Boudreaux, a Cajun moved from the Bayou in Louisiana inland 70 miles.  Before Boudreaux left he had bought a raffle ticket from the Knights of Columbus.  A new Bass boat was the first prize from a local Bass pro store.

Boudreaux was very excited when he learned he had won the Bass Boat.  His wife told him; no way you are going to keep dat boat, trade it for money.  Boudreaux insisted he would keep the boat.

The nest morning, the Bass Pro folks delivered the boat.  That afternoon, Thibodaux, Boudreaux best friend came the 70 miles to visit.

When Thibodaux came to the door, Boudreaux wife answered.  Is Boudreaux home?  His wife said, he is out back in his fishing boat and she led him through the house to the back deck.

Sure enough Boudreaux was way out in the back pasture sitting in the boat holding his fishing pole.  Thibodaux hollered, what are you doing?  Boudreaux answered; can’t you see I am fishing?

At that Thibodaux hollered back.  You make me so mad; you give Cajuns a bad name and make us look stupid.  I would come out there and whip you, but I can’t swim.

What is the hidden treasure in this story?  Anyone notice a little smile come across your face.  Such a smile disarms us and we open our hearts to the possibility the Holy Spirit can sneak the Kingdom of Heaven into our hearts.    We all have invisible stumbling blocks.  It is why Jesus used parables as a spiritual path around our automatic human created stumbling blocks.  Parables open the doorway to the child that lives within.

Children take heed and listen to the prayer of Solomon.  I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.  Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.  Wisdom is the result of the process of developing a discerning heart and is about right and wrong.  Let is pray that the Lord opens us to desire and cultivate a discerning heart.

In our nation today we have stumbling blocks.  We are divided left from right and right from left and the consequences of right and wrong are lost.  Upon reflecting upon today’s scripture I wonder if we remember the left arm is connected to the right through the middle and in the middle lives the heart which sustains the life of both the left and the right.

A discerning heart is what we need.  Let us not become confused by left or right when it is the truth of right and wrong we seek to discern!

Corruption has invaded our land in every sector of society and many worship an image pleasing to the eye rather than embrace the truth.  We don’t have to look far north.  For ten years the Atlanta Public School system has been worshiping an image of a good education rather than the reality of the truth.  Before we jump all over those folks, we have a legitimate question to ask ourselves.  What about our own home and local community?  Are we nurturing our children or are just passing them though?  Are we guilty of worshiping images or discerning the truth?

Is it any wonder why our nation is in the middle of a crisis?

One day a father found a map of the USA in the news paper.  He cut out the map and tore it into pieces and gave it to his five year old daughter as a geography lesson.  See if you can put this map of our country back together.

A little while later, she returned to his surprise with the map perfectly assembled.  In amassment, the father asked, how did you do this so fast?  Oh, it was easy daddy; there was a picture of Jesus on the other side.  When I put Jesus back together, the country came back together as well.

The Catechism (2822-2827) teaches as did Jesus.  “Love one another as I have loved you”!  God desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth.  Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Proclaim the truth!

Through prayer we can discern, what is, the will of God and obtain the endurance to do it.   Need incentive, know this.  Anyone who is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to them.

If this nation of Christian people turns back to God He will listen to us and save us from ourselves.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches us about the treasure of the Kingdom of heaven at hand that leads us to the kingdom to come.  The treasure is buried in a field where one must be willing to dig in the mud to find it.  Or it is hidden in a conch which must be harvested from the sea.  Or it is caught in a dragnet and pulled on board along with all sorts of trash.

There is another treasure buried in the behavior that leads one to open ones heart to the will of God.  When we practice this behavior of doing the will of God we begin to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven without speaking a word.