The Parable of the Hidden Treasure | Bible Study W/ Aquinas 

I'm a recent subscriber Matt. Love the philosophical and intellectual core of your channel. Marvellous.

"The field is the Word of God in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge which He hid in the field of His body because He was hidden in the flesh" I love this interpretation

Something special is happening with this channel and this man Matthew.

The honesty of self, and your struggles always resonates with me. Knowing i'm not the only one who reads Aquinas and has no clue what i just read. haha. But I especially loved both your take on the disciples who lived with Jesus and how hard that must have been to fully believe he was God while doing all the ordinary things human do, and then connecting it to trying to the Eucharist "a piece of bread" being God. And secondly I loved your idea of what God means when we are to keep prayer in secret, but also to shine on light in the world. I think you absolutely nailed that. That some things are meant just for us. The intimate exchanges God only gives us, and not rushing to tell everyone, or make some long winded instagram post about it, (which i am guilty of). Take it in, let it resonate and process it more. This will help me a lot the next time i want to make a post. Is this for likes? Is this to truly glorify God or myself? Discern on it more and decided what God wants me to share. Thanks for the chat, helped me a lot today. God Bless.

Thank you, Matt! I loved the set up of this study, and hope you'll do more. I especially connect with your conversion metaphor of suddenly seeing everything in color. Exactly. "Things like scales fell from his eyes" Acts 9:18. Loved the interpretations given. I have often considered "would I have believed Jesus was the Christ" if I'd walked around with him or heard him speak? I think you've taken this further than I had so far, and I very much appreciated your humorous but honest take. Thanks again!👍

I found it so helpful to hear you reading and ruminating on a passage with the help of Aquinas! I think the dichotomy of keeping the prayer life hidden, while letting your light shine in the world is fairly simple (maybe that's because I'm simple).... The inner prayer life is what strengthens and forms us, so that we may go out into the world and act according to His will. Perfect example: There was a woman in our parish, whose holiness just shown from her in every word and deed. I never heard her once mention her prayer life or any specific "spiritual insight" and yet... she had this effect on others, you just felt that you wanted to be a better person, the person she assumed you were. She was the most humble, quiet, joyful person I ever met, and I do not exaggerate when I say I believe she is a living saint.

Love the way you shared your personal experiences. Really resonated with me and my personal journey.

These types of videos are your sweet spot. Very enjoyable and enlightening analysis.

"Mary pondered all these things in her heart..." I think there is great value in "ruminating" and allowing God's gifts time to mature and bear fruit in "His time" vs our need for immediacy.

Awesome! Been meaning to watch these for a while. My first reaction was to taek the suitcase of a million dollars and leave, but the treasure is infinite as the saints have pointed out to us in writting.

Matt Fradd, your videos have helped me so much. Love these Bible studies, thank you for making them. God bless you.

I think of the idea of selling all that he owned (i.e, and for us, the things we own) is connected to the idea of being attached to the things of this world, and giving up those attachements to be open to receiving the better part, which is Our Lord Himself. (It's not easy!)

Thank you, Matt! God bless you!

I'm enjoying these Bible studies, Thank you Matt

Struggling with understanding the Wisdom of God is the lot of the majority of the faithful. Your honesty and humility in sharing this struggle is exactly the encouragement and reassurance we need.

Love this Matt! Thank you so much! Keep it up!

It’s good to see someone else besides me struggles to understand what they read/listen to. It can be discouraging but I loved you saying you were not “spiritual mature” enough to understand and your honest in just admitting your limited understanding is encouraging. As Father Mark Mary says ‘poco a poco’ we’ll get there! Thank you Matt; time well spent. An opening and closing prayer would be good as well

Please keep doing these! They’re great to listen to at work and they make you think about stuff we know by heart but never meditate on

First time I've stumbled across you. Jesus divinity hidden in his flesh was something I'll be thinking about for a while. Thank you!

PleAse do more studies, I got a lot out of this, Thank you!

