Is it worth it? This sounds like a rude question in any situation, and downright cynical in reference to the kingdom of heaven. Most people ask this question with poor motives, at best. But the question itself brings to mind an important truth: God created us for happiness. As such, we instinctively want to know if a proposition will bring us closer to this happiness. Is it worth it? Will the reward be worth the sacrifice? It is good to ask this question when paying for a movie, a meal, or a car. It is even better to ask when facing the sacrifice necessary for the Christian life. Is it worth it?

In the parables of the buried treasure and the pearl of great price (Mt 13:44-46), our Lord promises us that, yes, the kingdom of heaven is indeed worth the sacrifice. Nor is this the only time He speaks of reward. In the Sermon on the Mount He commands the persecuted to rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven (Mt 5:12). Indeed, He encourages us to store up treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy (Lk 12:33).

Of course, we should strive to love God simply because He is entirely good and deserving of our love. But neither should we lose sight of the reward God Himself has promised. Our need to know that there will be a reward for our sacrifice corresponds to our God-given desire for happiness. [F]or anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Heb 11:6).

Even the saints, who reached the point of loving God for His own sake, still hoped for the promised reward. Towards the end of his life, St. Paul declared, From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day (2 Tim 3:8). Someone once remarked to Mother Teresa that he would not do what she does for a million dollars. Mother Teresa responded, "I wouldn't do this for a million dollars either." No earthly reward motivated her. She was storing up treasure in heaven.

Further, the promise of reward inspires virtue. Knowledge of the buried treasure and the pearl of great price stirred the courage and perseverance necessary for the men to begin and carry out their bold plans.

More importantly, the martyrs remained faithful under the cruelest and most painful executions because they kept the reward of heaven foremost in their minds. They desired to gain the buried treasure and the pearl of great price.

St. Paul compares the Christian’s desire for reward to the athlete’s. In the midst of a painful workout, difficult training, limited diet and regimented schedule, an athlete focuses on the prize. Even more so should the Christian, in the midst of struggles, temptations, difficult prayer, mortification or persecution, keep in mind heavenly rewards. Every virtue necessary in our daily routine — such as patience, temperance, courage, justice and, most of all, charity — has as its goal the possession of the treasure, the pearl, of heaven. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one (1Cor 9:25).

Growth in the spiritual life brings the understanding that the ultimate reward for sacrifice is God Himself. Our desire for reward should be like that of St. Thomas Aquinas. After writing a treatise on the Blessed