“Imagine!” Isn't that the enticement from Lotto? Imagine winning thousands of dollars, millions even. The possibilities for what you could have are wide-open. Solomon in the First Reading is in a similar situation. God appears to the king in a dream and asks, “What would you like me to give you?” Solomon is already wise enough to know that what really matters in his position is a discerning judgement. In order to govern God's people he needs, not vast riches, but an “understanding heart.”
The gospel also presents possessions whose value is beyond measuring. The parables of the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great price are examples of the “radical choice” we are expected to make to gain Jesus and his kingdom. To become a disciple of Christ we must give everything to be at the feast where Jesus eats with the poor in spirit, with sinners and mere children. Qualification will come not just in our words but in our deeds. Every St John's boy knows it: Opere et Veritate.
The second petition in the Lord's prayer to his Father is, “Your kingdom come”. How do we recognize the coming of God's kingdom – and not the passing Utopia of political systems? First, as St Paul writes in Romans, it is not a matter of what we eat and drink. The Kingdom of God is a matter of “justice, peace, and the joy that is given by the Holy Spirit.” My first impression of Catholics was of the joy that bound them together. I liked it! I sought it! I found it! Do we still attract converts this way?
What is the purpose of the kingdom? The purpose is to fulfill the will of God. And the will of God is to raise us up to share in His own divine life. He does this by gathering us around His Son in the Church. What a glorious thing it is for us to be part of this gathering! Here is our treasure. Let our heart be here also.
— GM