Picture the classic movie scene:

a man and a woman rushing toward one another across a field,
running with arms out stretched to that moment of embrace,
totally unaware of anything else around them,
focused only on the face of the other.

This is a modern analogy of what Jesus is talking about with the treasure in the field and the pearl of great value. Once you find the one thing that has within it all the meaning of life, you need nothing else. In fact, you give up everything else you have in life in order to hold this one thing.

We have heard many homilies over the years about how we need to give up "things" and "stuff" in our lives in order to follow Jesus. We have scriptures like the Rich Young Man and Lazarus; or if you have two coats, give up one; or any of the other calls to simplify life.

Why is it so hard to part with our stuff?

Perhaps it's because we don't truly believe we have yet found the treasure in the field, the pearl of great value. The Kingdom of God remains something we see far off in the distance, a Kingdom to come, and not a Kingdom that is both future and present. We are living now in the Kingdom of God and now is when we must act.

Or, perhaps it's difficult to get rid of stuff because we truly don't understand what God is asking us to do in order to enter the Kingdom.

Let's focus a minute on what this "stuff" is that we have to get rid of in order to embrace the Kingdom.

 If we're going on a trip we decide what stuff to take based on the conditions at the destination -- if it's the beach in summer, we take swim suits, towels, suntan lotion, sandals, etc. So, if our destination is the Kingdom of God, what stuff do we need there?

By examining scripture, we find a God of perfect love. So, if the Kingdom must reflect our God, then what attributes do we need to gain the Kingdom? St. Paul writes that love is patient, love is kind, love is forgiving, love is never angry.

If these are the things of the Kingdom, then what we have to "sell off," what we have to give up,

• in order to buy that field,
• in order to own that pearl,
• in order to reach that Kingdom is:

- our anger,
- and, our lack of kindness
- and, our failure to forgive
- and, our lack of understanding of others
- and, our jealousy
- and, our fear

Isn't it amazing? Here we thought God wanted us to give up our money, our house, our car, our stereo, our golf clubs, our cell phone. And, all along, all God wanted us to give up are the parts of ourselves that we donít like anyway!

It is even more amazing that we hang onto those very things for dear life.

God does not want our new car. God wants us to give up our prejudices and to love other people.

God does not want our savings account. God wants us to totally and fully forgive anyone who harms us.

God does not want our job. God wants us to look at every person we see and to believe that we see Jesus in her or him.

For our reflection this day, what is within us that God wants us to give up in order to inherit the Kingdom?