It all comes down to what you value….”The Pearl of Great Price” is not “for sale”….But when you find it - You know it

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Matthew about how Jesus “summoned” his first apostles…And what a motley crew they were…..”The names of the Twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus”…..Jesus saw “something” in these men that they did not even know existed themselves…And not only did these twelve guys leave everything behind, they shook the foundations of the world…To this day 2000 years later, statues, buildings, schools are named after them…..One can deny all they want the validity of the Truth that the Catholic Church teaches…But any objective and thinking person can not help to marvel at what these twelve men accomplished….Our world today has a false impression of the clergy or even people who are deeply religious….Often these people before they were “called” lived and thrived in the world…Some of them could very well be the most gifted of all people, who if they chose to have stayed in the secular world would have made tons and tons of money…Instead, something propelled them forward - To “give up” what they could have had, only to receive something much better…But the secular world does not see it that way - The measure of “success” is viewed through a different lens……What is it about Christ that would make such gifted men and women “give up” so much?…..And how can the lives of such people, who by the world’s standards have “nothing” impact the world so significantly?….If you are honest with your self, one must at the very least think long and hard about this reality because it is a tangible reality…Is there something here I am missing?

“Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: The Kingdom of heaven is at hand”

People far too often “play it safe”….We are trained from a young age to ”get a good job” and “make tons of money”…..Do you know what I say to that?….BORING!!!!!……How easy it is to do that if you have been given the gifts of a good education, a sharp mind and above average social skills…..If only we would “put down the cup and reach for the jug”…This is what the twelve disciples of Jesus did and this is what so many religious people (both clergy and lay people) do to this very day…..Why would someone do that?….I will tell you why now….”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”………Years ago I was volunteering with the Mother Teresa’s sisters in downtown Manhattan and we were preparing for a Christmas party for the people who lived in the Elliott-Chelsea Housing Projects located on the westside of Manhattan….So I arrive on this Saturday morning early and who do I see volunteering? - Hugh Jackman the famous Hollywood movie star….So after we were all finished with the Christmas party……The superior of the convent pulled Hugh aside and wanted to speak with him…..I was very close with Sister Tonia, so right before she spoke with Hugh, I said to her…...”Sister, Hugh is a very famous man”……..Sister looked me dead in the face and said…”I do not care”! - And she meant every word of it!……Human beings are too quick to “size up” people and measure them according to their worldly achievements…But when it comes to what really counts…How God views us…Those worldly achievements are nothing more then “fleeting moments”, which in time will mean nothing and have no lasting value to anyone - Lost in time never to be remembered…While the world looked at Hugh Jackman one way….Mother Teresa’s sisters saw him another way, as simply a child of God…No different then anyone else…..What most people in the world do not understand is - The only person’s opinion that really counts in the end is God’s opinion…....When you come right down to it - We all should live for an audience of ONE!…..And when we practice our Catholic faith…When we live a Sacramental life…When we expose our soul to God through daily prayer, fasting, reception of the Blessed Sacrament and monthly confession with a Priest…Our “view” of people and things change through grace….We begin to see as God sees and we begin to value what God values….This is why the secular world “misses out” on the “pearl of great price” and this is also why some of the most gifted of people you will ever meet in your life “give up” money, fame and power….Because they “see” what the world does not see…..Scripture tells us - ”And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life”…..It all comes down to “what you see”…..If you think what I just wrote is “crazy” or simply a self-rationalization….Ask yourself a question…..When was the last time the CEO of an International Bank had his name placed upon a building say 400 years after his death?……Can you remember the name of 22nd President of the United States? - I think I know the answer to that question because I can’t tell you his name either……Do you think you’re teenage children know who John Lennon is?…Probably not….But - Why are such “losers” like St Francis; St Dominic & St Joseph after hundreds of years have passed after their death are still talked about and remembered?……If we are objective and honest - Maybe we have to “redefine” who are the real “losers” in this “contest” and what is really of value - You "think"?

“The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations; he foils the designs of peoples. But the plan of the LORD stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations”

Today we hear about at Mass how Jesus called his first twelve apostles…These men gave up everything to follow Christ…This radical choice can not be understood by secular people…And when someone thinks about such a person who makes such a choice, usually many negative connotations come to the mind of worldly people about that person….But sadly our world “misses the big picture”….God plays the “long game” and frankly we as his children need to start seeing the world more and more through God’s eyes…When this happens, our values change and so will our choices……It all comes down to what you value….”The Pearl of Great Price” is not “for sale”….But when you find it - You know it