JOHN THE BAPTIST, THE PRECURSOR OF CHRIST [Matthew 1, 1-12. Mark 1, 1-8. Luke 3, 1-18. John 1, 19-27] THE time was approaching when Jesus would show Himself publicly as the Redeemer of the world. Wherefore the word of the Lord¹ came to John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. Obedient to the divine will, John repaired to the country about the Jordan². He was clothed in camel's hair³, with a leathern girdle round his loins, and his food was wild honey⁴ and locusts⁵. ¹ The word of the Lord. God commanded John, who, as you know, lived the life of a hermit in the desert, to leave his solitude, and enter upon his office of Precursor. ² About the Jordan. That is, at the southern end of the Jordan, in the neighbourhood of the Dead Sea, about twenty-five miles from Jerusalem. ³ Camel's hair. A dark brown garment shaped like a sack, made of a rough material woven from camel's hair. Instead of sleeves there were two holes for the arms, and the garment was kept together by a leather band round the loins. ⁴ Wild honey. The honey made by the wild bees which make their hives in the hollows of trees, or in holes in the rocks. ⁵ Locusts. Which (like crayfish) are either boiled or roasted. --- XI. JOHN THE BAPTIST, THE PRECURSOR OF CHRIST. He cried aloud to all the people: "Do penance¹, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"² In order to excite his hearers more efficaciously to repentance, as also to prepare them for Christian Baptism, he baptized those who were sorry for their sins, in the waters of the Jordan. Then the multitudes came to him from Jerusalem and Judæa to listen to his preaching; and many people of all conditions, after hearing him, confessed their sins and were baptized. Some of the Sadducees and Pharisees³ being present among the crowd, John addressed them sternly, saying: "Ye brood of vipers⁴, who hath shewed you to flee from the wrath to come?⁵ Bring forth, therefore, fruit worthy of penance⁶, and think not to say: 'We have Abraham for our father', for I tell you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham⁷. For now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree, therefore, that yieldeth not good fruit, shall be cut down and cast into the fire.'⁸ ¹ Do penance. Repent of and confess your sins, and amend your ways. ² At hand. The time has nearly arrived when the Messias will appear from heaven and will found His kingdom. ³ Sadducees and Pharisees. For more details about these sects see Old Test, LXXXVI. ⁴ Vipers. John called them by this name, because they were as full of evil as are poisonous snakes. They were, as a matter of fact, those very children of the infernal serpent, about whom, after the Fall, God foretold that there should be enmity between them and the Redeemer. ⁵ The wrath to come. Do not think that you can escape future condemnation, if you come here and are baptized for the sole purpose of winning praise from men. ⁶ Fruit worthy of penance. Namely, works corresponding with a real conversion. In other words St. John meant, "Repent really, and do not perform only outward, or seeming penance." ⁷ Children to Abraham. Do not think that penance is unnecessary for you, because you are descended from Abraham, and belong, therefore, to the chosen people; for, if you prove unworthy of divine grace, God will reject you in spite of your descent from Abraham, and He will call others (the Gentiles) to His kingdom, who by their faith will become the spiritual children of Abraham. All those who, like Abraham, live by faith, are the spiritual children of him who is called the father of the faithful. If He so willed it, God could create men from stones, as He first created Adam and Eve of earth and make of them children of Abraham. ⁸ The fire. Men are signified by the trees; the tree which bears no fruit being the impenetent sinner. John meant to say: "Do not put off your conversion, for the hour has almost come when it will be decided whether you are to have a place in the kingdom of God, or not. He who does not do penance will be shut out from the kingdom of the Messias, and cast into the everlasting fire of hell." --- XI. JOHN THE BAPTIST, THE PRECURSOR OF CHRIST. And the people¹ asked him: "What then² shall we do?" He answered: "He that hath two coats, let him give to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do in like manner." The soldiers³ also asked what they should do, and John said to them: "Do violence to no man, neither calumniate any man; and be content with your pay." The Publicans⁴ too asked what they were to do, and he answered: "Do nothing more than that which is appointed you." Now the austere appearance of the Baptist and his startling exhortation led the people to believe that he was the Messias⁵. John, perceiving this, told them that he was not the Messias, but that there was One coming, mightier than he, the latchet of whose shoes he was not worthy to loose⁶. He told them, moreover, that he, indeed, baptized with water⁷, but that the Saviour who was to come after him, would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire⁸. "Whose fan is in His hand, ¹ The people. The rich and proud Pharisees and Sadducees were not at all moved by St. John's severe words: but the common people were deeply moved, and ready to obey the precepts of the holy prophet. ² What then. Why did they say "then"? They meant: "If the case stands as you say it does, and the moment has arrived when we must decide what to do, so as not to be cast into hell, what are we to do?" ³ The soldiers. The soldiers were principally pagans, for the Jews were exempt from military service. As the soldiers, in time of peace, were employed as police, and supported the publicans in their collection of taxes, they had many opportunities of being oppressive and violent. ⁴ The Publicans. These were collectors who gathered the taxes claimed by the Roman rulers. They were for the most part pagans, and were hated and despised by the Jews, partly because they were dishonest and demanded more than was due, and partly because all taxes paid to the Roman emperors were detestable in the eyes of the Jews. In reply to their inquiry, St. John told them to demand no more money than was required, the amount of the taxes being exactly and precisely laid down. ⁵ The Messias. The Messias was at this time generally looked for. The deep impression made by John's power and holiness, which indicated him to be a prophet of God, very naturally gave rise to the thought that he might perhaps be the expected Messias. ⁶ To loose. To loosen the straps of his master's sandals was the duty of a servant; therefore John meant to say: The Messias who will come after me is so high above me that I am not worthy to be even His servant. ⁷ With water. That is, washing outwardly with water only, in token of internal penance. ⁸ With fire. He will purify you inwardly, even as fire purifies metal, and He will sanctify you by the Holy Ghost. --- XI. JOHN THE BAPTIST, THE PRECURSOR OF CHRIST. and He will thoroughly cleanse His floor¹, and gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire." Then the High Priest and the Council sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John: "Who art thou?" He answered: "I am not the Christ." They continued: "Art thou Elias?" He replied: "I am not." They spoke again: "Art thou the great prophet?" He said: "No!" At last they exclaimed: "Why, then, dost thou baptize, if thou be not Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet?" John answered that he was the forerunner 'a voice crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord' of the Messias who would soon appear in their midst, preaching penance and announcing the good tidings of salvation. COMMENTARY. The virtues of St. John the Baptist. 1. His self-denial. He lived far from the world in the solitude of the desert, wearing one single, coarse, rough garment, and his food was of the poorest description. 2. His obedience. It was a hard task to preach penance to the sensual and worldly-minded Jews, but John promptly undertook the task, because God commanded it. 3. His courage. He did not hesitate to speak out the truth boldly to the Pharisees and Sadducees, although he knew that they would hate him for it. 4. His humility. "I am not the Christ. I am not worthy to loose the latchlet of His shoes." John's mission was twofold: 1. to preach penance to the Jews by word and example, and thus make them ready to receive the grace of Redemption; 2. to herald the Redeemer, and bear testimony to Him. The holy prophet fulfilled both missions most perfectly. His preaching was so persuasive that even the hard-hearted publicans and rude soldiers were moved by it. He especially pointed out: a) the necessity of good works: "Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire": — "He that hath two coats, let him give to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do in like manner": ¹ Cleanse His floor. This simile is taken from the manner of threshing corn on open threshing floors in vogue among the Jews. The grain was cleansed by being thrown up into the air with a shovel, the heavy grain fell back on to the ground, while the light chaff floated away. Thus will the Messias do with the Israelites (and all men): He will gather the good grain into His barn, but the evil and worthless chaff will be thrown into the unquenchable fire of hell. --- 428 XII. JESUS IS BAPTIZED BY JOHN AND TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL. b) the duty of justice: "Do nothing more than that which is appointed you"; - "Do violence to no man, neither calumniate any man; and be content with your pay". The testimony to Christ borne by St. John is very striking. He testified that the Messias was much higher and greater than himself; and he testified to His divine nature, for if the Christ could baptize with the Holy Ghost, and had the right to judge and condemn, He must be God. Confession of sins. Those who were baptized by John openly confessed their sins. They did this, because, being seized with a deep compunction, they hoped to obtain pardon of their sins by a sincere confession. He who is truly contrite, is always willing to confess his sins. In the Old Testament, a confession of sins was an obligatory part of a sin-offering; and in the New Testament, confession is a necessary condition for the Sacrament of Penance. The Baptism of John was not a Sacrament, and could not effect any purification or sanctification. It was only designed to admonish men that they needed inward purifying from sins, and must prepare themselves for it by true contrition. It was at the same time a type of Christian Baptism, by which men are cleansed and sanctified through the Holy Ghost. APPLICATION. You too must bring forth fruits worthy of penance. Have you had true contrition and made firm purposes of amendment each time you have been to confession? Have you always confessed your sins sincerely and fully? And do you think you have really improved since your last confession? In what way have you improved? JESUS FORETELLS THE TREASON OF JUDAS [Matthew 1$^(r)$, 21—25. Mark 12, 13—21. Luke 24, 21—23. John 1$^(r)$, 21—30] WHILST they were eating, He told the apostles: "Amen, I say to you, that one of you$^(1)$ who eateth with Me shall betray Me."$^(2)$ They, being much troubled, asked Him with one $^(1)$ One of you. He was. Scripture says, "troubled in spirit", thinking of the base ingratitude with which Judas would repay His love, and of the traitor's eternal doom. He, therefore, full of love, tried to save the wretched disciple by warning and threatening him, without mentioning his name. $^(2)$ Betray Me. Satan had put it into the heart of Judas to betray his Master. Before the Pasch he had gone to the chief priests who, ever since the raising of Lazarus, had resolved to kill Jesus, and offered to betray Him into their hands. Our Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the woes which He pronounced on the Pharisees had confirmed them in this resolution, and all they waited for was an opportunity to secretly seize and condemn Him. They did not dare to use open force, for they feared that the people would rise and defend Jesus. The longed-for opportunity was given to them by Judas. "What will you give me", --- LXVI. JESUS FORETELLS THE TREASON OF JUDAS. voice: "Is it I, Lord?" He answered and said: "One of the twelve¹, who dippeth² his hand with Me in the dish." Then He added: "The Son of Man goeth, indeed, as it is written of Him³, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man shall be betrayed. It were better⁴ for that man if he had not been born!" Then Judas, who betrayed Him, said: "Is it I⁵, Rabbi?" But Jesus replied⁶: "Thou hast said it."⁷ Then Judas rose from the table and went out⁸, and, going immediately to the High Priest, sold His Master for thirty pieces of silver, and promised to betray Him into the hands of the High Priest's servants. When he was gone Jesus said to His disciples: "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him." said he, "and I will deliver Him to you"—for if I help you, you can do the deed quite secretly. They promised to give him thirty pieces of silver. This sum was the price or compensation money given, according to the Old Law (Ex. 21, 32), for a slave who had been killed, and probably the chief priests fixed on this sum to show their contempt for Jesus, whom they professed to esteem of no greater value than a slave. And for this paltry sum Judas consented to betray his Master! ¹ One of the twelve. It grieved them to think that anyone of their number could act so wickedly and ungratefully towards their beloved Master: in fact they could not conceive such wickedness possible. Then Jesus indicated the traitor more directly, saying: "One of the twelve &c." ² Who dippeth. On the table at the pasch there stood dishes containing a mess of cooked fruit, such as dates, figs &c. In this mess each person dipped his bread before eating it. Among those who were dipping their bread into the same dish with Jesus, was Judas; but as several of the other apostles were also dipping into the same dish, our Lord did not make it plain that He meant Judas. To obtain certainty in the matter, St. Peter beckoned to St. John, who was next to Jesus, and whom our Lord especially loved on account of his virginal purity, bidding him ask who it was of whom our Lord spoke. John, "leaning on the breast of Jesus", saith to Him: "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered. "He it is to whom I shall give bread dipped." And when He had dipped the bread He gave it to Judas. And after the morsel Satan entered into Judas. ³ Written of Him. In the prophecies relating to His sufferings and death (Old Test. LV and LXXII). ⁴ It were better. Rather than suffer the everlasting punishment which will be his on account of his wickedness. ⁵ Is it I. He saw that he was unmasked, but instead of repenting and giving up his evil project, he became more wicked and more obstinate, and fell completely under the dominion of Satan. ⁶ Replied. In a low tone so that the other apostles could not hear what He said. ⁷ Thou hast said it. i. e. "it is thou", and He added: "That which thou dost, do quickly", i. e. it you still persist in doing this wicked deed, do not put it off. ⁸ Went out. "And it was night", says St. John (13, 30)—night, dark night in the street outside, dark night in the soul of Judas, from which the grace of God had departed. --- INVI. JESUS FORETELLS THE TREASON OF JUDAS. COMMENTARY. The devil, and the avarice of Judas. Satan hated Jesus, the Most Holy One, and had been trying to outwit God ever since the creation of man. The covetousness of Judas gave him the apparent means of attaining his end. The bad apostle, by resisting grace and indulging his ruling passion, gave the devil an increasing influence over him; till at last, blinded by avarice, and disappointed in his hopes of an earthly Messias, he listened to the suggestions of the spirit of evil, and decided to sell his Lord and Master for a paltry sum. Covetousness is a capital sin. "There is", says the Son of Sirach, "no more wicked thing than to love money, for such an one setteth even his own soul to sale" (Ecclus. 