I love the last part you said, about giving up the world for Christ because He's a treasure beyond measure indeed! God bless you always Matt! 😊

Thank you , you have made me rethink lots of things.

Hi Matt, your own interpretation in the beginning is hillarious. Thank you for doing the program, sharing your thoughts, and conducting the study of Aquinas. Greetings from Slovakia.

God bless you brother, thank you for all you do. I really do gain so much from your channel, you definitely gave me the kick in the arse habit and it's been an amazing journey. God bless you and your beautiful family

Beautiful Matt...greetings from Croatia...

When I improved from having encephalitis in September last year which included memory loss and for some reason the Catholic Church made a lot more sense. I had been to a number different churches and did the occasional Sunday service and maybe a bible study group or two. I have been a Christian for over 40 years. I have changed a lot some yes probably from being sick. I feel closer to God. I was very sad I cant do the same things but I now have so much more. My brain still doesn't work great so when I try to tell others I cant remember the next word at time or know where I am at with the conversation. Thankyou for these videos you give us. My none Christian husband thinks your funny so I am hoping there could be a treasure being dug up there.

God bless you Matt

The passage you had difficulty interpreting might mean something like this: In the initial experience of God (say in wondering at the sheer dependence that contingent being has on absolute being and the kind of love such dependence entails) it is better to meditate on this experience and crystallize its meaning for yourself before sharing it with others, since such an experience is so difficult to put into words. If you’re too quick to share it, you will end up spouting nonsense, which is no help to anyone and will likely confuse your listeners and yourself, leading a profound, rich experience of God to be, say, nothing more than a kind of psychological upheaval of emotion. And so what was initially from God, intended for your personal growth, was wasted because you did not give the seeds of understanding time to germinate and take root.

This is anointed!

This is a great bible study! I had no idea that Christ was the field. Mind opening!

This is awesome thank you so much

That is an absolutely gorgeous book

Please keep doing these! 👍

Loved it!

This will be a good series

This. Is. Amazing.

Man, you had like 14k subscribers when I started watching. See you at 140k.

Matt! Love your channel and longtime fan. Ask a Catholic who typically falls on the conservative side of the political spectrum, I beg you to do an intellectual, reasonable, Catholic interview/video on the current racial crisis in America. I pray and petition you to invite a guest like Fr. Josh Johnson to discuss race and systemic racism in America and how we are to respond as Catholics in this charged political environment. Please consider this! You have a huge platform and can shine such a light on this issue to the many Catholics (including myself) who trust you and are looking for reasonable and Catholic guidance during this time. Thank you and God Bless!!

Hey Matt! Thanks for everything you do. I know you are reading this. A lot of fans really want you invite Matthew from The Ten Minute Bible Hour. Please invite him :)

I can relate to what you said about sharing what you've heard in prayer. I have a problem with pride (Ironically, I'm probably even making this admission because of pride) so I typically share things only with my wife and she knows to keep my pride in check without hurting me.

