This week's Gospel reading continues our Lord's teaching about the Kingdom of God. He tells three parables in order to help us understand His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is compared to treasure buried in a field, a pearl of great price, and a net which is cast into the sea to catch fish. The first two parables challenge us to consider how valuable is the gift of God's Kingdom which He has bestowed upon us. Many, even those who lived while Jesus was on earth, did not see the value in His life, death, and resurrection and the Kingdom He established. We must be like the disciples who valued the Kingdom to the point that they eventually gave their lives for Jesus. The third parable echoes last week's parable of the wheat and the tares. The net catches fish both good and bad. At the end, the good are separated from the bad, just like the wheat was separated from the tares after the harvest.

Readings:

1 Kings 3:5, 7-12
Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-130
Romans 8:28-30
Matthew 13:44-52

Here are a few commentaries on these readings:

• St. Charles Borromeo Lectionary Site (PDF)


• Treasures of the Kingdom (Also available to be heard as an MP3) from St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology


• Liberal vs. Conservative - Old vs. New (Also available to be heard as an MP3) from The Crossroads Initiative