10, 10). Judas set even his God and Saviour to sale! See how sin grows! Our Blessed Lord, who knew the wicked purpose of Judas' heart, tried to win him back from the road to hell. He washed the feet of him, the most unworthy of men; but in spite of his Master's love and humility, the heart of Judas remained untouched, and he persisted in his fiendish purpose of delivering up his Lord into the hands of His bitterest enemies! Oh, what wickedness and hardness of heart! Jesus suffered death of His Own Will. "The Son of Man, indeed, goeth, as it is written of Him." God can bring good out of evil. Although our Lord died of His own will, still Judas was guilty of His Death, and on that account Jesus pronounced "woe" on him. But even as once God turned the crime of Joseph's brethren to good account, so did He suffer the wickedness of Judas and of the unbelieving Jews to enter into the plan of Redemption, and allow their sin to be the cause of that Death which brought salvation to the world. Unworthy Communion. Judas received the Body and Blood of our Lord as well as the other apostles, for according to the Gospel of St. Luke he did not go out till after the institution of the Holy Eucharist. He made an unworthy Communion, for he had, in his heart, already agreed to betray his Master, and neither the humility with which Jesus had washed his feet, nor the love which made Him give His own self to be the Food of the disciples, had served to turn him from his vile purpose. After his unworthy Communion his heart became hardened. The love of Jesus did not move him: the threat of everlasting punishment did not deter him: our Lord's solemn words of warning made no impression on him; he remained obstinate, and gave himself over to the dominion of Satan, who drove him to commit a crime so terrible that a man could not have committed it unaided. See the consequences of an unworthy Communion! To this day, alas, unworthy Communions lead very many to blindness and hardness of heart! --- LXVII. JESUS FORETELLS THE DENIAL OF PETER. APPLICATION. You can see by the case of Judas how low a man can fall who despises warnings and resists the inspirations of grace. By degrees he becomes so hardened and indifferent, that he is capable of any sin. Examine yourself! Do you take good advice to heart, and act on it? or do you prefer listening to the suggestions of bad companions rather than to the inspirations of the Holy Ghost, and the advice of those set over you? Do not harden your heart and follow the example of Judas! ADORATION OF THE MAGI [Matthew 2, 1-12] NOW when Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the days of king Herod, behold, there came three wise men¹, or Magi, from the East² to Jerusalem, saying: "Where is He that is born king ¹ Wise men. Men especially learned in the science of the stars. According to tradition, the three wise men were of high rank, and that is why they are often called the three kings. ² The East. From the land which lies towards where the sun rises. Probably they came from Babylon. In that part there was still preserved the memory of --- VIII. ADORATION OF THE MAGI. of the Jews? For we have seen His star¹ in the East, and are come to adore Him."² Herod, hearing this, was troubled³, and all Jerusalem⁴ with him. And having assembled all the chief priests⁵ and scribes⁶, and the ancients of the people, he inquired of them where Christ (the promised Messias) should be born⁷. Balaam's prophecy (Old Test. XLIII), that one day a star would rise in Judæa and that then the Redeemer, the heavenly king, would appear. This belief in a future Saviour had been rekindled in Babylon by the prophet Daniel, who was one of the wise men of his day. ¹ His star. This star which the Magi, before they left their home, had seen rising in the direction of Judæa, and therefore in the west, was no ordinary star, for it "went before them" from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, and there stopped over the house where the Child Jesus dwelt. It was, we may suppose, a sort of meteor, an appearance of light in the form of a star, of an extraordinary and brilliant description. The holy bishop of Antioch, Ignatius, a disciple of the apostle St. John, thus writes about it in his epistle to the Ephesians. "A star appeared in the heavens which eclipsed all the other stars: its light was indescribable, and its novelty caused astonishment." The holy kings who, full of faith, were waiting for the promised Saviour, by divine inspiration recognised this star to be the sign which was to herald the Birth of the Messias, therefore they called it His star. ² Adore Him. The star had only directed the wise men generally towards Judæa and had then temporarily vanished. They were so firmly convinced that the Messias was born that they never thought of inquiring if He were born—but only where He was to be found. They hoped to be able to learn this at the capital of Judæa, so they travelled straight to Jerusalem. The appearance of these strangers with their servants and camels naturally caused a great sensation in Jerusalem, which was changed to a state of painful excitement, when the strangers asserted that the Messias was already born. ³ Troubled. He feared, being hated as he was for his cruelty, that, if the Messias were really come, the Jews would turn against himself and dethrone him. ⁴ All Jerusalem. The inhabitants of Jerusalem said thus to themselves: "How? The Messias born, and we know nothing about it! God has revealed it to these strangers and not to us! What does it mean?" And when they found out that the king was troubled by the news, they, with reason, dreaded new acts of cruelty on his part. ⁵ Chief priests. Namely, the actual High Priest and those who had on former occasions held the office. In violation of the law, the High Priest was often deposed by the temporal authority, and consequently there were several High Priests at once, the actual and the former ones. ⁶ Scribes. Since there had been no more prophets, these scribes were the authorized expounders and interpreters of Holy Scripture. ⁷ Where Christ should be born. The wise men had inquired for the "new-born king of the Jews". Herod quite understood whom this expression meant, for he asked the chief priests where the Messias, or Christ, was to be born. Herod was more of a pagan than a Jew, and was not well acquainted with the prophecies about the Messias. Therefore he sent for the appointed interpreters of Scripture, to inquire of them the place where the Redeemer should be born. --- VIII. ADORATION OF THE MAGI. They said to him: "In Bethlehem of Juda, for so it is written by the prophet."¹ Then Herod privately questioned² the three Magi as to the exact time³ when the star appeared to them. When they had told him, he said: "Go, and search after the Child, and when you have found him, bring me word again, that I also may come and adore Him."⁴ The Magi set out for Bethlehem, and no sooner had they left the palace of Herod than the star, which they had not seen since their entrance into Jerusalem, again appeared⁵ in the heavens; and, following its guidance, they came to the place⁶ where the Divine Infant was, with Mary His Mother and St. Joseph. And entering in, they adored the Child⁷, and opening their treasures they offered⁸ him gifts—gold, frankincense and myrrh⁹ (Fig. 67). That night God appeared to the kings in a dream and commanded them not to return to Herod¹⁰. So they went back by ¹ The prophet. Micheas. 'And thou Bethlehem, the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda, for out of thee shall come forth the captain that shall rule my people Israel.' ² Questioned. He called them secretly, for he had formed a dark and murderous plan which he did not wish to be known. He feared that the Jews would put the Child in a place of safety, if they found out what close inquiries he was making about Him. ³ Exact time. He judged rightly that the star must have appeared at the time of the Child's Birth, so he wished, by these inquiries, to find out how old our Lord was. ⁴ Adore Him. The guteless Magi quite believed that the king wished to adore the Child, though no Jew would have trusted the hypocritical monarch. ⁵ Again appeared. It had disappeared for some time from their sight, so that they were all the more glad to see it once more. ⁶ The place. Or house (see Mat. 2, 11). As soon as the strangers who had locked to Bethlehem for the prescribed enrolment had gone away again, Mary and Joseph had moved with the Divine Child to a human dwelling-place. What joy must have filled the hearts of the Magi! If they rejoiced as they did at the appearance of the star, their happiness must have been quite unspeakable when, at last, they found the Child on whose account they had undertaken their long and difficult journey. ⁷ They adored the Child. Because, by the inspiration of divine grace, they recognised the Son of God in this Child. ⁸ Offered. What we give to God is called an offering. ⁹ Myrrh. This is a bitter though sweet-smelling resin which is laid on the bodies of the dead to preserve them from corruption. ¹⁰ Not to return to Herod. God gave them this command in order to prevent Herod from finding out the abode of the Child. --- VIII. ADORATION OF THE MAGI. another way¹ to their own country. Thus was the wicked king disappointed in his expectation of finding out, by means of these strangers, the place where the Child was. COMMENTARY. The Omniscience of God. He knew exactly the thoughts both of Herod and of the wise men. He knew that the latter, in their guilelessness, would show Herod the place where the Child lived, and He knew that Herod was resolved on the death of the Child. Therefore He bade the wise men return home another way. Faithfulness of God. He caused the prophecy uttered by Micheas to be fulfilled, and, by a wonderful chain of circumstances, carried out His design that the Redeemer should be born at Bethlehem. Jesus Christ is God and the Redeemer of all mankind, of Jews as well as Gentiles. He proved Himself to be such by revealing Himself after His Birth, first to the Jewish shepherds by means of His angel, and then to the Gentile Magi by means of His star. He manifested Himself as the Omnipotent God, and the Lord of hosts (of the angels and of the stars). The properties of Faith. It is impossible not to admire the strong and living faith of the three wise men. They believed in the prophecy, from which they knew that the Redeemer would appear in Judæa, and that His advent would be heralded by a star. As soon, therefore, as they perceived the wonderful star, they set off on the road to Judæa. Full of a holy desire to behold and worship the Saviour, they did not shrink from the dangers or difficulties of the long journey. Nor did they despond when the star disappeared, but travelled on courageously, and sought in Jerusalem further information as to the place where the Saviour was to be born. Here, however, their faith was severely tried; for nobody in Jerusalem knew anything about the Redeemer's Birth. It was they who first brought the tidings of it to the city, and the tidings did not awaken feelings of joy, but of trouble. This might easily have aroused within them doubts as to whether the sign in the heavens had deceived them; but they gave no place to such doubts, remaining firm in faith and unshaken by the opinion of others. They believed the prophecy of Micheas and the interpretation of it given by the chief priests and scribes, and, while it was still night, started for Bethlehem. No one from Jerusalem accompanied them; they travelled all alone to the city of David. One might have thought that all Jerusalem would have flocked with them to seek the Messias; but not even the priests, doubtful or sceptical, remained behind, and left it to the Gentile ¹ Another way. Round by the south, by a road which did not pass Jerusalem. They either crossed the Jordan at Jericho, or else went round the Dead Sea. --- VIII. ADORATION OF THE MAGI. kings to discover the new-born Saviour. This was by no means encouraging for the wise men, but they remained steadfast, and did not suffer their firm faith to be shaken. As a reward for their constancy, the wonderful star re-appeared, and led them to the house where the Child Jesus and His Mother had found a lodging. There, in a poor dwelling, they beheld a little Child with His poor and humble Maiden-Mother; and inspired by divine grace they threw themselves on their knees and, full of a living faith, worshipped this infant as their God and Saviour. "Would they have done this", asks St. Augustine, "if they had not recognised Him as the Eternal King?" True correspondence with grace. When our Lord was born, the angels sang: "Peace on earth to men of good will!" Now the Magi were men of good will. They co-operated with grace, and therefore obtained peace and salvation. How did the three wise men correspond with grace? It was grace which made them see the star and understand its meaning. No doubt many other wise men in the East understood that the star indicated the Birth of the Messias: but they did not stir to obey its divine invitation to seek for the Messias. But these three did obey the invitation of grace, and, leaving home and friends, undertook the far journey to Judæa. By corresponding faithfully with this first grace, they obtained the further one of learning in Jerusalem the place where the Messias was born. And because they believed the prophecy of Micheas and went to Bethlehem, God not only showed them the way to the Child's abode, but illuminated them interiorly, so that they understood the mystery of the Incarnation, and worshipped the Child Jesus with divine worship. They so faithfully preserved this faith in the Divine Saviour that, according to a trustworthy tradition, they were counted worthy to suffer martyrdom for their faith, and are venerated as Saints by the Church. All this should impress upon us the important doctrine that the more a man co-operates with the grace given to him, the more worthy will he be to receive further and greater graces from God. The indifference shown by the chief priests and scribes is almost inconceivable. They received through the wise men certain tidings of the wonderful star, and they knew accurately the prophecies about the Redeemer; but they did not co-operate with the grace received, and did not stir a foot to seek the Messias. They showed the wise men where the Messias was to be found, but they themselves remained at home. They waited for the Saviour to come to them; and when, later on, He did come to them, they would not receive Him, because He was poor and humble, but persecuted Him and nailed Him to the Cross! Pride is a capital sin. Herod formed the cruel resolve to kill the Messias; and it was his pride, ambition and envy which led to this horrible design. In order to attain more surely his evil end, he dissembled and lied to the wise men, saying that he also wished to worship the Child. Lies and hypocrisy have been from the beginning the weapons used against Christ and His Church. --- IX. THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. The Feast of the Three Magi, or the Feast of the Epiphany (Jan. 6$^(th)$). The three wise men were the first Gentiles to whom our Lord manifested Himself as the Saviour of mankind; and as the representatives of the pagan world, which was sighing for its Redeemer, they offered their adoration to Him. We ought therefore, especially on this Feast, to thank God for the Christian faith, because our forefathers too were pagans; and we ought to praise the infinite love of God, who gave His only begotten Son for the salvation of man. The signification of the gifts of the wise men. The gifts offered to the Child Jesus by the wise men are full of deep significance. "In Israel incense could be offered to God alone, and could be burnt only before Jehovah! Any human king of Israel to whom incense was offered was an abomination in the sight of God" (Grimm). So by offering incense to the Child Jesus the Magi wished to express their worship of God hidden under the lowly form of a child. By the offering of gold they acknowledged Him as king. By the myrrh they desired to testify their veneration for the human nature of Jesus, which was destined to suffering, death and burial. They therefore offered gold to the king, incense to God, and myrrh to the man. Worship of the Blessed Sacrament. It is the same Son of God whom the wise men worshipped under the form of a child, whom we, full of faith and reverence, worship in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar. APPLICATION. You have received so many and such great graces from God. Have you always faithfully corresponded to them? Have you never actually resisted God's grace? "We exhort you that you receive not the grace of God in vain!" (2 Cor. 6, 1.) You too can offer gifts to our Lord Jesus: the gold of love, the incense of worship, and the myrrh of patience in suffering. JESUS IS BAPTIZED BY JOHN AND TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL [Matthew 3, 13 to 4, 11. Mark 1, 9-13. Luke 4, 1-13. John 1, 32-34] IN those days when Jesus was about thirty years of age, He went from Nazareth to the Jordan to be baptized by John¹. But John stayed Him², saying; "I ought to be baptized by Thee, ¹ Baptized by John. The voice of the prophet crying out to men to prepare by penance for the near approach of the Messias had caused a great movement among the Israelites, who flocked to the Jordan to be baptized by John, not only from Judæa, but also from Galilee in the north of the Holy Land. Among these latter pilgrims came Jesus, who had hitherto lived a hidden and unknown life in Nazareth. But the time had now come when He willed to appear openly as the Messias, and He began His public life by being baptized by John, just as if He were an ordinary Israelite; being at this time thirty years old. John had not as yet seen Jesus, but when our Lord thus humbly approached him to be baptized, a supernatural illumination showed him that this was the Messias. ² Stayed Him. From stepping down into the water, the ceremony of baptism being one of immersion in the Jordan. --- XII. JESUS IS BAPTIZED BY JOHN AND TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL. 429 and comest Thou to me?