HEAVENLY TREASURE

In the parable on the Kingdom of God, Christ says that sometimes His kingdom can be sought after OR one may simply stumble upon it without seeking it. In the case of the Precious Pearl, the soul is seeking for it; in the case of the buried treasure, the soul stumbled on it. 

In whatever manner the soul comes across the Kingdom of God, the price is the same: He went home and sold ALL he had. . .a life of complete detachment.

Then, Christ likened His kingdom to two fields. In one, the wheat and the darnels were allowed to grow side by side; but, in the other, the darnels were removed. The first parable is the Catholic Church at its beginnings wherein the bad and good Catholics were allowed to exist together. The second is the Catholic Church near the end times which will be purified as the darnels will be removed by the angels.

The darnels or cockles were allowed to stay side by side with the wheat in the hope that the darnels change into wheat. Or if this is impossible, which is in most cases, the hope is that their children born of good disposition might become wheat.

The darnels become wheat by finding out their vices, removing them and developing the opposite virtues. This, of course, is difficult. But the moment the basic virtue of humility is developed, then the doors to God's Kingdom are opened.

(02-11-03)