1 Kgs. 3:5-12; Rom. 8:28-30; Mt. 13:44-52
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Europeans believed that somewhere in the New World there was a place of immense wealth known as El Dorado. Their searches for this treasure wasted countless lives. The origins of El Dorado lie deep in South America. And like all enduring legends, the tale of El Dorado contains some scraps of truth. When Spanish explorers reached South America in the early 16th century, they heard stories about a tribe of natives high in the Andes Mountains in what is now Colombia. When a new chieftain rose to power, his rule began with a ceremony at Lake Guatavita. Accounts of the ceremony vary, but they consistently say
the new ruler was covered with gold dust, and that gold and precious jewels were thrown into the lake to appease a god that lived underwater. The Spaniards started calling this golden chief El Dorado, "the gilded one." The ceremony of the gilded man supposedly ended in the late 15th century when El Dorado and his subjects were conquered by another tribe. But the Spaniards and other Europeans had found so much gold among the natives along the continent's northern coast that they believed there had to be a place of great wealth somewhere in the interior. The Spaniards didn't find El Dorado, but they did find Lake Guatavita and tried to drain it in 1545. They lowered its level enough to find hundreds of pieces of gold along the lake's edge. But the presumed fabulous treasure in the deeper water was beyond their reach.
The legend of El Dorado was definitely not set on the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. But the seven-member panel, which was drawing up a list of assets at the famed shrine here, had a feel of the lost city of gold as they set foot in one of the two secret vaults located inside the sprawling granite structure. The team opened the locks of vault A. What they saw inside was startling. Gold coins dating back thousands of years, gold necklaces as long as nine feet and weighing about 2.5 kg, about one tonne of the yellow metal in the shape of rice trinkets, sticks made of the yellow metal, sack full of diamonds, gold ropes, thousands of pieces of antique jewellery studded with diamonds and emeralds, crowns and other precious stones lay scattered in the chamber. The next day threw up far more surprises in the form of 17 kg of gold coins dating back to the East India Company period, 18 coins from Napolean's era, precious stones wrapped in silk bundles besides over 1,000 kg of gold in the form of coins and trinkets and a small elephant made of the yellow metal. There were also sovereigns bearing the 1772 seal indicating they were from the reign of the then native king Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma.
Stories of hidden treasure have been very common from the ancient times. In times of war, enemy soldiers were always on the lookout for treasures to plunder. Hence, at the enemy’s approach, people would bury their treasure hoping to recover them once peace returned. But, often the owner would die, carrying to the tomb the secret of the place where the treasure had been hidden. There was a rabbinic saying that there was only one safe repository for money – the earth.
Jesus used a very familiar story that anyone in Palestine and in the east generally recognize, to describe the Kingdom of God: “The kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that is hidden in a field that someone found”
The lesson in this parable is, first, that the man found the precious thing, not so much by chance, as in his day’s work. The man stumbled all unexpectedly upon it, but he did so when he was going about his daily business. So, Jesus tells His hearers that the Kingdom of God is to be found while doing the daily routine of our life with efficiency and diligence.
When Jesus called His disciples they were all engaged in their work. Peter was fishing with Andrew, when Jesus called them. Mathew was at the tax collection booth when he was called. Jesus saw all the 12 men at work, and picked them up to be his followers.
When we read the biographies of great saints, too, we see that they were called when they were actively engaged in their daily responsibilities. St Paul was on his way to Rome, to engage in the new responsibility of annihilating Christians, Jesus called him on his way. St Francis Assisi was with the group of crusaders when he was called to accept the new responsibility. St Francis Xavier was engaged in his daily routine when the call of Jesus came to him through Ignatius Layola.
St. Isidore was a farmer from Madrid, Spain. For the greater part of his life he was employed as a laborer on a farm outside the city. Many marvelous happenings accompanied his lifelong work in the fields and continued long after his holy death. He was favored with celestial visions and, it is said, the angels sometimes helped him in his work in the fields. St. Isidore was canonized in 1622.
By the time Maria Goreti was six, her family had become so poor that they were forced to give up their farm, move, and work for other farmers. Soon, Maria's father Luigi became very sick with malaria, and died when Maria was just nine. While her brothers, mother, and sister worked in the fields, Maria would cook, sew, watch her infant sister, and keep the house clean. She accepted martyrdom, at the age of 11, when she was doing the household routine.