¹ Jesus answering, said: "Suffer it now, for so it becometh us to fulfil all justice.'² John obeyed the command, and Jesus was baptized. Then the heavens were opened; the Holy Ghost descended upon Him in the form of a dove³, and a voice⁴ from heaven exclaimed: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." Thus did the Eternal Father and the Holy Ghost give testimony that Jesus was the Son of God and the Redeemer of the world. Before commencing His great work, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert⁵, where He prayed and fasted forty days⁶ and forty nights. Then He was hungry⁷, and Satan⁸, coming to tempt Him, said: "If Thou be the Son of God⁹, command that these stones be made bread." But Jesus answered: "It is written¹⁰: ¹ Comest Thou to me? In other words: "Thou, the holy One, dost not require my baptism. Thou canst baptize with the Holy Ghost, whereas I only baptize with water. Thou art mightier than I; why should I baptize Thou?" ² All justice. Just because I am the Messias, and wish to accomplish the work of Redemption, it behoves me to do everything which God requires of a good Israelite. Thou art called by God to baptize the Israelites, thus preparing them for the New Covenant; therefore, I too desire to be baptized by thee; and it behoves thee to baptize Me, and thus, as it were, to consecrate Me for My public life. ³ A dove. This was no natural dove, but a supernatural vision in the form of a dove, which descended or hovered over His head. ⁴ A voice. Of God the Father. ⁵ The desert. Impelled by the Holy Ghost, Jesus went into the desert, namely to a barren ridge of hills, north-west of Jericho, not far from the scene of His baptism, and which is to-day known by the name of Quarantania, or the place of the forty days' fast (Fig. 68, p. 430). This part is full of caves in the rocks. ⁶ Forty days. Jesus passed the forty days in a state of great mortification, and in the most intimate communion with His Heavenly Father. His dwelling was a cave, His bed the stony ground, and His only society the wild beasts (Mark 1, 13). He neither ate nor drank, His life being miraculously preserved. ⁷ Hungry. His hunger was intense and painful, and united to great bodily weakness; yet there was no food to be procured in the desert, with which Jesus could satisfy His hunger. ⁸ Satan. The devil, concealing his real nature under a human form. He had heard the voice from heaven which, at the baptism of Jesus, had said: "This is My beloved Son", but he did not know in what sense Jesus was the Son of God, being ignorant of the mystery of the Incarnation. Yet, at any rate, he suspected that He might be the Messias. ⁹ The Son of God. If you are really the Son of God, you have only to speak the word, and these stones will become bread, with which you can appease your hunger. ¹⁰ Written. In Deut. 8, 3. This passage is taken from Moses' last exhortation to his people, and the whole passage, taken together, runs thus: "He afflicted thee with want and gave thee manna for thy food, which neither thou nor thy fathers --- 430 XII. JESUS IS RAPTIZED BY JOHN AND TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL. in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest, perhaps, Thou dash Thy foot against a stone." Jesus said to him: "It is written⁴: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." knew: to show that not alone in bread doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God." Jesus quoted the conclusion of this passage, and wished to say: "I suffer hunger willingly; and, as far as concerns My life, mere natural bread is not necessary for Me. God, by His word, can give other food (witness the manna), and His word is powerful enough to sustain man without any food at all." ¹ The holy city. To Jerusalem. ² The pinnacle. On the outer wall of the Temple. ³ Charge of Thee. Jesus having met his first temptation by a passage from Scripture, the devil in his turn quoted a passage from Ps. 90, 11, which contains a promise of God's protection to His servant. Satan wished to say: "If you have such confidence in God as you say you have about your state of hunger, show this same confidence by casting yourself down hence, since He has expressly promised to give His angels charge over you." ⁴ Written. These words are taken from the last exhortation of Moses (Deut. 6, 16). They mean: "You ought not to put yourself into danger without Man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Then Satan took Him up into the holy city¹ and set Him on the pinnacle² of the Temple, and said: "If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down; for it is written: He hath given His angels charge of Thee³, and --- XII. JESUS IS BAPTIZED BY JOHN AND TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL. 431 But Satan made another attempt. He took our Lord to a very high mountain, and showed Him¹ all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory thereof², and said: "All these will I give Thee³, if, falling down, Thou wilt adore me." Jesus answered: "Begone, Satan⁴; for it is written⁵: The Lord thy God thou shalt adore, and Him only shalt thou serve." Then the devil left Jesus⁶: and, behold, angels came and ministered to Him. COMMENTARY. Why Jesus let Himself be baptized by John. 1. He did not require to do penance, because He was without sin; but He had taken our sins upon Him to atone for them; therefore He humbled Himself, placed Himself on a level with sinners, and obediently subjected Himself to be baptized, as He had submitted before to be circumcised, and presented in the Temple. 2. He gave us thereby a lesson in humility and obedience, and has taught us that we too must fulfil all justice, i. e. promptly obey all the ordinances of God. 3. By His baptism He sanctified water, and gave to it the power of purifying and sanctifying the soul of man. In other words, He instituted the Sacrament of Baptism by which, under the outward sign of water, we receive remission of our sins. The testimony of heaven. The opening of heaven, the appearance of the Holy Ghost, and the voice from above all served to place Jesus before the people as the promised Redeemer, and to give them faith in His divine mission. The opening of heaven signified that Heaven, which had been closed to man since the Fall, was now once more opened by Jesus. The visible apparition of the Holy Ghost proclaimed that in Jesus dwelt the fulness of divine grace and wisdom, and that He it was who would necessity, trusting to miraculous help from God." Thus was the Tempter answered a second time. ¹ Showed Him. Pointing them out and describing them. ² Glory thereof. He described to Him the riches and enjoyments of the world. ³ Give Thee. The proud and lying spirit spoke as if he were lord over the world, whereas he had only a certain power over it, namely, the dominion which Adam had lost through sin. ⁴ Begone, Satan. Full of horror and indignation, Jesus proved by these words that He well knew who the Tempter was, and showed His authority over him by commanding him. ⁵ Written. Deut. 6, 13. ⁶ Left Jesus. Satan now knew who it was with whom he had been striving, and was obliged to obey our Lord's command at once; for, full of spite and rage, he fled before the mighty and holy One who had vanquished him. Then angels appeared and ministered unto Jesus. --- 432 XII. JESUS IS BAPTIZED BY JOHN AND TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL. baptize with the Holy Ghost (John 1, 33). The voice of God the Father proved that this Jesus, who had just received baptism like a sinful son of Adam, was indeed the beloved Son of the Father, in whom, in the days of His humiliation, His Father was well-pleased. The Mystery of the Blessed Trinity. Even in the Old Testament there were several intimations given that there are more Persons than one in God. "The Spirit of God moved over the waters." Let us make man to our image and likeness." "I will be to Him a Father, and He will be My Son." Now, in the New Testament, the mystery was fully revealed. The angel Gabriel said: "The Holy which shall be born of thee . . . shall be called the Son of God." This revelation, however, was made to the Blessed Virgin alone. In the story we have just read, the mystery of One God in Three Persons is for the first time proclaimed publicly and solemnly. God the Father speaks from heaven; God the Son, in human form, stands in the Jordan; and God the Holy Ghost, under the form of a dove, hovers over the head of Jesus. Jesus, the Anointed. The visible descent of the Holy Ghost upon Jesus showed that in Him dwelt the fulness of the Holy Spirit, and that, being the one great Prophet, Priest, and King, He is indeed the Anointed, the Christ. In this way Jesus solemnly entered on His public work of Redemption. The kings and priests of the Old Testament were anointed with oil, and, by this unction, endued with the graces necessary for their state; as, for instance (Old Test. I.), you read that the Spirit of the Lord came upon David after Samuel had anointed him; but Jesus was anointed by the Holy Ghost Himself, without the intervention of the outward sign of oil. He is, therefore, the Anointed of the anointed, the Christ. The effects of Christian Baptism. The wonderful events which followed the baptism of Jesus directly foreshadowed the wonderful effects of Christian Baptism which our Lord then instituted. In the Sacrament of Baptism the Holy Ghost comes down on man, gives him sanctifying grace, and implants in him the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity. By the grace of Baptism God adopts man to be His beloved child, and opens for him the way to heaven. The Prayer of our Lord after His baptism shows that we too ought to pray after receiving the holy Sacraments; that is, we ought to thank God for the grace received, and pray for perseverance in grace and good works. Humility. St. John showed his humility by the words: "I ought to be baptized by Thee, and comest Thou to me?" The dove is the type of innocence. The Holy Ghost appeared under the form of a dove to show that Jesus is the Innocent and Beloved One in whom His Father was well-pleased; for the dove is the symbol of innocence, love and gentleness. --- XII. JESUS IS BAPTIZED BY JOHN AND TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL. 433 The temptations of Jesus came from without, from the devil. No temptation could take hold of Jesus, for though indeed He had two wills, divine and human, His human will was always in complete harmony with His divine will, and could never turn against it and consent to sin. When, therefore, Jesus was tempted, His temptation could only come from without, as was also the case with our first parents in Paradise. Why our Lord was tempted. 1. Because He came into the world to fight and overcome sin and Satan. The Saviour began His strife with the infernal serpent as soon as He began His public life, by victoriously repulsing Satan's three temptations. He gloriously carried on the strife to the end, crushing the serpent's head by His Death and Resurrection. 2. Because the Son of God wished to do violence to Himself, and abase Himself in order to redeem us. It was a great humiliation to the Son of God that Satan, the essence of all that is evil, should approach Him and dare to try to tempt Him to sin and disobedience against God. O Divine Saviour, how low didst Thou stoop, even to exposing Thyself to the contact and seductions of hell! 3. Because Jesus is the spiritual Father of mankind, and the second Adam. He desired, therefore, to be tempted as was the first Adam, in order to expiate the Fall of our first parents. Compare the temptation of Adam and Eve, and the temptation of Christ. The former took place in the midst of the beauty and abundance of Paradise, the latter in the bare desert, and when our Lord was in a state of painful hunger, Satan tempted our first parents to gluttony, pride and the lust of the eyes; and succeeded. He tried to allure our Lord to the same three lusts; and was overcome. Angels came and drove Adam and Eve from Paradise; whereas angels came and ministered to Jesus. 4. In order to show us how to meet temptations to evil. 5. In order to comfort and encourage us in the many trials and temptations of this life. St. Paul writes thus: "For we have not a High Priest who cannot have compassion on our infirmities; but One tempted in all things like as we are, without sin. Let us go, therefore, with confidence to the throne of grace: that we may obtain mercy and find grace in seasonable aid" (Hebr. 4, 15, 16). The different kinds of temptation. In the first temptation Satan wished to induce the Saviour, instead of trusting in God and patiently enduring hunger, to create bread by His own power, against His Father's will. He sought, therefore, to make our Lord sin by sensuality and an unlawful desire for food, or in other words by gluttony. By the second temptation Satan tried to awaken a spiritual pride in Jesus, saying: "Throw yourself down; God will help you and see that no evil befalls you!" The cunning seducer wished thereby to change a humble and submissive confidence in God's mercy into a proud KNIGHT, Commentary. 3. ed. --- 434 XII. JESUS IS BAPTIZED BY JOHN AND TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL. presumption. By the third temptation Satan wished to arouse in Jesus concupiscence of the eyes, i. e. a desire for riches, power and pleasure. He had seduced the first man by inciting him to these three evil passions. The words: "Why hath God commanded you that you should not eat of every tree of Paradise?" were an inducement to gluttony, or to the concupiscence of the flesh. The words: "Your eyes shall be opened" were a temptation to pride, while the words: "You shall be as Gods" were an inducement to the concupiscence of the eyes, and a desire for power and glory. Our first parents succumbed to these temptations, because they gave eat to the suggestions of Satan, held intercourse with him, and gazed at the forbidden fruit (Old Test. IV). But Jesus overcame the temptation and conquered Satan. Means of resisting temptation. As a consequence of the Fall these three evil passions, which are the source of our most dangerous temptations, are rife in every man. Besides these passions, our fellow-creatures are a source of temptation to us, and the devil, also by God's permission, still tempts us to evil. We are surrounded by temptations, and therefore Jesus has taught us by His example how we are to war against them. Let us then examine closely in what way it was that Jesus obtained a victory over temptation and the Tempter. 1. He did not expose Himself wantonly to temptation, for it was by the impulse of the Holy Spirit that He went into the desert to be tempted. This teaches us not to place ourselves in danger of sin without necessity, but carefully to avoid the occasion of it. "He that loveth danger shall perish in it" (Ecclus. 3, 27). 2. Jesus prepared Himself for temptation by prayer and fasting. We too must pray diligently, and practise self-denial, in order that we may be always ready to fight against the enemy of our salvation. Our Saviour says: "Watch ye and pray that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit, indeed, is willing, but the flesh is weak" (chapter LXVII). He also commands us to pray: "Lead us not into temptation." We shall become strong in spirit and able to resist temptation, if we practise self-denial. 