Matthew 6:14-21
The Lord said, “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
“And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
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This morning, I just want to focus simply on the final instruction from Jesus from the passage we just heard from the gospel of Saint Matthew:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
“Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” In speaking about treasures Jesus is obviously calling us to examine those things we value and to look beyond the material things that simply sustain our bodies. He calls us instead to focus on those gifts that sustain and strengthen us more wholly and give us the joy of the life God calls us to live. For us as Christians these mean the gifts from the Holy Spirit Himself, the treasury of blessings, whom we call upon to dwell within us.
And Christ cautions us that what we value and how we value it lies within the essence of our very being and is central to our lives—for good or for bad.
Tomorrow, we begin Great Lent, a gift of God, a time for us to re-examine our priorities: for example, the primacy of healthy, life-enriching relationships within ourselves, with others—both those that love us and those that hate us—and ultimately with God. And we should carry out this examination in joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—all fruits of the spirit as Saint Paul tells us (Galatians 5:22-23).
We’ve learned the past Sundays the importance of restoring the estrangements of relationships in our lives and most importantly with God in repentance, in humility, and in compassion all originating from the lesson taught to us by the Publican: “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
Let us use this treasure of Great Lent to discover where our heart truly is and where it truly must be so that we may fully partake of the joyous message of Christ’s triumph over darkness and despair proclaimed on Holy Saturday and on Pascha morning.
