As you know I spent some time as a priest working in the interior of Guyana, South America and we have the Bishop here with us later on this morning.
There was actually a place called ‘El Dorado’ in my parish, that of the Rupununi.
Goldminers regularly passed through the village from the ‘Gold Shouts’.
My wedding ring has Guyana gold in it from a ‘Gold Shout’.
A ‘Gold Shout’ happens when a miner finds some gold worth shouting about. The only thing is, he doesn’t actually shout. He hides the information about a seam of gold as long as he can.
‘Jesus Christ’ writes the apostle Paul, ‘is the key that opens all the hidden treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge’
To discover Christ is like a ‘Gold Shout’. It can be a first discovery – what we call evangelism – in which folk speak dramatically of being found after being lost.
It can also be an ongoing discovery as more of Christ’s riches dawn upon us. Either way there’s something about Jesus worth making a noise about.
In a Guyanese ‘Gold Shout’ there is a loss to the discoverer if he shouts too soon.
When we spread our news about Jesus it causes us further gain and not loss.
Love is something that if you give it away, you end up having more…just like a Magic Penny runs the children’s song.
As the seventy appointed in the Gospel went out for Jesus they returned shouting for joy at the blessings that accompanied there evangelistic outing. As we in turn take courage to give out in deed and word for Jesus’ sake we get richer in spirit.
Gold is magic but it can’t rival the magic of Jesus.
A ‘Gold Shout’ is actually quite a dangerous place where the miners readily fight for their coveted discovery.
When we find Jesus we have found something, or rather, someone, we fight not to keep but to give away, to draw people’s attention to, to share or even shout about.
In this Holy Eucharist we welcome afresh the treasure which is Jesus.
With all our heart we should affirm in a moment our Christian faith.
Lord, you are more precious than silver. Lord you are more costly than gold – and nothing I desire compares with you
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