3. During His temptation our Lord remembered the word of God, and finally sent the Tempter away authoritatively and decisively, by the words: "Begone, Satan!" Thus we too, whether the temptation come from within or from without, ought to turn our thoughts at once to God and His holy word, and say to the tempter: "Begone!" Wherefore, "Resist the devil, and he will fly from you" (James 4, 7). Fasting (the third commandment of the Church). The forty days' fast of Jesus had been typified by that of Moses and of Elias (Old Test. XXXVII. LXV). Mortification being necessary for Christians, the Church has commanded a forty days' fast to be observed each year, in memory of the fast of our Lord. --- XIII. THE FIRST DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST. Satan's efforts. How did Satan in the story we have read prove himself to be a liar? By the words: "All these things will I give you." And how did he at the same time betray that he was the adversary of God, and possessed by a senseless pride? By the condition he made: "If thou wilt fall down and worship me." Thus he demanded divine worship for himself! His whole desire is to oppose what is divine, and to put himself in God's place as lord of creation! APPLICATION. After you received holy Baptism, you too were a beloved child of God with whom your Heavenly Father was well-pleased. Are you still a holy and innocent child? Is your soul still unstained by sin? Is there anything in you with which God cannot be pleased, such as lies, disobedience, anger or deceitfulness? Oh, remember that by sin you have stained your white robe of innocence, repent of this, detest sin and avoid it for the future. If you pay attention to yourself, you will find that in the course of the day you are assailed by many temptations. Do you know to what you are most often tempted? Yet temptation is not sin; it only becomes sin when you take pleasure in it and consent to it. As often as you resist and overcome it, you gain in virtue, and merit a reward from God. When you are tempted, turn to God; pray to Jesus and Mary for help, and remember the word of God which warns you against the very sin to which you are tempted. If anger rises within you, say: "Blessed are the meek," or else: "For the anger of man worketh not the justice of God" (James 1, 20). If you are inclined to quarrel or fight, say to yourself: "Blessed are the peace-makers"; or if you are in danger of telling lies, remind yourself of the proverb: "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord" (Prov. 12, 22). THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT [Matthew 5 to 7, 29] ON one occasion, when Jesus saw a very great multitude¹ gathered together to hear Him, He went up into a mountain and sat down; and His disciples were with Him. The people placed themselves around, and along the sides of the mountain (Fig. 72), waiting in respectful silence till He commenced to speak. Then He taught them: ¹ Multitude. The people had gathered together, not only from Judæa and Galilee, but from the countries to the north and east of Galilee, and even from the heathen countries of Tyre and Sidon. They had gathered together and were waiting for Jesus in the plain at the foot of the mountain, where He had spent the night in prayer. In order to be better able to speak to this crowd, He stood on a projection on the slope of the mountain. His apostles and disciples were gathered around and below Him while on the plain stood or sat the vast multitude. --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 1. The eight Beatitudes. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land¹. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst² after justice, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful³, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you, when men shall revile and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake; rejoice and be exceeding glad, because your reward is very great in heaven." COMMENTARY. The poor in spirit are 1. the humble who know their own misery and sinfulness, and who confess by word and deed that they can do nothing of themselves, but that they have received from God all that is good in them. Examples: Joseph, Moses, Gedeon, David, Judith, John the Baptist, Peter. 2. the unworldly whose heart does not cling to worldly goods and pleasures, and who, be they rich or poor, have no inordinate desire for them. Example: Abraham, Job, Lazarus, the Apostles. The meek are those who are not made angry or bitter by contradictions, injuries, or abuse. Example: David, in his conduct towards Saul and Absalom. Mourning which is pleasing to God. There is a great deal of mourning and complaining in this "vale of tears", but all this mourning is not pleasing to God. When, for example, a man grieves, because his pride or his revenge or any other passion is not gratified, his sadness is the result of sin, and can in no way please God. Our sorrow for the dead, or for personal losses or disappointed hopes, is a holy sorrow only so far as it convinces us of the nothingness of the things of this world, and raises our hearts to God in worship and resignation. ¹ The land. The words "they shall possess the land, be comforted, have their fill, see God we," are but different expressions of the same idea, i. e. "they will go to heaven". ² Hunger and thirst. Who crave for faith, virtue and the grace of God as eagerly as a starving man craves for food and drink. ³ Merciful. Those who show mercy to others will find mercy at the judgment seat of God. --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. The sorrow most pleasing to God is that of those who renounce the sinful joys of this world, and grieve over their own sins and the sins of others. Examples: Lot, Elias, Jeremias, Judith, John the Baptist. Hunger after justice. Men desire and strive after many things, but the best and noblest desire is for virtue and grace. Everything else perishes; only virtue endures. It is not enough for us to keep from mortal sin; we must be ever striving to attain to a higher degree of virtue. Examples: Simeon, Anna, Andrew and John, the Ethiopian Chamberlain. Mercy is practised by those who, from a real love of their neighbours, are anxious to help them in their spiritual and corporal necessities. Examples: Abraham, Moses, Tobias, the good Samaritan. Cleanness of heart consists in banishing from our hearts all impure thoughts and desires. This cleanness of heart is also called holy purity; it gives both joy and a taste for the supernatural, increases faith in the soul, and leads to the blessed vision of God. Examples: Joseph in Egypt, Judith, Susanna. Pracemakers are those who hate discord, love and cherish concord, and try to restore it, when it has been disturbed. Example: Abraham. Fortitude under persecution. Those suffer persecution for justice' sake who patiently and bravely endure scorn, contempt, neglect, poverty and any other penalty rather than give up either faith or virtue. Examples: Abel, Elias, Jeremias, Daniel and his companions, Eleazar, the Machabean brothers, John the Baptist, Stephen, and all martyrs. The maxims of Christianity and the maxims of the world. In the Sermon on the Mount, and especially in the Beatitudes, our Lord proclaimed the ruling maxims of His kingdom. It was a discourse—new, utterly unheard-of, and coming straight from heaven! Blessed are the poor, the mourners—the persecuted! This was in direct opposition to the Jews' hopes of an earthly Messias, and showed plainly that His kingdom was not to be of this world, a kingdom of pomp and pleasure, but a kingdom of renouncement and self-denial. These maxims of our Lord's kingdom are in direct contrast to the maxims of the un-Christian world. In the world reign supreme the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Its children say, "Come, let us enjoy the pleasures and good things of this earth. Do not deny your senses. Give free scope to your passions and desires. Allow no one to injure you. Take revenge. Have no thought for the needs of others. Let each man look after himself. Eat, drink and be merry, and enjoy to your fill the good things of this earth!" The laws laid down by Christ for His kingdom are very different; and he, therefore, who lives in accordance with the maxims of the world, cannot be a true follower of Christ nor an heir of heaven. --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. APPLICATION Is your heart still pure and uncorrupted? Have you a horror of everything impure? Guard the innocence and purity of your heart most jealously, for it is your greatest treasure. Avoid the society of bad companions and suppress all sinful curiosity. Pray that you may preserve your innocence. 2. The Work of Christ's Apostles and Disciples in the world. Then, turning to His apostles, He said to them: "You are the salt of the earth¹. But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted?² It is good for nothing any more, but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men. "You are the light³ of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid⁴; neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel⁵, but upon a candlestick, that it may give light⁶ to all who are in the house. So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." COMMENTARY. The office of the priesthood. Under the two figures of salt and light our Lord showed the apostles what a high vocation theirs was in the kingdom of God. Under the first figure He described to them the priestly office. "Even as salt gives a savour to food and preserves it from corruption, so must you make sinful man holy and pleasing to God, and keep him from the corruption of sin." The office of teacher was described to the apostles by our Lord under the figure of the light of the world. They were, He said, to enlighten the world, which was lying in the darkness of sin and unbelief, by their teaching and example, thus showing the way to heaven. They being the vanguard of the Church, all eyes would be directed ¹ Of the earth i. e. of men living on the earth. ² Salted. Salt that has become tasteless, cannot be made salt again: you cannot put salt on salt, and therefore it is of no further use, and is thrown away. ³ The light. What the sun is for the material world, that ought you to be for the spiritual world. i. e. for the souls of men. ⁴ Hid. Because it is seen from all around. Such, our Lord means, ought to be the case with you. ⁵ Bushel. A large cask in which wheat was measured. ⁶ Give light. "You must be placed so that the whole world can see you; otherwise you can shed no light." You must not only give light by your teaching, but by your lives, every one being able to see your good works. In other words you are to teach by your example, so that all men may perceive the effects of the divine grace which is working in you, and be thus constrained to give glory to your Father, Almighty God, who has given you this grace. --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. to them. Under the same figure our Lord taught them that they could not give light of themselves, but that He would kindle the light in them. Their light was borrowed light, but they must let this light shine through them in such a way as to make themselves models for the whole world by their words and deeds. Apostolic zeal. By both figures our Lord signified that the apostles must be entirely devoted to their high calling. Even as salt imparts its savour by being itself dissolved, and light can only give light by being consumed, so were the apostles to devote their bodies and souls entirely to their vocation. They were to be consumed, and, if necessary, to give up their lives for the conversion of the world. APPLICATION. You too ought to be a light to your brothers and sisters and comrades. Do you give them a good example? Do you urge them to do what is right, and warn them against what is evil? Have you ever given scandal? 3. The true justice of the New Law. Then, addressing the multitude, He said: "Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets¹. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil². "I tell you that, unless your justice abound more³ than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. "You have heard that it was said to them of old⁴: Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment⁵. But I say to you that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever ¹ Prophets. i. e. the things taught by the law and the prophets. ² To fulfil. This is to be understood in a twofold manner. Firstly, Jesus, the Institutor of the New Covenant, came to lead men to a perfect observance of the commandments first given by God in the Old Law, and re-impressed on the people by the prophets. Secondly, Jesus fulfilled every type in the Old Law, and every prophecy relating to the Messias which the prophets had uttered. ³ Abound more. The Pharisees and Scribes passed among the Jews for being the most exact observers of the law; but now Jesus said that, if any wished to enter the kingdom of heaven, their justice must be of a much more perfect kind than that of the Scribes and Pharisees. And then our Lord proceeded to give examples in what way their observance of the law was to be more perfect. ⁴ Them of old. i. e. to the people of the Old Testament. ⁵ Judgment. He shall be judged by the court of justice of his own district. --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. shall say to his brother: 'Raca!'¹ shall be in danger of the council². And whosoever shall say: 'Thou fool!'³ shall be in danger of hell-fire⁴. If, therefore, thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath anything against thee⁵; leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother: and then, coming, thou shalt offer thy gift." "You have heard that it was said to them of old: 'Thou shalt not forswear thyself.' But I say to you not to swear at all. Let your speech be yea, yea, no, no: and that which is over and above these⁶, is of evil⁷. "You have heard that it hath been said: 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth'⁸. But I say to you⁹ not to resist evil: but if one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other. "You have heard that it hath been said: 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour¹⁰ and hate thine enemy'. But I say to you: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you: that you may be the children of your Father who is in to heaven, who maketh His sun rise upon the good and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust. ¹ Raca. A good for nothing. ² The council. He deserves to be brought before the supreme court at Jerusalem. ³ Thou fool. Or a man rejected by God. ⁴ Hell-fire. Hitherto you have regarded only the actual and literal taking of life as punishable, but I say to you that he who merely feels anger in his heart against his fellow-men, sins against them, and is worthy of punishment. He who gives expression to his anger by injurious words, sins still more, and deserves a more severe punishment; but he who really wishes ill to his neighbour, is worthy of the everlasting punishment of hell. God regards our sins against our neighbour as so offensive to Himself, that He will not receive any offering from us, until we have become reconciled to anyone whom we have injured. ⁵ Against thee. i. e. it he complains of having been offended or injured by you. ⁶ Above these. Whatever is more than a simple affirmation, such for instance as a declaration on oath. ⁷ Of evil. Is the result of sin, for, if there were no sins such as lies and deceit, oaths would be quite unnecessary. ⁸ Tooth for tooth. This is the law of retaliation, which returns injury for injury. ⁹ I say to you. The perfection consists in this, that you do not retaliate at all, but bear injustice with patience, and subdue all anger against your adversary. ¹⁰ Thy neighbour. By the word "neighbour" the Jews understood only those of their own nation, and counted the Samaritans and Gentiles as their enemies. --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? Do not even the publicans this? