“When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. ” (Mt 13:46).

The cost of discipleship is high, indeed costing us all that we have. Jesus wants to be part of all of our life; not just attendance at church on Sunday, not just during time of prayer, but also in our work, in our recreation, in our struggles, and in our joys, in our interactions with others and in our solitary pursuits.

The merchant recognized the great value before him and was willing to give all that he had to be able to attain that pearl, and his investment was beyond the ultimate worth of what he risked. Jesus is inviting us to encounter him in every moment so that we may enter deeper into an intimate relationship and communion with his Father so to experience the Love between them, the Holy Spirit; the peace and joy of which we can begin to experience in this life.

To be clear, this precious gift of eternal life is not bought or earned, but received as a free gift. Our reception is marked by following the will of God. This “is no grim, grey, agonizing thing; it is a lovely thing. Beyond the discipline, beyond the sacrifice, beyond the self-denial, beyond the cross, there lies the supreme loveliness which is nowhere else” (Barclay, 87). Our return of our time, talent and treasure is eternal life, infinite intimacy and communion with the one who made us for himself.

Do we recognize the value of what Jesus offers us? Then we, like the merchant, have a decision to make today!

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Mass Readings for today, Sunday, July 30, 2017:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/073017.cfm

Barclay, William. “The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 2.” In The Daily Study Bible Series, Revised Edition, 87. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975.