Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 2, 2023
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
I’m captivated by the merchant’s ease as he gives away everything for the field and pearl. At first glance, we may be tempted to think the decision is easy because it’s logical, even businesslike. The merchant is making a good investment! He will be better off than before.
But here, beneath the language of dazzling jewels and beyond our pervasive market mindset, we find a challenging mandate. Whether the person who buys the field or the merchant who stumbles across the pearl of great price, Jesus invites us to recognize our treasure. And once we do, he calls us—again and again—to commit.
As a young couple navigating a new chapter of adulthood, these questions of treasure and commitment are ever present in the life my husband and I are building. What is worth wanting? To whom and to what will we commit ourselves, and to what place, vocation, joint project, or philosophy of life?
It’s no secret that the culture we’ve created entices us to keep our options open. As we move to new cities and away from beloved ones, we’re tempted to consider our current moment “short-term.” We tell ourselves that we will commit to putting down roots, encountering the poor, and cultivating a life of Christian community, simplicity, and hospitality “in the next five years.”
And yet, Jesus reminds us that it is in giving ourselves away in the here and now (and with us, our options, and our resources) that we find the kingdom of heaven.
In navigating these years of uncertainty and becoming, we ask God for eyes to see: that we might define our treasure wisely, outside of the marketplace and our own ambition. And when we do, that we are courageous enough to boldly, joyfully, wholly commit.
Prayer
Lord God, we desire to be wholehearted in following you, but find that we are often too hesitant. And at times our striving for the Kingdom can feel more like a burden than a treasure. When those times come, we ask that you give us the eyes to see that faith is one of your most precious gifts, and that it is worth giving up everything to find. We ask this through Jesus, your Son and our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Peter Julian Eymard’s devotion to the Eucharist led him to an active life of love of God and neighbor. He was a contemporary of Blessed Basil Moreau, and both priests sought to revive the Church in the wake of the French Revolution.
Peter Julian was born in 1811 to a poor family just after the Revolution. Peter decided to become a priest and joined the seminary against his family’s wishes. He soon got sick, however, and had to withdraw from his studies—he never fully recovered his health.
A few years later, he tried again and was successful in his training—he was ordained a priest in 1834 and joined the Marist Fathers. His life and ministry were marked by a strong devotion to Mary and to the Eucharist, and these were the focus of much of his preaching and teaching.
“We believe in the love of God for us,” he wrote. “To believe in love is everything. It is not enough to believe in the truth. We must believe in love and love is our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. That is the faith that makes our Lord loved. Ask for this pure and simple faith in the Eucharist. Men will teach you, but only Jesus will give you the grace to believe in him. You have the Eucharist. What more do you want?”
With the encouragement of his friend, St. John Vianney, Peter Julian founded two new religious orders dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament. Though the orders struggled at first, they eventually succeeded in bringing about his vision of a united community of people—priests, deacons, sisters, and laypeople—deeply formed by the Mass and prayer before the Eucharist.
Towards the end of his life, he took a long retreat in Rome and received a mystical experience of communion with Christ, which he described in a series of letters and meditative works. He died on this date in 1868 after suffering a stroke in France. His relics rest in the Basilica.
St. Peter Julian Eymard, who loved Christ in the Eucharist, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Peter Julian Eymard is available for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Last accessed March 28, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