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? Do not also the heathens this? Be you, therefore, perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect$^(1)$. COMMENTARY. Jesus is the Divine Lawgiver. By the foregoing words our Lord stood forward as the Lawgiver of the New Testament, speaking with divine authority. He put Himself above Moses and the prophets, who spoke in the name of God, saying: "Thus saith the Lord;" for He spoke and commanded in His own name: "I say unto you!" The moral law of Jesus Christ is a perfect law, because it forbids evil thoughts and words as well as evil deeds. It requires not only an outward observance of commandments, but also an inward amendment, sanctification, and elevation of the soul. The Fifth Commandment. Our Lord explicitly teaches that the fifth Commandment forbids not merely the actual deed of murder, but every angry thought and injurious word. Taking an oath is not, according to our Lord's teaching, sinful in itself, for it is a religious and a sacred act; but its abuse is sinful, and therefore no one ought to take an oath without necessity. Our Lord Himself took an oath before the court of the High Priest, when He asserted that He was the Son of God (chapter LXIX). The command to love our neighbour is applied by Jesus to all men, even to our personal enemies. Our Lord also requires that our love should be of a practical kind. Christian perfection. Finally, our Lord requires us to strive ceaselessly after perfection, placing the perfection of God before us as our model. The Goodness of God. Our Lord draws special attention to this by reminding us that God does good, and sends rain and sunshine on those who offend Him as well as on those who love Him. He supplies sinners with food and drink, and tries to draw their hearts to Him by gratitude for His benefits. APPLICATION. Do you ever use bad or injurious words? You have heard how severely our Lord condemns such words; therefore do all you can to cure yourself of this hateful habit. If ever any bad word escapes your lips, say an 'Our Father' as a penance. $^(1)$ Perfect. You are to strive to become like unto God, who is All-Perfect. --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 4. Human respect. "Take heed that you do not your justice before men to be seen by them: otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father who is in heaven. Therefore when thou dost an alms-deed, sound not a trumpet¹ before thee, as the hypocrites² do in the streets, that they may be honoured by men: Amen, I say to you, they have received³ their reward. But when thou dost alms, let not thy left hand⁴ know what thy right hand doth. That thy alms may be in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee. "And when ye pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, that love to pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men: Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But thou, when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and, having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee. "And when you fast, be not, as the hypocrites, sad. For they disfigure their faces⁵ that they may appear unto men to fast: Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy face. That thou appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee." COMMENTARY God is Omnipresent and Omniscient. He is, as our Lord teaches us, in secret, and sees in secret. He knows all our thoughts and our most hidden intentions. The Justice of God. He will reward the just, if not in this world, certainly in the next. ¹ Trumpet. Do not try to make them known. ² Hypocrites. Thus He styles the Scribes and Pharisees, because they made out that they were seeking God's glory, whereas they were really seeking their own. ³ Received. And have therefore no further reward to hope for. If they do good works to win praise from men and not for God's glory, they must not expect that God will reward them. The praise of men is their object, and must be also their reward. ⁴ Thy left hand. Keep it hidden even from yourself, not speculating about your good work, even in your own mind. ⁵ Their faces. They put on a sorrowful face, and neglect to wash and cleanse themselves, so that every one may perceive how hungry they are, and how severe their penance is. --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. A right intention. Prayer, fasting and alms-deeds are good works, as the angel Raphael told Tobias (Old Test. LXIX). But good works are neither meritorious nor pleasing to God, if our intention in doing them is not good, and not directed to the glory of God. If we seek our own glory when practising good works, we are serving our own self-love and pride, and not God, and therefore we must not expect any reward from Him. The public worship of God. Our Lord's admonition: "When thou prayest, go to thy chamber &c.", must not be misunderstood. He does not intend to blame the public worship of God in churches, for He Himself went to the Temple, as also did His apostles. The public worship of God in common is necessary and pleasing to Him, but we must frequent it not to seek our own glory, but that of God. But our private devotions ought, if possible, to be made in secret, so that they may not be spoilt and made worthless in the sight of God by a desire for human praise. APPLICATION. Do you learn your lessons well only in order to win praise? Do you say your prayers in order that you may be thought good? You would be far richer than you are in merits before God, if you always had a right intention in your practice of good works. 5. How we are to pray. "And when you are praying, speak not much as the heathens. For they think that in their much speaking¹ they may be heard. Be not you, therefore, like to them, for your Father knoweth² what is needful for you, before you ask Him. Thus therefore shall you pray: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth³ as it is in heaven. Give us this day our supersubstantial⁴ bread. And forgive us our ¹ Much peaking. The heathen believed that they would be the more surely heard, the more words they used and the louder they cried out (see Old Test. LXIII in the story of the sacrifice of Elias). The Pharisees also believed that the longer and more full of words they made their prayers, the better they were (Mat. 23, 14). ² Your Father knoweth. It is not therefore necessary to tell Him all the details of your wants. ³ On earth. i. e. by men on earth as it is done by the angels in heaven. ⁴ Supersubstantial. i. e. heavenly and spiritual food; but it may also mean the same as daily or necessary food. --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. debts$^(1)$, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.$^(2)$ COMMENTARY. The necessity of Prayer. God does not require our prayers to know what we want, for He is Omniscient, and knows our needs better than we do ourselves. But they are necessary for us, to turn our hearts from the things of this world, and draw us heavenward by a humble sense of our nothingness and by a longing for the gifts of God. Long prayers. Is it not right then that we should make long prayers? Did not our Lord spend whole nights in prayer? And did not St. Paul, after his conversion, pass three days praying? (chapter LXXXVIII.) Our Lord does not object to the long duration of our prayers, but to empty forms, useless repetition of words, and mere lip-service in prayer, wherein the heart takes no part. In another place He expressly says that men ought always to pray and not to faint (Luke 18, 1), and St. Paul exhorts us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5, 17). The Lord's Prayer. Our Lord has given us the 'Our Father' as a model prayer, and has expressly commanded us to use it. It is the most excellent and comprehensive of prayers: and in it we pray for all that is best, and for deliverance from evil. But, let it be remarked, the good things we ask for are spiritual, and the deliverance we pray for is from spiritual evils. We pray for both a temporal and a spiritual benefit only in the fourth petition, when we ask for the daily necessaries of life. This ought to teach us to pray chiefly for spiritual blessings, such as grace, pardon, virtue &c.; and not only for such temporal benefits as health, a good harvest &c. 6. Confidence in God. "Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth$^(3)$, where the rust and moth consume, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven$^(4)$, where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do $^(1)$ Our debts. As God is offended by sin, we owe Him a debt of satisfaction for it. And Debtors are those who have injured us. $^(2)$ Amen. Means: So be it. $^(3)$ On earth. Treasures which have an earthly value, and such things as are perishable. Rust and verdigris eat away metals; moths destroy stuffs and clothes; thieves know where to seek out our treasures, even if they are buried in the ground; and, finally, death, the arch-thief, robs us of all our possessions. $^(4)$ In heaven. Such good works as will be rewarded in heaven. --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. not break through nor steal. For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart¹ also. "No man can serve two masters²; you cannot serve God and mammon³. Therefore⁴, I say to you, be not solicitous for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than the meat: and the body more than the raiment?⁵ Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you⁶ of much more value than they? Consider the lilies⁷ of the field how they grow: they labour not, neither do they spin. But I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. And if the grass of the field, which is to-day and to-morrow is cast into the oven, God doth so clothe: how much more you, O ye of little faith?⁸ Be not solicitous, therefore, saying: What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the heathens seek. For your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. Seek you, therefore, first the kingdom of God, and His justice⁹, and all these things shall be added¹⁰ unto you." COMMENTARY. The Goodness of God. God provides for all His creatures. He feeds the birds of the air and adorns the flowers of the field with beautiful colours. He is the most loving Father to us men, and Him ¹ Thy heart. If you value your earthly treasures more than anything else, your heart will be set on them and bound up in them. But if you care most for heavenly things, then all your attention will be fixed on them. ² Two masters. i. e. two whose interests are opposed to each other and who require different services of you. ³ Mammon. i. e. riches. ⁴ Therefore. That you may not fall into worshipping mammon by reason of an over-anxiety about the needs of this life. ⁵ The raiment. God, having given you the greater things, such as your body and your life, will surely also provide for such lesser things as food, clothing &c. ⁶ Are not you? Shall not God provide for you who do sow and reap? ⁷ The lilies. These grow by the wayside in Palestine, and are of the most brilliant colours. ⁸ O ye of little faith. Who have so little and such weak faith, and so little confidence in God's Providence. ⁹ His justice. All that makes you just before God, i. e. grace and virtue. ¹⁰ Be added. Whatever is necessary for this earthly life shall be given to you as well. --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. we have to thank for body and life, food and drink, dwelling and raiment. Confidence in God. Are we, then, to take no thought for the things of this life, such as food and clothing? Yes; we must, according to our abilities, provide for them, but we are not to be over-anxious, and must trust in the goodness, wisdom and power of God. We must work, but we must also pray; for all our efforts will be quite useless without the blessing of God. Care for our salvation must be our chief concern as Christians. Before everything else we must try to attain to the kingdom of heaven, i. e. to save our souls, and for this end we must live in the grace of God and strive ceaselessly after His "justice". A true love of ourselves demands this of us, for our soul is more precious than our body, and we ought to seek its interests first. Covetousness, or the worship of mammon. He who "serves" mammon is the man who fondly considers the gaining and increasing of riches to be the greatest business of life, and neglects the worship of God and the care of his own soul, not even shrinking from such sins as theft, usury and perjury, if they will enable him to add to his wealth. The right use of worldly possessions consists in using them for God and in the practice of good works. Holy men, such as Abraham, Job and Tobias, possessed great riches, but they were not slaves to them. On the contrary, they made their wealth serve them, and expended it in the service of God and their neighbour. Good works. All good works, such as works of piety, mortification and brotherly love, are treasures laid up in heaven. When we die, we must leave all earthly things, even our very bodies, behind us: only our good works will go with us, and procure for us a favourable judgment. APPLICATION. Perform this very day some good work of brotherly love! 7. Charitable judgment about our neighbour. "Be ye merciful, as¹ your Father also is merciful; give, and it shall be given² to you. With the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again. As you would that men should do to you, do ye also to them. ¹ As. God being so good and merciful is both the pattern and the motive why you ought to be good and merciful to your fellow-men. ² Shall be given. i. e. blessings, grace and an eternal reward. --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. "Judge not¹, and you shall not be judged; condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. "And why seest thou the mote² that is in thy brother's eye, and seest not the beam³ that is in thy own eye? Or how sayest thou to thy brother: Let me cast the mote out of thy eye, and behold a beam is in thy own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye!" COMMENTARY. The qualities of charity. God being so good and merciful to us, we ought to be full of love and indulgence towards our fellow-men. Since we ought to love our neighbour as we do ourselves, the whole law of brotherly love is summed up in this maxim: "All that you would that men should do to you, do ye also to them," or, to reverse it: All that you do not want men to do to you, be careful not to do to them. Therefore our brotherly love must be: a) sincere. We are to wish our neighbour, in our hearts, quite as much good as we wish ourselves. Further, our love must be b) practical. We must do good to our neighbour according to our means: "Give, and it shall be given unto you." Finally, our love must be c) universal. We must not exclude from our love either our enemies or those who have injured us, but must forgive them from our hearts. "Forgive, and you shall be forgiven." Sins against brotherly love. Our Lord equally warns us as to all sins against brotherly love, whether they be committed by thought, word, or deed. a) Censoriousness and detraction. He who desires to find fault with others, must make sure that he himself is better than they! And yet, do we not constantly find that those men who have great faults of their own, are the very ones who judge the small faults of their neighbours most severely, not at all remembering their own shortcomings? Such men are hypocrites, for they pretend to detest and avoid sin in others, while all the time they are loving and cherishing it in themselves. Furthermore, they sin against brotherly love by preferring to talk about what is bad in their neighbours, rather than about what is good in them, and they are more zealous in exposing their faults than in concealing them. ¹ Judge not. Do not pass severe judgments on your neighbour. ² The mote. The very smallest faults of your neighbour. ³ The beam. The great faults which you yourself commit --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. b) False suspicions and rash judgments. "Judge not!" says our Lord. We cannot judge rightly, not being omniscient and able to search our neighbour's heart. We ought, therefore, to judge others most tenderly and indulgently, and never even suspect evil of them without the most conclusive proofs. Still less ought we to condemn them, and without sufficient reason to take for granted that the supposed evil is a fact. Venial sin and mortal sin. By the distinction which our Lord draws between "motes" and "beams", He teaches us that there is a great difference between one kind of sin and another. The reward of heaven is exceeding great. "Good measure pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall they give unto you" (Luke 6, 38). God will not be sparing, but generous in His rewards. Degrees of happiness in heaven. The more a man measures, the more will be measured to him, i. e the more good a man does on earth, the higher will be his reward in heaven. APPLICATION. Do not our Lord's words about the mote and the beam smite your own conscience? You know the faults of others much better than you know your own, and you judge them severely, while you excuse yourself. The Saints did just the contrary: they were severe to themselves, and indulgent to others. Guard against uncharitable judgments and conversations. 