11th Week of Ordinary Time C – Friday

Published on 19 June 2025 at 13:07

Brothers and sisters in Christ, may he the Lord, give you peace. Today, our Lord speaks words that go straight to the heart: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven … For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”

Why is it so hard for us to live this teaching? Why do we cling so tightly to the things of this world—our possessions, comforts, plans, and reputations? I believe it is because these things promise us security. They give us the illusion that we are in control, that we can protect ourselves from suffering or uncertainty. But as Jesus reminds us, these treasures do not last. They can be taken from us in an instant. And when they are gone, what remains?

This brings to mind Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis grew up surrounded by wealth. His father was a prosperous merchant, and Francis could have lived a very comfortable life. But one day, as he gazed upon the crucifix in the little church of San Damiano, he heard Jesus say: “Francis, rebuild my Church, which you see is falling into ruin.” Gradually, Francis came to understand that the Lord was not only asking him to repair abandoned chapels, but to help renew the Universal Church through a life of radical Gospel poverty—poverty that would shine as an inspiration for all of Jesus’ faithful followers.

The grace of God began to penetrate Francis’s heart, and he began to think in terms of the divine economy—heavenly realities. He would often go to the nearby town of Foligno to sell his father’s linens, and with the money, he purchased what he needed to repair the San Damiano chapel. When his father returned from a trip to France and learned from Francis’s mother that their son was using his goods to work on this abandoned chapel, he was furious. His father, who had lofty dreams for his son, dragged Francis before the bishop, who also served as the town’s magistrate in those days.

After the bishop’s reprimand—that although it was good to help the poor, it was not right to take what belonged to his father—Francis went into a room in the cathedral, stripped off his clothes and returned before the townspeople and the bishop. The bishop quickly threw a garment over him. Holding the clothes he had been wearing in his hands, Francis walked up to his father and said, “Here, Father. Even these are yours. But from now on I am free to say: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven.’”

Francis was free. Free from the chains of wealth and pride. Free to love God with an undivided heart. Free to rejoice in the simplest gifts—the sun, the moon, the birds, the poor. He had found the true treasure, the one that no moth or thief could touch.

Saint Paul, in our first reading, shows us the same freedom. He does not boast of his successes or riches, but of his sufferings. Why? Because these revealed his total dependence on Christ. His treasure was in heaven.

So how can we break free from attachments, as Francis and Paul did?

First, we must examine our hearts honestly. Where is my treasure? What am I clinging to for security? What am I afraid to lose?

Second, we must practice detachment. This does not mean we must all sell everything as Francis did, although many a religious has given up everything in theory to pursue this total and complete self-giving to God and his people. What it means is that we hold on to the material goods we have lightly, as gifts to be shared rather than clutched. We can ask ourselves: “If I lost this today, would my joy in God remain?”

This will help us to store up treasure in heaven—through love, generosity, forgiveness, and trust in God’s providence, we will be better equipped to keep our focus on Jesus and others, knowing that we ourselves will always have what we truly need because our Father provides for us. This was Jesus’ good news, and what he said our faith can create for us in our lives. Like Francis, we can choose poverty of spirit, knowing that everything we truly need comes from the Father’s hand.

Brothers and sisters, may our eyes be sound, so that our whole body will be filled with light. And may we, like Francis, set our hearts on heaven, where our true treasure awaits.

Heavenly Mother, Queen of God’s Providence, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.

Amen.


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