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A young adult man was thinking about the apostles as he walked to Mass one day. He reflected on how amazing it was that, when Jesus called them, they left everything behind immediately: fishing nets, boats, family and friends. He also thought about the early disciples in Acts of the Apostles who laid down all their possessions at the feet of the apostles. When he arrived at church, the Gospel at Mass that day was about Our Lord’s invitation to the rich young man to sell everything he had, give to the poor and follow him.

Everything lined up that day, and this young man felt that the Lord was speaking those words directly to him. He was moved to give everything away and pursue holiness in a more radical way. This young man grew up to be a monk and a great saint, and we now know him as St. Anthony of the Desert.

Another young man, centuries later, was one day given an ultimatum by his angry father. He could either come back home and abandon his plans to fix up an old church that had fallen into disrepair, or he could renounce his inheritance.

Without missing a beat, the young man not only renounced his inheritance, but he also returned all his possessions to his father, even the clothing on his back. Without a penny to his name, this young man went on to start a new religious movement that attracted thousands almost immediately. His name is St. Francis of Assisi.

These saints, and countless others, showed a willingness to leave everything behind to follow Christ. How did they do this? Why would they want to?

The answer is that they discovered something, and they recognized its supreme value. What they discovered was worth far more than everything they left behind. Giving everything up was nothing compared to the joy of what they had discovered.

Our Lord explains today that this is what the kingdom of heaven is like. It is like a treasure buried in a field or a pearl of great price, which, when discovered, prompts a person to sell all he has to buy it. Our Lord even says that the one who finds the treasure sells everything “out of joy” to buy the field.

This explains how the apostles, the other early disciples, St. Anthony, St. Francis, and many others could leave everything behind immediately, and even eagerly. The choice was easy because the value of what they discovered was so great. Such a discovery gives a person immense freedom and joy.

It is not that the kingdom of heaven always requires us to sell all our possessions to obtain it. But it does always require us to reorder all our priorities around it. The kingdom of heaven must become the one thing for which we do everything else.

When the treasure or the pearl of great price is discovered, one does not simply add obtaining it somewhere in the middle of a long list of other priorities and goals. It must become the priority, the one goal above all other goals. All other pursuits must be reordered and made subordinate to obtaining the kingdom.

Are you pursuing a career? Are you raising a family? One does not necessarily need to give these things up, but it must all be in service of the kingdom. As you seek excellence in your career, always keep the pursuit of greater holiness at the center of your efforts. As you raise your family, understand that task as ultimately helping your spouse and children make it to heaven.

Every endeavor in your life, great or small, must be taken up into this one all-important pursuit of God and his kingdom. When you discover that, you will joyfully reorder your whole life around it.