Gospel Reading for June 20, 2025 – Matthew 6: 19-23
MEANT TO BE
Jesus said to his disciples: “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, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.”
————
Everything we are able to acquire on earth, will really remain on earth because they belong to the earth. This is how it is MEANT TO BE. We cannot bring them with us when we die. So, what’s the use of acquiring so much and not being able to bring them when we die? There are those who say that their purpose for amassing wealth is so that their children, grandchildren, and even those relatives who are yet to be born, will have what they need in life. In so many instances, the 3rd generation of rich families squander what they inherited because they did not have to work hard for it. What they acquire are taken for granted. In so many instances, the heirs/children fight over the inheritance especially when each have their own families already. The inheritance, which is supposed to be the source of comfort living, now becomes a source of division in the family.
So, what are the treasures in heaven that Jesus is telling us to store up? They are kind and generous deeds that we do for others, most especially for those in need. If we have riches, we can share them with the handicapped or people who are incapacitated to earn a living; with children in orphanages; with NGOS that help people with special needs or those in need of rehabilitation; with NGOs that take care of stray dogs and cats, etc.. If we have talents, we can share them with the terminally ill and very old patients in a hospital or private infirmaries. There are so many good things we can do in life that are treasures in heaven. These are the treasures we can bring with us even when we leave the earth.
Lord, help us realize that all the graces we receive come from you, therefore, are meant to be shared with those who have less!
