Reflections on Proverbs 31:10–31 and Matthew 13:44–52
In the spirit of S. Elisabeth Viduæ, III classis
Commemoration at Lauds only: S. Pontian, Pope and Martyr
On this day in the traditional Roman calendar, Holy Church honors St. Elisabeth of Hungary, the widow and tertiary, model of Christian charity, who in the flower of her widowhood gave herself entirely to the service of the poor, embracing poverty for the love of Christ. At Lauds, we also commemorate St. Pontian, Pope and Martyr, who suffered exile and death for the sake of fidelity to the truth during the persecutions of Maximinus Thrax.
In the Office and Mass of St. Elisabeth, the Epistle is taken from the Book of Proverbs (31:10–31), describing the mulierem fortem, the valiant woman, and the Gospel from St. Matthew (13:44–52), a series of parables from our Lord, likening the kingdom of heaven to a treasure, a pearl, and a net. These readings are particularly apt when considered together, especially in the life of one such as St. Elisabeth—noble by birth, yet nobler in virtue.
I. The Mulier Fortis – A Mirror of the Soul Given to God
“Who shall find a valiant woman? Far and from the uttermost coasts is the price of her.” (Prov 31:10)
This passage, often read in praise of the Christian matron, also typifies the soul adorned with virtue and rightly ordered to God. St. Jerome, in his Letter to Eustochium, interprets the valiant woman as the soul consecrated to Christ through virginity or widowhood: “Let your clothing be like that of the valiant woman, woven with works of mercy; let your lamp not be extinguished at night, that is, in the time of tribulation.”
St. Ambrose, in De Viduis, also reflects on the passage, saying:
“She is praised not for her riches, but for her fear of the Lord. Her worth surpasses pearls because the treasures of this world are fleeting, but she has gained the imperishable riches of virtue.”
St. Elisabeth, though born a princess, became truly valiant only when she laid aside her royal garments for the humble habit of a Franciscan tertiary. She clothed the naked, fed the hungry, and built hospitals with her dowry. In her, the words of Scripture were fulfilled: “She hath opened her hand to the needy, and stretched out her hands to the poor” (Prov 31:20). The valiant woman of Proverbs is not idle in spiritual matters either; she rises “while it is yet night” (v.15), that is, she begins her day with prayer, watching, and offering herself to God in the hidden life of grace.
II. The Treasure Hidden in the Field
In the Gospel of the day (Matt 13:44–52), Christ speaks of a man who finds a treasure hidden in a field. In joy, he sells all he has to buy that field. St. Chrysostom comments on this parable in his Homilies on Matthew:
“The treasure is the Gospel, the field is the world. He who has understanding sells all—detaches himself from worldly things—that he may gain the treasure. Christ bids us not merely to prefer the kingdom to earthly things, but to do so with joy.”
And St. Gregory the Great, in his Homilies on the Gospels, adds:
“The treasure, once hidden, now revealed, is the knowledge of the Kingdom of Heaven. When a man finds it, he counts as loss all he once held dear, because now he has tasted the sweetness of divine wisdom.”
Is this not the life of St. Elisabeth? She found the treasure in the field—the poor, the suffering Christ in His members—and with joy, she sold her royal life, her comforts, her security. Her joy in divine things far exceeded the honors of this world. She became a seeker not of gold but of the pearl of great price (v.46), that is, Christ Himself.
III. The Pearl of Great Price and the Final Net
The Gospel then turns to the image of the merchant seeking good pearls. When he finds the one of surpassing value, he sells all to obtain it. This pearl, according to Origen, represents Christ Himself:
“The many pearls are the various teachings of philosophy, but there is one pearl of true doctrine—Christ, who is Wisdom from God. The wise soul gives up all else to gain Him.”
And in the final parable, the net cast into the sea gathers every kind of fish. At the end of the age, the angels shall separate the good from the bad. St. Augustine writes in Sermon 47:
“The net is the Church, which gathers men from every nation. But within her are both the just and the unjust, until the time of judgment. Let each soul examine itself, whether it be among the fish that remain.”
St. Elisabeth, even while in the world, already began this self-examination. She lived as if always prepared to be found among the just. Her acts of penance, her detachment, her prayer, were all cast into the net of Christ’s Kingdom.
IV. A Widow’s Lesson
It is fitting on this day to recall that the Church calls St. Elisabeth vidua, a widow. In traditional devotion, the state of widowhood was not one of passivity or despair, but of singular dedication to God. The Roman Martyrology describes her as “insignis pietate in pauperes et patientia in adversis”—renowned for her piety toward the poor and patience in adversity.
The widow, like the valiant woman of Proverbs, becomes a sign of the Church herself: bereft of earthly consolations, yet adorned with heavenly grace. Her strength lies not in outward protection but in her union with Christ the Bridegroom. Such was Elisabeth: widowed young, she found her security not in remarriage or comfort, but in the hidden life of charity and penance.
Conclusion
On this day, as we recall St. Elisabeth’s radiant virtue, we are called to imitate the mulier fortis, to seek the treasure hidden in the field of poverty, suffering, and obedience, and to desire above all things the pearl that is Christ. The kingdom of heaven is not found through comfort, but through a joyful relinquishing of all, as Elisabeth did.
Let us ask her intercession, especially for widows, for the poor, and for all who labor in the field of the Lord, that we too may be counted among the just in the net cast into the sea, and on the last day be gathered into His eternal Kingdom.
St. Elisabeth of Hungary, valiant woman, seeker of the treasure, lover of the Pearl of great price—pray for us.
St. Pontian, Pope and Martyr, faithful unto exile and death—intercede for the Church in her trial.