8. The narrow gate and the strait way. Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction¹, and many there are who go in thereat². How narrow is the gate and strait is the way that leadeth to life³, and few there are that find it! COMMENTARY The road to heaven and the road to hell. The narrow, up-hill road, entrance to which is gained through a strait gate, signifies walking in the way of God's commandments, which restrain our desires and passions, but which must be obeyed unless we would stray from the road to heaven. It costs much effort, watchfulness and self-denial to observe the commandments and not to stumble in the narrow way, or, if we stray from the road, to return to it by true penance! For this reason our Lord says in another passage: "The kingdom of heaven suffereth ¹ Destruction. i. e. to everlasting ruin in hell. ² Thereat. Through the wide gate which leads to destruction ³ To life. To the everlasting life of heaven. KNIGHT, Commentary 3 ed. --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. violence, and the violent take it by force!" On the other hand, the road which leads down-hill to perdition is broad and easy, for unbridled wilfulness and licence reign there, each one going whithersoever his lusts and desires carry him. Very many—the luxurious and the thoughtless—travel on that road to hell, but very few pass through the narrow gate of penance and travel on the road of self-denial to heaven. What a terrible truth this is! 9. A warning against false prophets. "Beware of false prophets¹ who come to you in the clothing of sheep², but inwardly they are ravening wolves³. By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. Not every one that saith⁴ to me: 'Lord, Lord', shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of my Father in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." COMMENTARY. Faith must be living. We must shape our lives according to the will and teaching of God. Now faith teaches us that God has revealed His will to us by His commandments, so that what we have to do, if we wish to enter the kingdom of heaven, is to keep the commandments. Not every one who says: 'Lord, Lord', shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Not faith alone, nor a confession of faith by words only, can obtain an entrance there without a faithful observance of God's commandments. The just man must practise good works, and show thereby that the grace, fear and love of God are in him. "Every good tree brings forth good fruit." False prophets are those who teach things concerning faith or morals contrary to what our Lord and His Church teach, and who therefore, in reality, teach unbelief, and are heresiarchs, seducers, and ¹ False prophets. i. e. false teachers not sent by God and not filled by His Spirit. ² Clothing of sheep. Making out that they are as harmless as lambs, and seemingly only wishing you well, like the serpent in Paradise. ³ Wolves. They really have evil intentions towards you. They wish to root out from your hearts all faith in and fear of God, and rob you of His grace and friendship. Our Lord, however, gives a sure rule by which you may know their true character, namely by their fruits, i. e. by their own actions and by the result of their teaching on others. ⁴ That saith. i. e. faith and pious wishes are not sufficient without the actual observance of God's commandments. --- XXI. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. "ravening wolves", who lead others to commit grievous sins, and are the cause of their eternal loss. APPLICATION. Avoid all companions who are either irreligious or immoral. Do not read any bad or un-Christian books. To read such books is dangerous to both faith and morals, and for this reason it is forbidden by the Church. 10. Conclusion. "Every one, therefore, that heareth these my words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock. And the rain fell, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these my words, and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof." Now it came to pass that, when Jesus had fully ended these words, the people were in admiration at His doctrine. For He taught them as one having power¹, and not as their Scribes and Pharisees². COMMENTARY. The rock of faith. The magnificent concluding words of the Sermon on the Mount mean this: He who has a living faith in Jesus Christ stands firmly on a rock. He does not totter in time of danger, being assured that, by reason of his aim in life and his good works, his soul is safe. The rock, therefore, which resists all trials and temptations, even the terrors of death and the judgment, is a living faith in Jesus Christ. Only living faith assures salvation. Once more our Lord reiterates that, in order to be saved, a man must not only hear, but also do what He says. He who hears and believes our Lord's words, and does not to them, is like the foolish man who built his house on the sand. Faith alone—faith without works—cannot save. Jesus, the Great Prophet. In Him was fulfilled Moses' prophecy (Old Test. XLIV): "The Lord thy God will raise up to thee a Prophet of thy nation, and of thy brethren, like unto me. Him thou shalt hear." He promulgates by His own authority the Law of the New Testament, ¹ Having power. Authority to lay down laws, and stir the hearts of men. ² Scribes and Pharisees. Who were only able to explain the Law literally, and who left the hearts of men unmoved. 31* --- 484 XXII. THE CURE OF THE LEPER AND OF THE CENTURION'S SERVANT. which is far greater and more perfect than the Law of the Old Testament given on Mount Sinai. APPLICATION. Oh, how much better and more beautiful would the world be, if all men would obey the perfect Law which Jesus Christ laid down in the Sermon on the Mount. There would, in that case, be no embittering of one another's lives, no hatred nor enmity, no lies and deceit, no avarice nor hardness of heart, no bad nor uncharitable words. Everywhere we should find peace and happiness. Men would edify one another by their piety and good works, and all would strive together after goodness and salvation. This could be and ought to be; and why is it not? It is because men follow their own passions, instead of the teaching and example of Jesus Christ. You, dear children, are the hope of the future, and through you things ought to improve. Your village or parish will be the model of all others, if only you will begin at once to live in accordance with your holy faith and obey the glorious lessons of the Sermon on the Mount. Strive earnestly after holiness! Fight against your besetting sins! Correspond faithfully with grace! By so doing you will be happy on earth, and blessed in heaven. What our Lord said will be fulfilled in you: "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall be filled." THE CURE OF THE LEPER AND OF THE CENTURION'S SERVANT [Matthew 8, 1-10. Mark 1, 40-45. Luke 6, 12-15 and 7, 1-10] AS Jesus descended from the mountain, a leper¹ came, who, falling down, adored Him, saying: "Lord, if Thou wilt², Thou canst make me clean!" Jesus, stretching forth His hand, ¹ A leper. St. Luke (5, 12) calls him a man "full of leprosy"; which would mean that he was afflicted with the malady in its worst form. Even the devil could think of no worse plague than leprosy wherewith to torment Job. In addition to the actual sufferings caused by the malady, we must take into consideration the hard conditions of the Jewish law. The leper was considered unclean, and not allowed to enter the Temple or offer sacrifice, or hold any intercourse with those who were clean. If an Israelite leper was cured of his disease, he had to report himself to a priest at Jerusalem, by whom he was taken to the Mount of Olives and there examined. If he was pronounced clean by the priest, he then had to offer a lamb in the Temple. He was sprinkled with the blood of this lamb mixed with consecrated oil, and was then pronounced once more clean, and restored to the full enjoyment of his rights as a member of the chosen people. ² If Thou wilt. We can imagine how eagerly the leper must have implored Jesus to help him for he firmly believed that He could cure him, if He only would do so. --- XXII. THE CURE OF THE LEPER AND OF THE CENTURION'S SERVANT. 485 touched him, saying: "I will; be thou made clean." And forthwith¹ his leprosy was cleansed. Then Jesus spoke to him: "See thou tell no man²; but go, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift³ which Moses commanded as a testimony⁴ to them." After this, Jesus returned to Capharnaum. In this city there lived a centurion⁵, a Roman, who was friendly to the Jews, and had built them a synagogue. Now the servant of this man was sick and grievously tormented. The centurion, therefore, knowing that Jesus had come back to Capharnaum, besought some of the Jewish elders⁶ to go and ask our Lord to come⁷ and cure his servant. Jesus went with them. But when the centurion saw our Lord coming with the ancients, he said: "Lord, I am not worthy⁸ that thou shouldst enter under my roof; but only say the word, and ¹ Forthwith. How happy the poor man must have been when he both saw and felt that he had been instantaneously cured, and delivered from his horrible sufferings. ² No man. Take care not to forestall the sentence of the priest, who alone, according to the law, has the right to decide whether you are clean, but go straight to Jerusalem. ³ The gift. A lamb. ⁴ Testimony. To bear witness, firstly, that I have healed you, and secondly, that I have admonished you to obey the precepts of the law, and that I am, therefore, no enemy either of the law or of the priests. Jesus sent the man thus miraculously cured to the unbelieving priest, in order that the latter might be convinced by the man's account of what had occurred that Jesus was the Messias and the Son of God. "The leper who had been cured went his way to the holy city and the Temple, being the latest messenger of grace." (Gruen.) On another occasion Christ healed ten lepers, of whom only one, and he a Samaritan, came to return thanks to God. See Luke 17, 12—19. ⁵ Centurion. A pagan officer of the garrison of Capharnaum, but one who evidently believed in the unseen God of the Jews, since he had built them a synagogue. ⁶ Elders. The leading men of the synagogue. He sent them, because he, a pagan, did not dare approach the great miracle-worker of Israel. They pleaded for him, saying: "He is worthy that thou shouldst do this for him." ⁷ Come. It had not been possible to take the sick man to Jesus. That the centurion had used all human means to cure his servant may be taken for granted. ⁸ I am not worthy. The centurion had sent to ask Jesus to come; but when he saw from his house that He was really coming, he was seized with a holy diffidence, and hastening to meet our Lord, said: "Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof" (for it is not necessary that Thou shouldst come into my house). "Speak the word (only one word is necessary), and my servant shall be healed." --- 486 XXII. THE CURE OF THE LEPER AND OF THE CENTURION'S SERVANT. my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man subject to authority¹, having under me soldiers, and I say to this: Go, and he goeth, and to another: Come, and he cometh, and to my servant: Do this, and he doeth it." Hearing this, Jesus wondered much, and turning to the multitude that followed Him, said: "Amen, I say to you, I have not found so great faith² in Israel³. And I say unto you that many shall come from the East and the West, and shall sit down⁴ with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the children⁵ of the kingdom shall be cast out into exterior darkness⁶; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."⁷ Then He said to the centurion: "Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee." And the servant was healed at the same hour. COMMENTARY. The Divinity of our Lord was proved by two astounding miracles. The leper believed in our Lord's Divinity. He did not say to Him: "Pray to God that I may be clean", but he entreated Him as God, and, full of faith, said: "If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean", i. e. it only depends on Thy will to cure me, for Thou canst do it, if Thou wilt. And Jesus confirmed his faith by saying: "I will: be thou clean." Our Lord said: "I will!" to show that He could make the sick well by His mere will, or, in other words, that He was Omnipotent. He manifested the same Omnipotence by curing the centurion's servant without even seeing him. Our Lord's prophecy about the extension of His Church is another proof of His Divinity. The heathen centurion believed, whereas the ¹ Subject to authority. Means here the same as "placed in authority". The centurion wishes to acknowledge Christ as God. He therefore says: When I command those under me to do anything, it is done at once; how much more will Thy word be obeyed, if Thou commandest disease and approaching death to depart: for Thou art more than man, and art subject to no one. ² So great faith. As in this man. ³ In Israel. Among Israelites. ⁴ Sit down. Shall obtain eternal happiness. Heaven is often compared to a banquet, because there man will find peace, joy, and satisfaction. ⁵ The children. The descendants of Abraham, for whom the kingdom of the Messias was primarily intended. ⁶ Exterior darkness. The darkness which is outside the kingdom of heaven, or, in other words, hell. ⁷ Gnashing of teeth. Anguish and rage at the misery they have brought on themselves. --- XXII. THE CURE OF THE LEPER AND OF THE CENTURION'S SERVANT. 487 Pharisees and their many adherents would not believe. Our Lord made this the occasion of uttering the significant and striking prophecy that many heathens, all over the world, would believe in Him, becoming thereby the spiritual children of Abraham, and would possess the kingdom of heaven promised to him; whilst, on the other hand, the Israelites, the real descendants of Abraham, who were called into the kingdom of heaven before any one else, would not, as a body, believe and be saved, but would be lost by reason of their unbelief. This prophecy of the spread of His Church among the Gentiles has been completely fulfilled, and proves the Omniscience of our Lord. The Goodness and Compassion of Jesus. Our Lord did not drive the leper from Him, but "had compassion on him" (Mark 1, 41), and touched him who was counted as unclean. And now also, Jesus drives no sinner from Him, however foul and unclean he may be, if only he will believe and do penance. Our Lord was quite ready to go to visit and help the centurion's sick servant; but in our case He condescends not merely to come into our house, but into our very hearts, in Holy Communion, so as to strengthen us, His feeble servants, and keep us in His grace. The command of Jesus to submit to God's priests. As Christ would not have cured the leper, if he had refused to show himself to the priest, so now no one obtains forgiveness of his sins, unless he reveals them to the priest in confession. The virtues of the centurion: 1. Compassion. He had bought this slave with money, and had he died, he could easily have bought another, for he was very rich, or else he could not have built the Jews a synagogue. But he had a kind and compassionate heart, and he was full of pity for his slave, who was suffering such acute pain, and wished to do what he could to help him. His kindness of heart showed to great advantage beside the hardness of heart of the Scribes and Pharisees (Mat. 23, 23). "Blessed are the merciful." 2. Faith. The centurion's compassion was the means of his receiving the gift of faith. His compassion made him seek for help from Jesus. He had heard of the miracles which our Lord had already worked, and, by God's grace, what he heard engendered in his heart a firm belief that Jesus was the Messias whom the Jews expected, and that He was able, without even entering his house, to save his servant from certain death. 