Treasures in Heaven

6/19/26

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. Matthew 6:19-21

This morning at Mass, my pastor spoke about storing up treasures in reflecting on today’s Gospel. He said the Saints knew how to build a “Treasury of Merit”. Father encouraged us to store us graces in a treasury of merits. When we are afraid or suffering, when we experience challenges or trials, we can draw from our treasury of merits for strength. This is not a material treasure, but a treasure of merit, and it is made possible only by grace. It is a spiritual storehouse of good works and merits accumulated by Christ through his life, Passion, and Resurrection.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

#1476 We also call these spiritual goods of the communion of saints the Church's treasury, which is "not the sum total of the material goods which have accumulated during the course of the centuries. On the contrary the 'treasury of the Church' is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ's merits have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father. In Christ, the Redeemer himself, the satisfactions and merits of his Redemption exist and find their efficacy."

#1477 "This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission in the unity of the Mystical Body."

Meditating on the treasury of merit makes us desire to praise God for the blessings we have received through Jesus Christ. God was willing to send His Son to save us. As we draw grace from this treasury of merits for our daily needs, we thank God for His generosity. We pray, with confidence, for physical, emotional and spiritual needs because of the infinite supply of merit from Christ’s Passion. May we develop an attitude of gratitude for all God has done for us!

This treasury of merits come to us through the intercession of Mary and the Saints. Their prayers draw out graces from the treasury of merit which Christ earned for our benefit. By contemplating on this treasury of merits, we come to know God’s great desire to pour out spiritual blessings upon us both now and for all eternity.