Regarding the bit you weren't sure how to explain, perhaps we could look at it through a lens provided by the Venerable Fulton Sheen. Bishop Sheen famously said that the whole Christian life could be described in two words: "Come!", and "Go!". That is, our first duty as Christians is to hear Christ's call to come to Him, to give ourselves to Him, and to be transformed in Him. But unlike some popular conceptions of spirituality, the peak of Christian spirituality does not end with a disciple sitting in solitary prayer, at peace in the presence of His Lord. That is only the halfway point. For as soon as the disciple truly gives himself, wholly and completely, to His Lord, that is, as soon as the disciple allows himself to be transformed from a self-serving, fallen egotist into a willing servant and unresisting channel of divine Grace, it is exactly then that he is called to leave his solitude and go into the world as a shining light, a living testimony to the transformative power of God-made-man. After Christ healed a blind man, his neighbors, amazed, asked: "Is not this he who sat and begged?" And that is the point of the "Go!" phase of the Christian life. Everywhere he goes, the one who has been healed by Christ serves as a beacon of Christ's light, a witness to His power, and this is all the more true when he encounters those who knew him before, in his life as a hopeless, broken sinner. Christ gives us healing, transformation, and above all Love, not only for our own sake but for the sake of all those who these gifts will touch, as, at His command, we move out of our solitude and into the world. This, I believe, is what St. Thomas is talking about when he speaks of "distinguishing between times". If a disciple is in the first part of the Christian life, that is, if he is still fighting his demons in an effort to obey the first command, "Come!" (or as St. Thomas describes it "when [the treasure] is first found..."), at that time the disciple is not yet ready to go out and shine his light on the world. For if he were to do so, having not yet been wholly transformed in Christ, the light he would shine would be his own light (his pride), and not that of Christ. But the opposite is also true. For one whose soul has been completely transformed in the Love of God (as St. Thomas describes it "when a man has been made strong"), if he were to continue hiding this great interior light, he would be refusing the second command of Our Lord, "Go!". For the light that shines in the heart of a Saint is not his own light, but the very light of Christ, which Our Lord, through His Saints, wishes to shine on the whole world.

Thanks Matt! You are great. So about the secrets of the King and a light on a stand. My experience here. Not Jared but Tasia. People might get jealous or envious of you. Or they might think you are holy. You don't want any of that because it's not helpful. I would consult with a confessor or spiritual director first. Maybe it's your call to share it, maybe not but they can help in discerning. Being a light is another story. more like doing the right thing with the right intention.

I think these are very good - I really like the mix of religion and philosophy

Maybe about the treasurer he means hide your faith for you will be harmed and attacked for it. Also, there will be those who reject your example on the premises of faith. However, if you show the fruit of your faith without exposing your faith, i.e virtues, you will be an example for people to follow and they may find their own faith through that.

I got a good laugh from Matt asking us to share our intimate thoughts about this verse after just saying that some things are too intimate to share and that's it's better to ruminate on it. I think I get the point though, maybe we only share our thoughts and insights when it's helpful and offers a benefit to those who are listening? The hard part for me is trying to discern when a insight is helpful.

Don't worry, Mr. Fradd, you made it entertaining

Nice book! Major philologist envy.

I understand what you mean about keeping intimate things in you between just you and your beloved, I pondered it for a while until I came across that verse about Mother Mary “kept these things in her heart” (after she found Christ in the temple). I try to follow her example although I don’t completely understand why either.

Let me explain what I think Aquinas means when he says the following: ‘’This is resolved by distinguishing between times, because when it is first found, it is good that it be hidden, but when a man has become strong, then it is good that it be made manifest. »Wisdom that is hid and the treasure that is not seen - what profit is there in them both?« (Sir 41,17 / 20,30)’’. Christ says not to ‘’let your left hand know what your right hand is doing’’ (Mt 6,3) so as to warn us to steer away from pride, and not to perform our good deeds with the intention of receiving honor from our spectators, with the intention of boosting our ego. When a man is not yet spiritually mature, and has not yet attained the virtue of humility, he should try to conceal his good deeds, so as not to fall into the trap of cultivating the sin of pride within his heart. However, once a man has sufficiently grown in the virtue of humility, and does not have to struggle to stay humble when receiving praise from others, he should no longer conceal his good deeds, so that others would see them and give glory to his Father in Heaven (see Mt 5,16). Now, even though he is receiving praise from others for his good deeds, he is no longer in such a danger of performing those deeds with the intention to receive such praise, and the sin of pride does not grow within his heart - ‘’for out of the heart come evil thoughts’’ (Mt 15,19), not out of the environment. Aquinas continues to clarify: ‘’Gregory says that it should be open in effect, hidden in the heart, hence he speaks thus: »Let the work be in public, however much the intention remains hidden.«’’ So, we should let our good deeds be known to others, so as to draw others to God, but we can only do so once we are sufficiently detached from honor we get from others’ praise - that detachement, however, should be obtained by deliberately hiding our good deeds (the Ignatian concept of ‘’agere contra’’), so as not to fall into the temptation of pride.