3. Humility. Faith made the centurion humble. The Jewish ancients said about him: "He is worthy that Thou shouldst help him", but he himself said to Jesus: "Lord, I am not worthy" &c. He felt his sinfulness and nothingness acutely in the Presence of Jesus, the Holy and Almighty One, even as Peter felt it at the time of the --- 488 XXII. THE CURE OF THE LEPER AND OF THE CENTURION'S SERVANT. miraculous draught of fish, when he said: "Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man." Hell is styled exterior darkness by our Lord, because no ray of divine light or grace can penetrate there. There, says our Lord, is weeping, or wailing, on account of the horrible torment, and gnashing of teeth from despair at its everlasting duration. Prayers for benefactors. The ancients of the city pleaded the cause of the centurion, because he had built for them a house of prayer. We ought to pray to God for our benefactors, especially for our parents, god-parents, pastors, and teachers. The power of intercession. The centurion interceded for his servant, and the ancients prayed our Lord to grant the centurion's petition. These prayers were not made in vain, for Jesus yielded to them, and cured the servant. "Domine, non sum dignus", "Lord, I am not worthy!" The priest says these words at Mass when he receives Holy Communion. He says them also when he administers Communion to the faithful. Leprosy, a type of sin. Leprosy disfigured the body and made it hideous: mortal sin defaces the soul, which is the image of God, deprives it of sanctifying grace, and makes it foul and horrible in the eyes of God. Leprosy enfeebled the body and made it unfit for work: sin renders man incapable of performing meritorious works. Leprosy caused pain, fear and depression: sin destroys interior peace, creates remorse of conscience and fear of death and judgment. Leprosy was contagious, and, on this account, lepers were avoided by everybody: sin also is contagious, and we ought to avoid the company of sinners and criminals. The leper had to show himself to the priest, exposing to him his breast, face and arms, before he could be pronounced clean and restored to the society of the faithful: the sinner must go to the priest, as the representative of God, and discover to him by a sincere confession his sinful thoughts, words and actions, before he can receive absolution, and be restored to the company of the children of God. APPLICATION. Have you always made a good confession? Have you a great horror of the leprosy of sin? --- XXIII. JESUS RAISES FROM THE DEAD THE SON OF THE WIDOW OF NAIM. CHRIST STILLS THE TEMPEST [Matthew 8. 23-27. Mark 4. 35. 40. Luke 8. 22-25] ONE evening Jesus entered into a boat (Fig. 76)$^(1)$, and His disciples followed Him$^(2)$. A great tempest arose in the sea$^(3)$, so that the boat was covered with waves, and $^(1)$ Boat. Being fatigued and wishing to avoid the crowd, and to retire into solitude. $^(2)$ Him. They went towards Gadara, a town lying to the south east of the lake. They must therefore have traversed almost the whole length of the lake. $^(3)$ Sea. St. Luke says (8, 23): "There came down a storm of wind upon the lake (that is from the mountains which surround it), and they were filled and were in danger." Violent and sudden storms like the one thus described frequently occur --- XXIX. CHRIST STILLS THE TEMPEST. they were in great danger. But Jesus was asleep¹. His disciples came to Him, crying out with fear: "Lord, save us, we perish." Jesus arose and said to them: "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?"² Then standing, He rebuked the winds and commanded the sea³, and there came a great calm⁴ But the men⁵ wondered, saying: "What manner of man is this, for the winds and the sea obey Him?" man is this, for the winds and the sea COMMENTARY. The Divinity of our Lord. "Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!" exclaimed the witnesses of this wonder. This great miracle was, indeed, a fresh and clear proof of our Lord's divine power. But in order to appreciate the greatness of the miracle you must take on the Sea of Galilee. The wind blowing from the mountains on one side of the lake is beaten back on to the water from those on the other side, being, as it were, imprisoned in the hollow, and expends all its fury on the surface of the water. As fast as the disciples baled out the water, fresh volumes poured in. At one moment the little ship was raised on the crest of the waves, and the next buried in their depths, till the planks of the boat creaked and threatened to fall asunder. 1. Asleep. As if there were no danger. The disciples watched anxiously whether He would awake; for they believed that He could avert the danger, if only He were awake. But while they hesitated and shrank from disturbing the Holy One, the storm and the danger increased, and in fear for their lives they went to Him and awoke Him. 2. Faith. If your faith were not so weak, you would not be frightened. 3. Commanded the sea. Saying to the sea: "Peace, be still!" (Mark 4, 39.) 4. Calm. The wind abated instantly, the lake became calm, and a great silence succeeded the clamour of the storm. 5. Men. Not only the apostles, but also the men in the other ships; for St. Mark tells us that "there were other ships with him". KNECHT, Commentary, 3. ed. --- XXIX. CHRIST STILLS THE TEMPEST. into account following circumstances. After a violent storm it is usually many hours before the movement of the waves subsides, and the surface of the sea regains its smoothness. But in this case the calm followed immediately on our Lord's words. Man never feels himself so small, so powerless, so pitiable as when he is in conflict with the uncontrolled powers of nature. Then those who think themselves strongest recognize their weakness and cry out to God for help. But Jesus arises and commands the raging elements, and they obey Him. "O Lord of hosts", cries the Psalmist, "who is like to Thee! Thou rules: the power of the sea, and appeasest the motion of the waves thereof" (Ps. 88, 9). The Two Natures in Jesus Christ. As Man He was tired and slept; as God He commanded the winds and the waves. The weak faith of the disciples was shown by their thinking that our Lord, when asleep, was powerless to help them. They forgot that His Godhead cannot sleep, but is ever awake and watchful over His servants. The object of this miracle was 1. to increase and strengthen the faith of the apostles; 2. to teach the apostles and their successors that they, as fishers of men, would be exposed to many persecutions and afflictions; but that Jesus would always be with them to hush the storm. The Church Militant, with the successor of St. Peter at the helm, is typified by Peter's little ship threatened with destruction by the storm. The Church has to contend with many adversaries; but our Lord is in her midst, and if at times He seems to slumber, He still knows the sufferings and dangers which threaten His Church, and all at once He will arise, command the storm by His Almighty word, and once more give back peace and liberty to His Church. The storm of temptation. There arise storms in the lives of individuals also, when sufferings and temptations assail them. Sometimes a person seems in danger of sinking, i. e. of sinning and losing eternal life. But God is near him, with His help, grace and consolation. St. Bernard says about this: "Though the world should rave and Satan rage, though the flesh should rebel, I will still hope in Thee, O my God; for who has ever hoped in Thee and been confounded?" Storms of life. So it is in all the storms of life. If only we have confidence in God, and ask Him to come to our aid, He will not fail us in the hour of our need. He whom the winds and the seas obey is ever at hand to help those who invoke His name. APPLICATION. Many storms arise in your heart, as when, for instance, you are moved to anger or jealousy, or are cast down by cowardice. In all such temptations keep Jesus in your heart, and cry out to Him, saying: "Lord, save me, or I perish!" --- XXX. JESUS RAISES TO LIFE THE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS. SIN AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST.—MARY DECLARED BLESSED [Matthew 9, 32-34; 12, 22-42. Mark 3, 22-35. Luke 11, 14-32] WHEN the days of the Feast were over, Jesus went back again into Galilee preaching, and doing good as He passed along. One day there was brought to Him a man, blind and dumb¹, who was possessed by the devil. Jesus cured him, and the man spoke and saw. The multitude who witnessed this miracle said: "Is not this the son of David?"² For never had the like been seen in Israel. Hearing this, the Pharisees said: "This man casteth out devils by Beelzebub³, the prince of the devils." But Jesus answered: "How can Satan⁴ cast out Satan? If a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. But if Satan rise up ¹ Blind and dumb. Being possessed by the devil, he could neither see nor speak. ² The Son of David. The promised descendant of David, the Messias (Compare Old Test. I.V., and New Test. II: "The Lord God shall give to Him the throne of David His father"). This miracle made a great impression on the people, so much so that it quite inclined them to believe that Jesus was the Messias. This augered the Pharisees, and in order to destroy the people's growing faith, they advanced the theory that it was by the help of the devil himself that He had worked the miracle. ³ By Beelzebub. That Jesus drove out devils they could not deny; but as they absolutely refused to recognize our Lord's divine power, they were forced to maintain that He was in league with the prince of the devils, by whose aid the devils were cast out! ⁴ How can Satan. Jesus, knowing that they spoke not from conviction, but from sheer malice, proceeds to show: 1) the self-contradiction of their malicious interpretation; 2) that even so they must confess that Satan's kingdom is coming to an end and that the kingdom of God has come upon them. --- XXVII. SIN AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST.—MARY DECLARED BLESSED. 503 against himself, he is divided and cannot stand, but hath an end. But if I, by the Spirit of God, cast out devils, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. "I say to you, whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost¹, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come." Then a certain woman from the crowd, hearing what Jesus said, cried out: "Blessed² is the womb that bore Thee, and the breasts that gave Thee suck." But Jesus said: "Yea, rather blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it." Then some of the Scribes and Pharisees asked Him: "Master, we would see a sign³ from Thee." Jesus said to them: "An adulterous⁴ generation seeketh a sign: and a sign shall not be given⁵ to it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was in the whale's belly three days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth, three days⁶ and three nights. The men of Ninive shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; because they did penance at the preaching of Jonas; and behold, a greater⁷ than Jonas is here. The Queen of the south shall rise in judgment⁸ with this generation, and ¹ Against the Holy Ghost. The Pharisees sinned against the Holy Ghost, by ascribing His work to the devil. ² Blessed. Our Lord's discourse, by which he desired to bring the Pharisees to a knowledge of themselves, made a great impression on the multitude; and, full of admiration, a woman from the crowd cried out: "Blessed is the womb that bore thee &c.", i. e. happy indeed is the Mother who bore Thee and fed Thee at her breast. Jesus confirmed this praise of Mary by responding: "Yea, blessed is My Mother, not merely because she gave me birth and nursed me, but still more because she believed and obeyed the word of God. In like manner you also can become blessed, if you receive and obey My words." ³ A sign. Namely, a sign from heaven (Mark 7, 2). They meant to say: "The healing of the sick and the driving out of devils do not satisfy us, for this might have been done by the powers of hell. Show us some great sign from heaven, such as the raining down of the manna, or of the fire which consumed Elias' sacrifice, and we will believe in you." ⁴ An adulterous. Our Lord thus styles the unbelieving Jews, because by rejecting the Messias they broke the covenant which wedded them to God. ⁵ Shall not be given. i. e. no other and greater sign. ⁶ Three days. The Jews reckoned the beginning of a day and the end of a day, each as a complete day. ⁷ A greater. Namely, the greatest of prophets, the Son of God. ⁸ Shall rise in judgment. From Saba (Old Test, LX). This means: "The heathen Ninivites believed the preaching of Jonas, and the queen of Saba believed --- 504 XXVII. SIN AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST.—MARY DECLARED BLESSED shall condemn it; because she came from the end of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here." COMMENTARY. Praise of the Mother of God. The pious woman who praised the Mother of Jesus is a figure of the Catholic Church, whose children love, honour and bless the Mother of God. Now, our Lord, in answering this holy person, said that all those are blessed who hear the word of God and keep it. But no one, either among angels or men, ever had a faith so great, or virtues so many, as the Mother of the Redeemer. Hence her throne in heaven is above the thrones of the angels and Saints, and next to that of her Divine Son. By the woman's praise, Mary's own prophetic words, as uttered in the Magnificat, were partially fulfilled: "Behold, all generations shall call me blessed." The sin against the Holy Ghost was committed by the Pharisees in this manner, that against the dictates of reason they ascribed our Lord's miracles to the power of the devil. They calumniated Him, saying that He was in league with the devil; whereas it was they who, by their persecution of Jesus, were serving the ends of Satan. Being full of the spirit of pride and of envy, they refused to believe in our Lord's divine power. They wilfully and obstinately resisted their reason, which, outwardly convinced by His stupendous miracles, and inwardly illuminated by the grace of the Holy Ghost, urged them to such a belief. Rather than recognize the truth that God was with our Lord, they had recourse to the most foolish evasions and lies. This wilful resistance to God's grace hardened the Pharisees in obstinacy and impenitence, till finally it drove them to deicide. They sinned against the Holy Ghost in a fourfold manner: they envied Jesus on account of His superior wisdom and power of working miracles; they resisted that which they knew to be true; they were obstinate in their opposition to our Lord; and they were hardened into a state of final impenitence. Impenitence, and prayers for impenitent sinners. Our Lord says of sins against the Holy Ghost that they cannot be forgiven. This means that, when a man continually resists the grace of the Holy Ghost, he falls by degrees into a condition of soul not far removed from that of the fallen angels or devils. The devils are hardened in sin, in resistance to, and hatred of God: their perverted will is incapable of conversion, so that for them redemption is impossible. Now, so long in the supernatural wisdom of Solomon; and yet you will not believe in Me, who am greater than either Jonas or Solomon, and who have worked such mighty miracles before your eyes. The faith of these heathen makes your want of faith all the more reprehensible." --- XXVII. SIN AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST.—MARY DECLARED BLESSED. 505 as a man obstinately resists grace, it is obvious that he cannot receive pardon, for the simple reason that he refuses to have anything to do with the grace which would move him to contrition and penance. Such an one is like a drowning man who refuses to take hold of the helping hand which is held out to him. Because, however, the human will can be converted as long as a man remains on earth, God can give a sinner such an extraordinary measure of grace, that his resistance is broken down, and he is saved. We ought, therefore, never to despair of the conversion of a sinner, however obstinate in sin he may appear to be; and the more impenitent he is, the harder we ought to pray for him. In chapter LXXXVI we shall see that, though St. Stephen said to his persecutors: "You resist the Holy Ghost!" he, nevertheless, prayed for them when he was dying. Calumny. The Pharisees calumniated our Lord most shamefully by saying that He was in league with the prince of devils. The weapons of unbelief. Lies and calumny were the weapons used by the unbelieving Pharisees against our Lord. They are to this day the weapons with which unbelief and heresy attack the doctrine and Church of Jesus Christ. Hell. If there are sins which can be forgiven "neither in this world nor in the world to come", there must be a state of everlasting punishment. Therefore it is said in Mark 3, 29: "He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost shall never have forgiveness, but shall be guilty of an everlasting sin." Purgatory. From our Lord's words that the sins against the Holy Ghost shall be forgiven "neither in this world, nor in the world to come", the Fathers of the Church rightly conclude that certain sins will be forgiven in the world to come. Now, there can be no forgiveness of sin in heaven, for nothing sinful can enter there at all. Neither in hell is forgiveness of sins possible, because the damned are incapable of amendment: therefore there must be a middle state between heaven and hell. This middle state is Purgatory, where the soul is cleansed from venial sins, and where satisfaction is made for sins already forgiven. The General Judgment. Our Lord's words in this chapter indicate that all men of all ages will be gathered together for judgment at the Last Day. "The men of Ninive...the queen of Saba shall rise in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it!" The Resurrection of our Lord is the miracle of miracles, and the decisive sign which vouches for the divinity of all His other miracles. It was the final test by which the unbelieving Jews were called on to believe and be saved. Our Lord's prophecy. By referring the Jews to "the sign of Jonas the prophet", our Lord most distinctly foretold His Burial and Resurrection. --- 506 XXVIII. JESUS PREACHING ON THE LAKE OF GENESARETH.