Today we’re celebrating the feast of St Ignatius Loyola whose spiritual exercises have done much to shape Christian spirituality through the centuries. Today’s gospel, the pearl of great price, struck me as having an enlightening resonance with the life of St Ignatius. In describing the kingdom Jesus tells his disciples the story of a someone finding treasure hidden in a field, and happily selling all their possessions to buy the field:
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found… He goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.”
His desire for the pearl and his decision to act on it is completely life changing for him. St Ignatius went through a similar life changing experience. Having been seriously wounded in battle he found himself bedbound, bored and frustrated in a strange house. He had limited resources to entertain himself. He was left with nothing to read except a life of Christ and the life of the saints, which would not have been his choice.
However, as he read them and daydreamed about their stories he began to find unexpected riches buried there. The discovery led him to question how he was living and what made him truly happy. To his surprise he discovered that it wasn’t imagining himself as a great knight, performing deeds of strength and courage.
Instead he found that he was happiest when he imagined himself imitating the actions of Jesus or of the saints. This was the treasure he discovered and, he willingly gave everything he had to be able to carry on seeking that treasure.
Where are you being called to seek the hidden treasure of Christ’s presence in your life?