Saturday, June 21, 2014

For Where Your Treasure Is, There Also Your Heart Will Be

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us: “For where your treasure is, there also your heart will be.”

The Canadian spiritual writer Eckhardt Tolle wrote a great modern day parable:
A beggar had been sitting by the side of the road for many years. 
One day a stranger walked by. 
The beggar mumbled as he held out his old baseball cap:  "Spare some change?" 
"I have nothing to give", said the stranger. "What is that you are sitting on?” 
"Nothing" replied the beggar.  "Just an old box. I've been sitting on it for as long as I can remember." 
"Ever look inside?" asked the stranger. 
 "No", said the beggar. "What's the point? There's nothing in there."
"Have a look inside", said the stranger. 
The beggar managed to pry open the lid.  With astonishment, disbelief and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold.
Sometimes, when we are at the lowest point of our life, Christ comes to us through another person. Someone we’ve known for many years or maybe even a stranger. And that someone invites us to look inside. Not inside of a box, but inside of ourselves.

Many of us, particularly in the first half of life, look for our treasure in far off places. It is only after we develop a listening heart, usually in the second half of life after we’ve suffered a great loss, that we begin to look inside.

And when we do, we find to our surprise that the treasure we seek is really not far away. It’s right where its always been. It is the presence of Christ within us.
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Readers of this blog might enjoy these books by Deacon Lex. Both are available on Amazon.com:

Just to Follow My Friend: Experiencing God’s Presence in Everyday Life

Synchronicity as the Work of the Holy Spirit: Jungian Insights for Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Ministry


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