‘Neither Moth nor Decay’
A reflection on treasures of the heart
Father Eugene Hensell Comments Off on ‘Neither Moth nor Decay’
The following brief comment appears toward the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Mt 6:21). The Sermon on the Mount is understood by many Christians to be, in effect, a handbook for how to live in the kingdom of heaven. A key principle contained in that handbook is found in Matthew 5:20: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Notice that the emphasis is on “surpass,” not “equal to.” For our purposes here, “righteousness” means living in the right relationship with God, other people and all creation. It calls for single-minded service to God. Thus, starting with the Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:3-10), the Sermon on the Mount outlines what it means to follow Jesus in the way of discipleship.
A keen example Jesus offers to exemplify what it means to be single-minded in one’s devotion to God focuses on storing up treasures in heaven (cf. Mt 6:19-21). The significant question here is: What does Jesus mean by “treasure”? Before he gets to his teaching about treasure, Jesus instructs his disciples on how to give alms (cf. Mt 6:1-4), how to pray (vv. 5-15) and how to fast (vv. 16-18). This is the context from which he encourages his disciples to store up lasting treasure in heaven (vv. 19-21). Jesus here focuses on three points.
First, he warns his disciples not to store up treasures for themselves on earth. These treasures will be material goods, and eventually they will perish or be stolen. Second, Jesus, in a very positive manner, encourages his disciples to store their treasures in heaven, where they will not perish or be stolen. The real issue is not that material goods are perishable or subject to theft; the real problem is that disciples should not be amassing treasures on earth as their ultimate goal. The third point, and the most important one, is that where people store their treasures reveals the true values of their hearts.
It is important to remember that Jesus is not concerned with requiring disciples to renounce all material possessions. The issue is “treasures.” To treasure something refers to accumulating something based on perceived values. Judaism was familiar with the notion of a heavenly treasure that was beyond corruption. This was a common eschatological concept pointing to the future. For Jesus, however, there are two kinds of treasure. There is earthly treasure and there is treasure that results from works of righteousness such as almsgiving, prayer and fasting. Here, treasure stands not for specific rewards or specific acts but rather brings to mind the kingdom of God and all its blessings. The treasure in heaven that Jesus has in view is the result of the greater righteousness to which he summons his disciples.
‘There Also Will Your Heart Be’
Thus far we have been considering the contrast between earthly treasures, which are perishable, and heavenly treasures, which are imperishable. However, there is more to be considered. Matthew 6:21 affirms that “where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” That calls for an examination of the relationship between one’s treasure and one’s heart. In Matthew’s Gospel, treasure cannot be reduced to some specific collection of objects. It refers to anything that one highly values in life. However, the warning is that it does not pay to collect these treasures on earth. They belong to the heart.
In the Bible, the heart is often described as the center of an individual’s human life. Some understand it as the very center of a person’s interior life. It includes one’s emotions, nature, mind, soul and spirit. The heart is where people think, understand and make connections. Moreover, the heart is the primary arena wherein one meets God. It is the center of one’s relationship with God. Therefore, to have one’s heart set on the things of heaven and not the things of earth is to store up treasure in heaven. This, of course, is much easier said than done.
At the time of Jesus, only a few kinds of people could acquire things of value such as money, land, power and prestige. The peasantry could only dream about these things. They could, however, value them in their hearts. For the wealthy, these valuable things were mistakenly thought to bring satisfaction and security to those who possessed them. The teaching of Jesus challenges this understanding. What Jesus confronts is not the desire for security based on possessions, but the very notion of treasure itself. Earthly treasure is limited by nature. It can never surpass the reality of death, wherein all earthly treasure evaporates. Real treasure can be found only in heaven, where there is life without end. The real treasure is described by Jesus as the kingdom of God, which is partially present on earth but fully realized only in heaven.
In many ways, our hearts reflect what we most treasure. It is because of this that Jesus proclaims in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the clean of heart, / for they will see God” (Mt 5:8). Purity of heart is the ultimate treasure for those who wish to follow Jesus. It opens us up to an intimate awareness of the mystery of God. This divine awareness is our real goal.
Seeing God
Almost all of us involved in ministry would agree that our goal is to see God. We strive for purity of heart, but the challenges of ministry are such that our vision can be blinded and cluttered. It is not a matter of accumulating material things; the very nature of ministry encourages us to moderate material possessions. However, what does attract our attention and can easily become a treasure are things such as power, prestige, honor, glory and fame. These are the things we are constantly surrounded by in our contemporary culture. They are portrayed as the keys to happiness, security and success. Sad to say, they have also found their way into the Church, where they are depicted as valuable characteristics of good leadership. These false treasures manifest in a wide variety of ways. They are quickly taken to heart, but they are very deceptive. They promise much more than they can deliver. But they are highly treasured by many people, including the clergy. Pope Francis seems to have this in mind, as he frequently challenges the clericalism of both the past and the present. Significantly, the pope intervened at the recent synod with this strong statement, “Clericalism is a whip, it is a scourge, it is a form of worldliness that defiles and damages the face of the Lord’s bride” (Oct. 25, 2023). This is not a treasure, and it does not reflect where our hearts should be.
On the positive side, let us return to the image of a pure heart, which ultimately allows us to see God. Within this pure heart, two very significant treasures can be found. One is humility, and the other is obedience. Here we rely on the insights of the famous Christological hymn found in the Letter to the Philippians (cf. 2:5-11). Humility and obedience are understood to be the theological pillars upon which this magnificent hymn rests. It describes the process of redemption that Jesus employed as he moved from full divinity to death on a cross. Here, humility means authenticity. The inner person and the outer person match. What you see is what you get. This is a treasure lived out concretely in the life and ministry of Jesus.
The second pillar is obedience, which does not simply describe power differentials used to exercise control. At the center of obedience is radical listening. This is listening with the ear of the heart. Just as the Sermon on the Mount outlines the way to discipleship, the Philippians hymn shows Jesus living out that discipleship through the way of the cross. Here, as well as in the Sermon on the Mount, we encounter spiritual single-mindedness. Humility and obedience are treasures of Jesus, and where your treasure is, there also will be your heart.
Those of us in ordained ministry might benefit from a self-examination focusing on what we consider our treasures to be. Certainly, the ministry itself is our foundational treasure. The more we exercise that ministry, the purer our hearts become. These treasures of the heart will never diminish because they are centered in heaven. To examine this concretely, all we have to do is read once again Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and St. Paul’s Philippians hymn. If you know what your treasures are, you will know where your heart is. This is where you will meet God and come under God’s influence. It is where you will experience spiritual single-mindedness, also called “wholeheartedness.”
FATHER EUGENE HENSELL, OSB, is a monk of St. Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana, and an associate professor of Scripture at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.