If Jesus was telling the parable today, He may compare the Kingdom of Heaven to winning the lottery. I've seen many people spend large sums of money in order to hit the lottery. To them winning that big lottery jackpot is all they want out of life. To them, it would be like "heaven" hitting that big one and not worrying about anything for the rest of their lives. They would be on "easy street". What they fail to realize is that happiness is more than just having all this money. We have heard of lottery winners that, after a few years, are back to having nothing again, misusing the money they won. Or we know people that go to the lottery agent with their LONG list of lottery numbers, only to not win anything. They walk away frustrated and feel empty at not winning that jackpot.
What Jesus is talking about in today's gospel is true wealth. True wealth is relationship with God, and knowing that God will bring us that happiness and contentment. King Solomon in the first reading from the first book of Kings knew what true happiness is. He "hit it big" when he assumed the throne of King David, his father. But he knew that he needed help from God in order to rule fairly and responsibly. He asked God for an understanding heart to judge people, and to distinguish right from wrong. (1 King 3:9)
St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, is talking about the same thing. He tells us, "that all things work for good for those who love God." (Romans 8:28)
We are all called, like Solomon, to turn to God and ask for an understanding heart, to love others as God loves them, and to live a life trusting that God the one who will bring us true wealth and happiness: the kind that will last for all eternity. We are to love God and love our neighbor.
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