures because they point to things
of great value in my life -the love of my mother, the wisdom of my grandfather,
and the spiritual formation given to me by great people in my parish. They are what the Church calls
sacramentals. They are important material
things that point to some important reality. Church sacramentals are things like holy
water, vestments, candles, statues. All
of these are important valuable things but they only point to something of the
utmost value – the gift of our faith. And
yet we live in a world where that which has the most value is reduced to being
valued by a minority. Many who value the
gift of faith often treat it as a mere hobby, just something extra to do to
fill up time, like reading a book or exercising in a gym.
The treasure is found not in the material things that we
hold dear. The treasure is found in what
has the power to transform us, to save us.
The treasures we hold dear are important because indeed they help us
remember and point us to that greater treasure.
In my weak materialistic self, I would be devastated if I
lost the items on my desk – the pen holder, the calendar, and the crucifix, but
would I be devastated if I lost my faith.
What really is my treasure? What
do I hold most valuable? Is my treasure
simply those things that only lead me to the real treasure? Or is my treasure the real treasure which we would be
willing to pay the great price?
- The Servant
