The Greatest Treasure We Can Possess: Will You Share It?

In the first reading from this past Sunday’s Mass, the prophet Amos says,

“Woe to the complacent…they shall be the first to go into exile” (Amos 6:1,7).

When we take God for granted and live just for ourselves there will be consequences. In the second reading, St. Paul ( says,

“Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12).

We are reminded that our faith demands that we be vigilant and hold fast to the truths that have been revealed to us. It takes a great effort on our part, but the reward is happiness now and for all eternity.

In the Gospel, we have a parable about a man who was complacent and had no concern about eternal life until it was too late. He had the resources to help others, but he lived only for himself. His selfishness blinded him, and he didn’t even notice poor Lazarus who was starving at his door.

Are You Willing To Share?

We have all heard this Gospel many times and perhaps we have said to ourselves, “If I were rich, I would be generous.” However, this Gospel is not just directed to the rich. It is directed to every one of us; to you and to me. Life on earth is a test of our generosity. God has given us all something that He wants us to share with others and we will never reach our potential for happiness until we share what we have.

For some, what they have to share may be obvious, like the rich man in the Gospel. For others, it may be a gift they have not even discovered yet. Especially in the spiritual life, the gifts God gives us may remain hidden until we begin to invest in our faith. When an adult makes a decision to become a Catholic, he or she needs a sponsor to journey with them through the process we call R.C.I.A. Usually, the sponsor is a spouse, fiancé, or friend, but at times it is a member of the parish they may not even know. In every, case the sponsor receives as much as the candidate because the gift of faith is being discovered, renewed, and deepened with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Live Not For Yourself

The Catholic Faith is the PEARLE OF GREAT PRICE, the greatest treasure we can possess. It affords us the most intimate relationship possible with our Creator through the sacraments of His Church. How is it that God loves us so much that He allows us to receive Him under the appearance of bread and wine and He rests within us?

God is serious about this idea of not living for ourselves as the readings indicate. We all have something to share. No matter how much money we make, we should share generously as a sign of our trust in God who is the source of all blessings.

Are You Up For The Challenge?

We each have 24 hours every day, how much of this do we invest in “Laying hold of eternal life?” We have heard people say they don’t have time to pray. Our prayer is our connection to God and the more connected we are, the greater the possibility of discovering His plan for us.

The readings challenge us to discover, live, and share our faith for our good and the good of the whole Church. Faith is a gift from God but believing is a choice. In one of his talks, Bishop Fulton Sheen said the only thing we really have control of is our free will. God has made it possible for us to discover his plan that will lead us to happiness now and forever, but it depends upon the choices we make.

Lord, give us the grace to choose wisely and not to become complacent so that we will discover your plan for our happiness now and forever.

Deacon Tom Fox, K.H.S. is Co-Founder & Co-Director of Pilgrim Center of Hope with his wife, Mary Jane Fox. The two left their careers after a profound conversion experience and began working full-time in ministry at their parish in 1986. After several years and having impacted tens of thousands of families, the Foxes founded Pilgrim Center of Hope in 1993 as a response to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization. Deacon Tom is an invested member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.

Answering Christ’s call, Pilgrim Center of Hope guides people to encounter Him so as to live in hope, as pilgrims in daily life. See what’s happening & let us journey with you! Visit PilgrimCenterOfHope.org.