Today’s readings place us at the intersection of earthly power and heavenly treasure. The First Reading from 2 Kings shows the violent overthrow of Queen Athaliah and the restoration of the rightful king, while the Gospel from Matthew 6 calls us to examine where we store what we value. The thread that runs through both is this: what you orient your life toward determines everything that follows.
What today’s readings give us
In 2 Kings 11, we are at one of the darkest moments in Judah’s history. Queen Athaliah has murdered the royal family to seize power, but the infant Joash survives, hidden in the Temple for six years. When the priest Jehoiada orchestrates Joash’s coronation, the covenant between God and David’s line is renewed. The reading ends with the destruction of Baal’s temple and the restoration of proper worship.
The Gospel takes us to the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus speaks plainly about treasure and vision. Matthew 6:19-23 asks two questions that cut to the heart: where are you storing up treasure, and what is the quality of your inner sight? The two are connected. What you treasure shapes what you see, and what you see determines where you walk.
The line worth carrying with you
Jesus says, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light” (Matthew 6:22, KJV). The “single eye” is an eye fixed on one thing, undivided in its attention. It is the opposite of the divided heart that tries to serve two masters. When your treasure is in heaven, your vision clears. You see what is actually there, not what greed or anxiety projects onto the world.
This connects directly to the restoration of worship in 2 Kings. Joash’s reign begins with the destruction of Baal’s altar and the return to the Temple. The nation’s treasure had been divided between the God of Abraham and the gods of Canaan. When Jehoiada restores single-minded worship, the kingdom finds clarity again. The same principle holds in the individual life. Divided treasure produces clouded vision. A heart fixed on God sees by God’s light.
For today
Before bed tonight, take inventory of where your attention has gone today. Not to judge yourself harshly, but to see clearly. Ask: what did I treasure today in how I spent my time, my worry, my longing? Where your treasure was, your heart was also. Let that simple fact instruct you for tomorrow.
Today’s full readings are at USCCB.
