Today’s first reading is one of those stories that they make movies from. A wicked queen kills off the royal family, but they secret away young Joash, the rightful heir to the throne. Years later they bring out the rightful king, and the wicked queen gets hers. Check it out! In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus tells us to “store up treasures in heaven.”
What does this really mean? I think it goes WAY beyond money. I believe that each time we do an act of kindness for another, we store up treasure in heaven. Every time we put aside our own selfish desires and put someone before ourselves, we store up treasures in heaven.
Have you ever heard of the “bigger mansion” theory? It posits that some mansions in heaven will be bigger than others. Those who store up treasures in heaven will have the bigger mansion. It’s an imperfect analogy, but you get the picture. A wise priest once described it this way: In heaven, we are filled with the perfection of love as we were able to understand it and live it out on earth. Those with greater love on earth will have a greater capacity to be filled with love in heaven. So, the more we practice love here on earth, the greater our reward in heaven!
Father, show us how we can store up treasures in heaven. Help us to lose our materialism, and practice loving others. Amen.
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