This week's article addresses the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value, inviting the faithful to rediscover the joy of encountering Jesus. The reflection coincides with the feast of Saints Anne and Joachim, Grandparents' Day.
The parish of San Juan de Antequera has released a new Sunday reflection for the twenty-seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A, which is celebrated on 26 July 2026. The text, signed by the local parish priest, delves into the parables of the hidden treasure and the precious pearl, two teachings from the Gospel of Matthew that invite Christians to value the Kingdom of God as the greatest good.
According to the reflection, in an increasingly secularised social context, faith is no longer lived by habit but requires a "personal encounter with Jesus Christ" that radically transforms life. The parish priest compares this discovery to the spark of falling in love: "All of their reality is transformed, and they can only think and feel about that person who has changed their life," the text states.
The reflection emphasises that the true treasure for Christians has a proper name: Jesus Christ. "Feeling seduced by Him opens us to the joy of living with Him," asserts the writing, which encourages the faithful to risk everything to belong to the Kingdom that God offers. In this sense, joy is presented as the fundamental motivation to follow Jesus, rather than fear or obligation.
The article also discusses the difference between the parables of the treasure and the pearl and that of the net, which appears in the same chapter of the Gospel. The parish priest suggests that the latter, which speaks of the separation of good and bad fish and the final punishment, was not originally spoken by Jesus but was added later by the evangelist for moralising purposes. As an argument, he mentions that in the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, discovered in 1945, the parable of the net appears differently: "The kingdom of heaven is like a fisherman who went out to fish and caught a large, beautiful fish. He threw back the small fish he had caught and kept the large fish." That large fish, according to the reflection, symbolises Jesus Christ.
The reflection concludes by reminding that this Sunday coincides with the feast of Saints Anne and Joachim, parents of the Virgin Mary, and that for several years now, Grandparents' Day has been celebrated. The parish priest invites the faithful to keep the elderly in their prayers and to be generous with affection towards those who have given them so much.
For the residents of Antequera and the surrounding area, this reflection provides an opportunity to pause in the midst of summer and meditate on the meaning of faith. The parish of San Juan continues its tradition of offering a weekly commentary on the Gospel, accessible through its website and social media.
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