Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck
Reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 13:44-52
Dear Friends in Christ,
There’s a man on Main Street, the kind we all know — suit, tie, briefcase, stuck in the morning rush. Every day, he passes the same coffee shop and, sitting on the sidewalk outside, an older woman bundled in layers, her hair tangled, hands stained with city grime. She’s there in every season, always looking a bit invisible to the world. Most people cross to the other side, but one chilly morning, something stirs in the man’s heart. He stops. He asks if she’d like a coffee and a donut. She smiles, surprised, and accepts. They sit together, and he listens as she speaks about her life, her struggles, but mostly about her deep love for God and for people — even those who walk right past her. She quotes the Gospels, talks about forgiveness, and shares stories of kindness she’s both received and given.
The man, who hasn’t been to church in years, feels something awaken in him, something he thought he’d lost. In the weeks that follow, he keeps coming back. The old woman becomes his friend, his teacher. Her words echo in his mind: “You find Jesus in the ones you least expect.” Moved and changed, the man returns to church, to prayer, and to the Lord who had been waiting for him all along.
Finding Christ: The Treasure Hidden in the Ordinary
This is the Kingdom of Heaven: a treasure hidden in the ordinary, a pearl among the overlooked, Jesus Himself waiting for us in the faces and hearts of those the world ignores.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” He says it is like a merchant searching for fine pearls, who, upon finding one of great value, sells everything to buy it.
What does it mean to discover a treasure so precious that we’d give up everything for it? Jesus Himself is that treasure. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When we find Him — truly encounter Him — our lives are changed. Like the man who found the treasure in the field, or the merchant who found the pearl, everything else in life becomes secondary. All our priorities shift. We are willing, even joyful, to “sell” our old ways, our attachments, our sins, to possess this treasure that is Christ.
The man in our story — perhaps so much like us — found his treasure in a place he least expected: a conversation with someone the world had dismissed. Yet in her, he found the wisdom of Jesus, the love of God, and a call to return home. He invested everything in the words and love he experienced through her, and through that encounter, he became a beacon of Christ’s light to others. He found his true self by finding Jesus in the poor, the forgotten, the “buried treasure” right outside the coffee shop door.
St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” This is the heart of the Gospel today. The Kingdom is not some distant place, but here, now — in our love for one another, especially the least among us. When we find Jesus, we find our true home, our purpose, our peace.
Seeking the Treasure: Prayer, Sacraments, and Love of Neighbor
But how do we find this treasure for ourselves? First, through prayer: we meet Jesus in the silence of our hearts, in conversation with Him, honestly bringing our needs and our hopes, our struggles and our gratitude. Second, in the sacraments — above all, in the Eucharist. Each time we receive Jesus in Holy Communion, He gives Himself to us fully, holding nothing back. He is the treasure we receive, the pearl of great price, the bread come down from heaven. And third, we find Jesus in others — in those who challenge us, in those who need our love, in those who show us unexpected grace.
We are called to be like the man who, once he discovers the treasure, cannot help but reorder his whole life around it. If we let Jesus be our Way, our Truth, and our Life, we discover that all things — even the hard, the messy, the confusing — work for good. He transforms our hearts, our homes, our world.
So today, let us ask: Where is Jesus hiding, waiting for me to recognize Him? What am I willing to let go of, to “sell,” so that I may possess the treasure of Christ more fully? Let us seek Him with all our hearts — in prayer, in the Eucharist, and in each person we serve.
Let us rejoice, for the Kingdom of Heaven is not far away. It is here, among us, within us, when we follow Jesus as our Way, our Truth, and our Life. All things work for good for those who love Him and walk in His footsteps.
Let us give thanks and praise and glory to our LORD God, who sent His love to us in Jesus and pours out His Spirit upon us. May we, too, become treasures of His love for the world.
Amen.
About Our Guest Blogger
Saint Carlo Acutis once said, “Not me, but God.” His words echo deeply in my own spiritual life. This blog is not about me, but about the work of the Holy Spirit. I choose to remain anonymous because the voice behind these reflections isn’t what matters — the One speaking through them is.
I am a lifelong Catholic with a deep love for Scripture, the sacraments, and the quiet ways God speaks through everyday life. Live the Eucharist was born from my desire to share how the Gospel and the Eucharist shape not just my Sundays, but every step of the journey.
My hope is that these reflections bless you, challenge you, and draw you closer to Jesus — truly present in the Eucharist and profoundly present in your daily life.
