St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Ann Arbor included a reflection in its July 26 weekly bulletin in which the Rev. William Ashbaugh discusses the value of the Kingdom of God. 

Ashbaugh asked parishioners when was the last time they searched for something with the urgency of survival, calling attention to the parable of Jesus and the treasure buried in the field. Ashbaugh explained that his father, a stamp collector, saw what was for him a treasure in a rare batch of 1972 Munich Summer Olympic commemorative stamps that had a printing error.

“Dad was not going to sell the house for these stamps, but we did buy quite a few of them, for often such stamps could end up being collector items whose value far exceeded the printed value of the stamp,” Ashbaugh wrote. “What I remember most was the excitement of the search and the joy of finding that which no one else seemed to see or know about.”

The Rev. William Ashbaugh | https://stthomasannarbor.org/

In Jesus’ parable, no one but the person who literally stumbles upon it is aware that there is treasure buried in the field, and that man is willing to sell everything he has so he can buy the property and claim the treasure. 

Ashbaugh explained that if we find such a treasure, we will happily give up everything we have for it. We must be faithful to continuing to seek this treasure, as we are always working on seeking God every day. 

“God gives us an eternal treasure, and we naturally are invited to join in giving of ourselves to God,” Ashbaugh wrote. “Keep giving of yourselves to love and support the work of God’s Kingdom at St Thomas and everywhere you are through prayer, the gift of your daily sacrifices of time and talent, and treasure. And while we face difficult challenges, we do so together.”