Where did you get the book you were reading from? Were you reading from the Summa? If so, where did you buy it?

I think the difference between letting your light shine and praying in secret is related to what Paul says about boasting. Letting the light of Christ shine through you and your actions does not mean proselytizing and advising everyone to pray 4 times a day like you do. It means living humbly in service to others. We are supposed to boast of Christ and the gospel, not of our own actions or piety.

The beard is amazing👍

Love you Brother Matt!!! I support Matt on Patreon and hope all would consider doing the same! And this is coming from a Protestant! LOL

Have you watched "The Chosen" series? What I liked about it is it makes the humanity of Jesus very real, especially in the episode which narrates the Wedding at Cana. I remembered this around the 14 minute mark when you make similar comments of how Jesus probably would have been in his humanity.

Oh yes. Again!

Edit: Mark 4:16-17 says, "And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account fo the word, immediately they fall away." I think this is what Aquinas is warning about: not allowing the Word to take root in our lives enough, shape us enough, before facing persecution and resistance to the Word we seek to share - we'll end up having the treasure taken from us. Keep the treasure of Christ and His Bride in your heart - make it the mark of your head (thoughts), the source of the words on your lips, and the actions from your heart; this is against the mark of the beast the world strives to place on us. As this treasure kept close and secret reshapes you, the light - the fruit - of it radiates from you. Now people, being wondering creatures, will seek to know the source of the light from you, and knowing of the field you purchased seemingly nonsensically, will search out this source. Upon finding the treasure themselves, they will give everything they have to purchase the field as well, keeping the treasure secret and safe as well. This purchasing is the inheritance of the New Heavens and New Earth, where all the saved will rule with Christ.

What it reminds me of is when Mary "pondered all these things in her heart." It is like the treasure that she kept secret because it wasn't her timing yet to tell all her girlfriends she was pregnant with God's son! That would have been different.... and maybe damaged the plan. So he (Jesus) was revealed in his own time. Just like my conversion - I started battling girls on Facebook about abortion.... bad idea. I was on fire! But not prudent and had not grown in love yet. Just some insights. Merci beaucoup Matt!

Immediate context would help in understanding the parable. The field is the world and the treasure is the church. The explanation of the tares and wheat say that the field to be the world. The church is the treasure that the Lord bought with His blood and He even strip Himself of the royalty and born on an animal feeding trough. The church is hidden because not much know that she is from before the foundation of the world and not just in the new testament(Eph.1:4) She is portrayed in the old testament to be the marriage between the first man and woman, the marriages of Jacob, Isaac and The women in the well in the NT. She was also portrayed as a people(Israel) and as descendants promised to Abraham( Gen.15:5, Gal.3:16;29) she was also portrayed as the temple of God both in the OT and NT. And many other ways that most christians are not aware. Hiddenness also denotes something not flaunting itself but of great spiritual value( Christlikeness).

could it be the souls that you lead to receive salvation?

😇

When I read this I think about the Gospel. On the surface it's this boring hard to get through worthless field that can't keep your attention for 30 min, it's not a Lord of the Rings novel. One day while strolling through it, probably out of sheer boredom or sense of requirement you stub your toe on a piece of Gold. You hide it away out of fear someone will take it from you. In a sense there is always someone trying to crush your happiness. Make fun of you or just talk you out of the fervor. You sell all just to get your hands on the field. You give up on everything else you have been wasting time on and focus on reading the Bible. Then you find a unending mine. A gold reserve that goes on forever. The fruits of that mine, the Bible, will do the talking. As long as you let everyone know the source is the mine they will see your fruits and know the way to obtain those fruits.

Ask my wife 😂

The Kingdom of Heaven is NOT the same as the Kingdom of God. In The Kingdom of Heaven parables, the Field is always the World, the man is always Jesus, and the treasure is always Israel. None of this has to do with Christians or salvation. Rightly divide, or the Bible is all messed up to you.