As Jesus met his disciples, As Jesus Called St Paul, As Jesus interrupted St Francis, As Jesus Assisted St Isidore, As Jesus came to Maria Goreti, in their daily work, today Jesus meets us in our daily life too. There is an unwritten saying of Jesus, “Raise the stone and thou shalt find me; cleave the wood and I am there.” When the mason is working on the stone, when the carpenter is working with the wood, Jesus is there. True happiness, true satisfaction, the sense of God, the presence of the Kingdom of God are all to be found in the day’s work, when the day’s work is honestly and conscientiously done. The mothers can find the great treasure of the Kingdom of God, if they dedicate themselves in the service of their children and family. Wives can find the great joy offered by Jesus, when they dedicate their life selflessly, ignoring all the difference of opinion and their spouse with all their limitations, children can find the Kingdom of God and Jesus when they lovingly submit themselves to their parents, and dedicate themselves to their little responsibilities. “Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.” Says Malcolm Muggeridge. But, “We always keep God waiting while we admit more importunate suitors.” Says Malcolm de Chazal.
The second lesson of this parable is that it is worthy any sacrifice to enter the kingdom. Suddenly, as the man discovered the treasure, there may flash upon us, in some moment of illumination, the conviction of what God’s will is for us. Be ready to accept it.
Satish
[More stories of treasure hunt that can be chosen as introduction:-
Known as a courteous robber, Milton Sharp teamed with W.C. Jones to rob 'Wells Fargo Express' stagecoaches as the coaches were carrying money from one bank to another. Jones would guard the passengers with a gun as Sharp would relinquish the stagecoaches of their strongboxes and women of their jewellery. Sharp stood out from other outlaws as a well-spoken and well-dressed robber. It was even said that if a woman cried during the robbery, he might return her jewellery. He also liked to bury his treasure, and never told of his secret hiding spots. He was apprehended several times, and was as talented at escaping from prison as he was at robbing stagecoaches. He was eventually declared rehabilitated by the penal system, and led a law-abiding life thereafter. However, what happened to his treasure is unknown. In 1910, two brothers by the names of Gus and Will Hess claimed to have found small amounts of Sharp's loot hidden in the hills of Bodie, CA. However, it is estimated that over 70% of the treasure has never been found.
The Peralta family from Mexico discovered the gold and mined the site during the 1840s. The mining of rich veins came to a tragic end in 1848 when the family was massacred by the Apaches. Only one member of the family escaped. The gold was lost until in the 1870s when the Dutchman, Jacob Waltz, and his partner, Jacob Weiser rediscovered the mine with the help of the Peralta family survivor. They worked the mine and even hid caches of gold in the area. Weiser was killed by the Apaches. The Dutchman abandoned the mine because of failing health and died in Phoenix. Before his death he passed the information about the treasure to Julie Thomas, a neighbour who had taken take of the ailing Dutchman. The mine and the hidden treasures remains lost. If you are a hardy soul, the bets are on the area around Weiser's Needle. Beware: tragedy and foul play surround those who have attempted to find the treasure.
Located in the heart of Puget Sound is Vashon Island where a successful lumberman by the name of Lars Hanson lived in the 1870’s. On the banks of Judd Creek, near Burton, he was said to have hidden more than $200,000 in gold coins.
Outlaws are said to have buried some $30,000 in gold in a cave somewhere on Sentinel Mountain in the Saddle Mountain Range, about three miles southeast of Beverly.
Captain James Scarborough was the first white settler north of the Columbia River and built a frontier cabin in 1843. Allegedly, he buried a treasure near his cabin on what is now Fort Columbia. If a treasure is buried there, it will have to stay hidden, as the historic fort is now a Washington State Park.
According to the tales, bandits took a number of gold bars in a train robbery near Wallula in the late 19th century. Intending to catch a boat for Portland, they missed it and buried their stolen cache near old Fort Walla Walla. Later the bandits were shot before ever telling of the hiding place of the loot. Today, the old fort is gone and the location has become Fort Walla Walla Park located at the western edge of Walla Walla, Washington.]