where your treasure is

(this was written before i watched that glee madonna episode)

i've been through many 'collections' in my life. i dabbled in stamps in grade school. then college, it was MADONNA! i had to have ALL her albums and maxi-singles, all vinyl. that time, the maxi-singles in the Phils used this generic WEA album cover. gross. but i was able to score some of those from the US. dress you up, angel/into the groove, express yourself. then came her magazine covers. then posters.

my madonna-mania went on till after college. every madonna album, i have it. then it started to wane after 2000. i still have most of her albums, but stopped collecting the maxi's. and i actually lost all those vinyls. and i didnt care as much.

this nostalgia on my madonna collection was brought on by the gospel last friday when Jesus mentions 'where your treasure is, there your heart is also".

as i slowly make more sense of my catholic faith, make it personal, make it less guilt-ridden, i resolved to get back to reading the Bible, particularly the New Testament. i'm now reading and re-reading all Jesus' statements, those that the evangelists ascribed to him and see how this reconciles with my sexuality.

so im taking to heart his statements, his utterances. and now, im pondering on his statement on treasures.

what is it that i treasure or value? what is it that if lost, would leave me so broken? that got me thinking about my madonna collection then. how much i valued that thing. and soon, i just outgrew it.

Jesus reminded me to make my riches in heaven and not on earth where moths would just eat them away. hahaha, exactly what happened to my collection i guess.

with my hard-earned cash nowadays, im still pretty much 'materialistic'. i buy clothes, built myself this lil house, buy gadgets. are these my treasures? yes, these earthly possessions. id be devastated if the something calamitous happens to these. yet I am reminded that i should refrain from putting all 'treasure' here on earth.

so what should i invest in, according to Him? he says 'riches in heaven'. and i dont think he means buying plenary indulgences from the Church like in the medieval days.

my money and all my other resources are best spent on nurturing those 'things' that will be untouched by time, those that will live on. and ultimately, i believe that means nurturing my relationships with others, in nurturing trust, compassion and love. in an ever widening circle starting with those closest to me.

i dovetail this with stephen covey's emotional bank account analogy to relationships. you either make deposits (actions that serve to strengthen the relationship) or you make withdrawals (those that erode, breaking promises, hurtful words). and just like any bank account, your goal is to make your maintaining balance so huge that an occasional withdrawal could be absorbed.

and that sounds exactly like storing up riches in heaven and not on earth. making sure that my 'trust accounts' with people continue to grow. investing not just money but time and skills to make these accounts grow.

the best part, these are the most fulfilling of all investments. that smile of appreciation. that hug of gratitude for a little act of kindness or thoughtfulness. small investments, big returns that go on to perpetuity. eternity.