What makes a saint? Recognition of miracles and canonization, yes. But what makes a saint—what is the secret element that changes an ordinary person just trying to get through life into someone extra-ordinary? In two brief parables, Jesus offers a surprisingly simple answer. The kingdom of heaven, he declares, may be compared to a treasure buried in a field, or a merchant on the hunt for fine pearls (Matt. 13:44-46). When a person finds the treasure, he “hides [it] again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” The merchant, upon finally finding “a pearl of great price,…goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” Sells all that he has: possessions, status, family, comfort, security. Puts everything aside in order to possess one, luminous treasure—the kingdom of heaven. 

The stories of the saints are as diverse as they are numerous, but each has one thing in common. At some  critical moment, each saint discovered the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price. Each was then given the choice to “sell everything” or to ignore what they had seen and return to the ordinary and comfortable. At the testing point, each saint ultimately chose to “sell all they had” to possess the kingdom of heaven rather than cling to the kingdoms of earth.

The varied lives of the saints show us that the act “selling all” can take different forms. In some cases, the   selling was quite literal; in others, the power and resources placed at the saint’s disposal became the means of furthering the kingdom through works of charity and justice. In either case, there was no clinging to the old way. Once they had seen--really seen-- the treasure, nothing on earth could compete. Of course it is difficult to sell all, to commit one’s life to searching for the hidden treasure of the kingdom. But those who stake their future, their lives, on this kingdom will not lose by it— “all things work for good for those who love God” (Rom 8:28).

Reflection by Parishioner Kathryn Wilmotte