Where Your Treasure Is

The parable of the fish net teaches us a crucial lesson about the Church: It is in the world, but not of the world. The net symbolizes the Church, and the fish are the members of the Church - you and me. The water symbolizes the world of human history, in which the Church exists and with which the Church interacts. And at the end of history, there will be a judgment. Jesus will "come again to judge the living and the dead," as we pray every week in the Creed. At this judgment, some of the fish in the net will be saved, but others will be thrown back, "into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."
But until judgment day, the net remains fully immersed in the water. Picture the huge fish net as it's suspended in the water. It is separate from the water, the world, but it is affected by everything that happens to the water. The currents, a storm, a wave – the net moves in response to all those influences, but maintains its integrity even so.
That's what the Church is like. It is affected by the cultural trends around us, and yet, it is never weakened or broken by them. It is flexible enough to adjust to the ebb and flow of history, while always maintaining its own shape and strength, keeping its fish safe inside its sturdy ropes. The Church is meant to be active in the world, present in the world, spreading the influence of Christ in the world, saving the world. And if that's how the Church is supposed to be, that's also how we, members of the Church, are supposed to be: in the world, but not of the world.
In other words, today Jesus is encouraging us to be like Solomon the Wise, whom we heard about in today's First Reading. Solomon was the privileged son of King David. It was under Solomon's rule that ancient Israel reached its pinnacle of prosperity, influence, and
geographical size. At the beginning of Solomon's reign, God showed that he was with the new king by appearing to him and inviting him to ask a favor. King Solomon, aware that God had given him an important and difficult mission, asked for the grace of wisdom, which would help him fulfill that mission. This was what made Solomon righteous: not that he was perfect in every way, but that loving God and neighbor by fulfilling his life-duties was his first priority. God showed his pleasure at that request by granting it, making Solomon into the wisest of rulers.
God does the same thing with us each day. We too have a mission in life - each one of us is called to show forth God's goodness by the way we fulfill our duties and put our talents to work. And each day God makes his presence known to us, in our hearts and in our
conscience. He constantly renews his greatest gift to us: our freedom.
Every day we remain free to pursue things that are passing and superficial - like the things Solomon didn't ask for: long life, riches,
revenge. Or we can choose to desire and pursue the one thing that really lasts, the treasure, the pearl: that is, following Christ, 
friendship with Christ, living life as Christ would have us. The passing and superficial things, pleasure, power, and popularity, don't satisfy the human heart. Friendship with Jesus Christ does. The Church is in the world, but not of the world. We are the members of the Church, thus we should be in the world for sure, but not of the world.
How do we measure that? Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be too.” So, if we want to know what our treasure is, all we have to do is ask ourselves where our heart is. What is it that we love, that we pursue with all our hearts? There lies our treasure.
 
-Fr. John Kim