Some years ago, a news commentator related the story of a major fire on the third floor of an apartment building. Flames were coming out of the windows. People had already gathered outside as the fire engines screamed onto the scene. Amidst the chaos, a woman stood at one of the windows, holding a baby in her arms, pleading for help. The firefighters moved quickly, extending a ladder toward her window while assembling a safety net on the ground. They called to her, “Drop the baby! We’ve got her!” She hesitated, terrified, but then let the baby fall into the net. The child landed safely and was immediately carried away to safety.
Then the firefighters called her, “Now you come down the ladder.” But instead of climbing down, the woman turned and began struggling to pull a bulky mattress through the window. She wrestled with it, then began descending the ladder one hand at a time, one hand holding onto the ladder, the other clinging to the mattress. The firefighters and onlookers were confused. Why would she risk letting her baby fall into the net, but would not let the mattress fall into the net? Why would she risk her life for that mattress? Later, they found the answer: the woman had hidden all her savings, all her money, in that mattress.
A crisis always reveals our true values. It is easy to say what we think we treasure. But it is in those high-pressure and defining moments that we realize the truth. What are you willing to risk everything to save? What can you not bear to lose?
Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel passage, “Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” He does not say, “Where your words are,” or “Where your reputation is.” He says, “Where your treasure is…” In other words, “What you most value is what your heart is already married to.” So, let me ask you: If the fire alarm sounded in your life today, what would you grab? What is one thing you would refuse to let go of, even if it meant risking everything else?
Many of us say we treasure God, we say we treasure heaven, we say we treasure our soul, and we want eternal life in heaven. But Jesus is asking, “Do your actions reveal what you profess?” He is asking, “Do your daily choices say, ‘God comes first’? Or do they say, ‘My comfort comes first, my success comes first, my image comes first, my stuff comes first'”? If the fire alarm sounded in your life today, what would you grab?
Some people hold tightly to resentment. They won’t let go of old grudges. They treasure being right more than being free. Some cling to their schedules, their cellphone or TV screens, and their social status. Others, like the woman in the opening story, cling to money, thinking that financial security will save them from all of life’s flames. But when eternity comes, and it will come, the only safe escape is God himself. You cannot take the mattress down the ladder of eternity. You cannot carry your educational certificates, trophies, grudges, bank account, ego, or connections. So Jesus urges us, “Make for yourselves purses that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.” It is not about pretending to be religious. You cannot fake this. If the fire alarm sounded in your life today, what would you grab?
Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” To drive this home again, I once read a brilliant piece written by an Irish priest, who compared the excuses people give for not attending Mass with the excuses someone might give for not taking a shower. He wrote:
I was forced to take a shower as a child. The people who shower are hypocrites; they think they are cleaner than everyone else. There are so many kinds of soap, I could never decide which one was right. I used to shower, but it got boring, so I stopped. I only shower on special occasions, like Christmas and Easter. None of my friends showers. I will start taking a shower when I am older. I am too busy to take a shower. The bathroom is never warm enough. And besides, people who make soap are only after your money; they don’t care about you.
And we laugh because it is ridiculous. But do we not say the same about the Mass? “I no longer go to Mass because I was forced to go as a child. There are hypocrites at Church. I am too busy. I only go on Christmas Day and Easter Day.” The truth is that your heart will always follow what you treasure. So, if the fire alarm sounded in your life today, what would you grab?
My dearly beloved in Christ, let this Gospel passage be a gentle alarm, a spiritual wake-up call. We may have been investing in the wrong treasure. We may have been holding onto things that are weighing us down. Let today be the day we start transferring our treasure, investing in love, in mercy, in generosity, in prayer, and in God. And here is the beauty of it all: Jesus is not asking us to be afraid. In fact, he begins today’s Gospel passage with the words, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.” You do not have to earn this treasure. You simply have to want it more than the mattress. So again, if the fire alarm sounded in your life today, what would you grab?
Homily for 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C 2025
Poignant Homily indeed! I’d grab my family and pets!
Thank you. God bless you, your family, and your pets.
Well said and appreciated!
Keith
Thank you. God bless you.