—PARABLES. Keeping back sins in confession. The unfortunate man who was made dumb by the devil is a type of those sinners whose lips are closed by Satan, so that they do not make a full and sincere confession. APPLICATION. You see by the case of the Pharisees how detestable and malicious it is to refuse to see the good in other persons, to attribute bad motives to them, and even utter calumnies against them. Have you ever done this? Do you pray every day for the conversion of sinners? To pray for them is even more necessary than to pray for the holy souls, for these last are certain of heaven, whereas the former are in danger of everlasting damnation. THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT [Matthew 12, 13-23] HEROD awaited with anxiety the return of the Magi. At last, perceiving that he waited in vain, he became furious, and gave orders that all the male children of two years old and under, in Bethlehem and in all the confines thereof, should be slain$^(1)$. $^(1)$ Slain. Herod had cunningly hidden his wicked project from the wise men, and deceived them by an appearance of holiness, believing that the Child Jesus could not escape him. But when the Magi did not return, he saw that his wicked --- IX. THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. He thought that, in this way, the Child Jesus would certainly perish. But the angel of the Lord appeared at the same time¹ by night to Joseph, and said: "Arise, and take the Child and His Mother, and fly into Egypt² and be there until I shall tell thee; for Herod seeks the Child, to destroy Him." Then Joseph arose³, took the Child and His Mother by night, and retired into Egypt. Hardly had the Holy Family departed from Bethlehem, when the men of blood whom Herod had chosen to execute his cruel order, suddenly rushed into the city, dragged the infants from the arms of their mothers, and massacred them all. Then was heard throughout the city of David the piteous cry of the bereaved mothers, mourning and bewailing the innocent babes that were so cruelly put to death by the tyrant. plans were frustrated. The kings did not purposely deceive him, for they had intended to keep their promise of returning to him, had not God forbidden them. But Herod believed that they had designedly misled him, and was therefore doubly angry. The dread of this new-born king of the Jews aroused all his evil passions, and he did not shrink from crowning his many acts of murder by a massacre of innocent children. He did not know whereabouts in Bethlehem the Messias was to be found, so, to be on the safe side, he had all the baby boys there and in the neighbourhood killed. Nor did he know the day of the Birth of the Child Jesus, but he had ascertained from the wise men the exact time of the star's first appearance, and felt confident that anyhow the Child could not be more than two years old; and therefore ordered the massacre of all the little boys of two years old and under. The number of these children must have been about 50. 1 The same time. Soon after the Magi had adored the Child Jesus and had returned to their home. 2 Egypt. There Herod could not touch the Child. Egypt was indeed a pagan land, but there were some Jews living in it who were able to observe, unhindered, their own law. 3 Arise. How horrified St. Joseph must have been when he learnt Herod's wicked intention. The Divine Child all that he treasured most—in danger of death! He did not hesitate a moment, but rose up at once, in the middle of the night, and, fetching an ass, placed upon it the amazed Mother with her Child, and hastened off, walking by their side, so as to get as soon as possible out of the territory of Herod. They travelled through the Arabian desert as far as the land of Gessen where, once upon a time, the patriarchs of their people, Jacob and his sons, had dwelt. The journey was one of two hundred miles, and was full of difficulties and dangers, arising from want of water and from the attacks of robbers and wild beasts. In their love of Jesus, however, Mary and Joseph thought but little of their difficulties and deprivations, and went on their way, full of patience and submission to God's will; until, at length, after enduring the hardships of a journey that lasted about ten days, they reached Gessen KNECHT, Commentary. 3. ed. --- IX. THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. The punishment of this dreadful crime was not long delayed. A few years after the bloody deed, Herod was stricken with a most loathsome disease¹ and died in fearful torments. Then the angel of the Lord appeared again unto Joseph in Egypt during his sleep, and said: "Arise, take the Child and His Mother, and go into the land of Israel; for they are dead that sought the life of the Child." Joseph, therefore, taking Mary and the Child, went back to the land of Israel, and retired into the parts of Galilee². And He dwelt in Nazareth³, that the word of the prophet might be fulfilled: "He shall be called a Nazarene." In the peaceful retirement of that town the Child Jesus grew in wisdom and in grace before God and men. What a heaven on earth was that thrice-hallowed, though humble home in Nazareth! COMMENTARY. The Omniscience of God. God knew that in the morning Herod would send soldiers to Bethlehem, to slay the little boys under two years old; therefore He ordered St. Joseph to flee in the middle of the night. The Lord God knew also the moment of Herod's death, as well as the evil disposition of his son and successor, Archelaus. He therefore warned St. Joseph not to return to Judæa, but to take up his abode at Nazareth in Galilee. The Justice of God. Herod's horrible disease and miserable death were evidently a punishment for his cruelty, and especially for his desire to kill the Child Jesus. And as Herod, in spite of his sufferings, persevered to the end in evil and impenitence, the torments of his illness were but a prelude to the eternal torments which awaited him. ¹ Disease. When he knew that he must die, Herod flew into a terrible rage. He gave orders that, after his death, the principal men of the land should be executed, so that the people might have cause to regret his loss. Tormented by unbearable pain, he would, in his despair, have plunged a knife into his breast, had it not been snatched from him. Five days before he died, he had his eldest son, Antipater, executed. At last he died a miserable death, cursed by all the people. ² Galilee. He was "warned in sleep" not to go back to Bethlehem of Judæa, but to go instead to Nazareth of Galilee; for in Judæa and Samaria there now reigned Archelaus, a son of Herod, who was nearly as wicked as his father. ³ Nazareth. Nazareth, situated six miles to the west of Mount Tabor, was and is a little town planted on the edge of a mountain. Not having taken any important part in the history of Israel, and not being even mentioned in the Old Testament, it was despised by the Jews. Here the Child Jesus found a safe retreat, for no one would dream of seeking the King of the Jews in such an insignificant place. --- IX. THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. The Providence of God. Jesus was not to die before the appointed time; therefore God's Providence watched over Him and saved Him from the snares of His enemies Herod and Archelaus, making use of His holy angels for that purpose. God's Providence watches over us also, and, without His leave, not a hair of our head can fall. Moreover, His holy angel keeps guard over us. The Foster-father of our Lord Jesus. The angel said to St. Joseph: "Take the Child and His Mother." He did not say: "Take thy Child", for St. Joseph was not the father, but only the foster-father of our Lord. The angel, moreover, placed the name of the Child before that of the Mother, He being the only-begotten Son of God. St. Joseph's high place in the kingdom of God comes from this, that God chose him to be the guardian and protector of His Son, entrusting him with what was greatest and dearest to Himself, singling him out and especially blessing him for this office. The Church celebrates a Feast in honour of St. Joseph on March 19th, and desires that all the faithful should honour him, ask for his intercession, and imitate his virtues. St. Joseph is the especial patron of the Church. Even as he was the protector of the Child Jesus on earth, so, we believe, is he now the protector of the mystical Body of Jesus, His holy Church. We also especially seek his intercession for a good death, because, having died so blessedly, in the presence and with the assistance of Jesus and Mary, he should be supplicated to obtain for us from Jesus the grace of a happy death. The virtues of St. Joseph corresponded to his high calling. He gives us a splendid example of a firm and living faith, of great confidence in God, resignation, obedience, humility, chastity and industry. The faith and obedience of Mary and Joseph. Many thoughts might have occurred to them when commanded to flee into Egypt. "If, they might have said to themselves, 'the Child is the Son of God, why is He so helpless? Why should the Son of the Almighty flee before the wicked king? Why did not the angel say how long we were to remain in the pagan country? How can we undertake such a long and dangerous journey without any preparation?" However, they gave no ear to any such thoughts, but obeyed the divine commands precisely and promptly, and started forth, filled with confidence in God and submission to His holy will. They knew very well that God could have taken care of the Child in some other way, if He had so willed it; but as it was His will that the Child should be saved by flight, they consented willingly, although it was very painful to them to leave their own country, the Promised Land, and to expose the Child to so many privations. Anger is a capital sin. It led Herod to murder a number of innocent children, and to commit a sin crying to heaven for vengeance. He committed as many sins of this description as there were children! 27\* --- 420 X. JESUS AT THE AGE OF TWELVE YEARS GOES TO THE TEMPLE. Evil desires. But did Herod actually and grievously sin against the Child Jesus? For after all he did not really kill Him! No, but he had the will to do so, and in this way sinned against Him. The Holy Innocents gave their lives for Jesus, because Herod put them to death, thinking to reach Jesus through them. They were, so to speak, cleansed from original sin by the Baptism of blood, and taken by Jesus to heaven, seeing that they lost their lives for His sake. The Church venerates them as martyrs and commemorates them on Dec. 28th. APPLICATION. Have you never murmured against the decrees of Divine Providence when evil has befallen you? You ought to give yourself over to God in all things, and say: "Thy will be done!" Think what Jesus suffered for you during His flight into Egypt. It was still winter; the weather was cold, wet and stormy; and often He had no shelter over His head at night. Bear all sufferings patiently for love of Jesus; and, above all things, learn to bear and forbear. JESUS PREACHING ON THE LAKE OF GENESARETH [Matthew 13, 1-5; Mark 4, 1-4. Luke 8, 1-5] PARABLES. ONE day when Jesus was near the lake of Genesareth, great crowds came to hear Him; and, sitting down on the shore, He began to teach. But the multitude still increasing, He went into a boat, and thence spoke to the people. And He taught and spoke to them in parables¹. 1. The Parable of the Seed. "The sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns growing up with it ¹ Parables. A parable is the narrative of some event in nature or human life, either true or possible, under the form of which some moral or religious truth is taught. Most of our Lord's parables begin by the words: "The kingdom of heaven is like unto" such and such a thing. Therefore, to understand His parables rightly, we must first know what He meant by "the kingdom of heaven". The meaning was threefold. Firstly, He meant His external and visible kingdom, or, in other words, His Church; secondly, His interior and invisible kingdom, or His reign in the souls of men by His grace and truth; and thirdly, He sometimes meant the eternal happiness of heaven, to which His kingdom upon earth is intended to lead us. --- XXVIII. JESUS PREACHING ON THE LAKE OF GENESARETH. -PARABLES. 507 choked it. And some fell upon good ground, and being sprung up, yielded fruit a hundred-fold. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”$^(1)$ And His disciples asked Him what this parable might be. To whom He said: “To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to the rest in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. And they by the wayside are they that hear; then the devil cometh, and taketh the word of God out of their heart, lest believing they should be saved. Now they upon the rock$^(2)$ are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no roots; who believe for awhile, and in time of temptation fall away$^(3)$. And that which fell among thorns are they who have heard, and going their way are choked with the cares, and riches, and pleasures of this life, and yield no fruit. But that on the good ground are they who in a good and perfect heart, hearing the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit in patience.” COMMENTARY. The different ways of receiving the word of God. The sower is our Lord Jesus Christ. Who, through the apostles and their successors, proclaims the word of God. The field is the heart of man, for which the divine seed is destined. The chief lesson contained in the parable is that the effect of God’s word upon the soul depends entirely on the preparation and disposition of him who hears it, just as the fruitfulness of the natural seed depends on the cultivation and quality of the earth in which it is sown. The three cases mentioned in which the seed brought forth no fruit, point out the chief hindrances which man puts in the way of the efficacy of God’s word. The first class are those in whom there is wanting a good will to receive God’s word with faith. They hear it indeed, but they will not open their hearts to it, because the devil and his human agents have succeeded by scorn, prejudice and false explanations in so setting them against everything supernatural, that they utterly refuse to believe. Take, for instance, the Pharisees in our Lord’s time, and also the so-called “enlightened” men of the present day. $^(1)$ Let him hear. By these words our Lord shows that he treats in this parable of truths which ought to be taken very seriously to heart. $^(2)$ They upon the rock. Those in whose case the seed of the divine word falls on stony ground, which does not allow the seed to take root. $^(3)$ Fall away. From faith in the doctrines of Christianity. --- 508 XXVIII. JESUS PREACHING ON THE LAKE OF GENESARETH.—PARABLES. The second class have a good will and are religious-minded people, but they are shallow and weak in character. They receive the word of God eagerly, but their faith does not penetrate to the depths of their heart and will, and lacks firmness and steadfastness. Therefore they fall away as soon as trials and persecution put their faith to the test. Remember the Israelites in the desert! The third class are those who have faith and hold fast to it, but who do not live up to it, being quite absorbed in the things of this world. They give themselves up to the concupiscence of the eyes, the concupiscence of the flesh, and the pride of life, and bring forth no fruits worthy of faith. They have faith, but it is dead. The three principal enemies of faith and the life of faith are, therefore: 1. the devil and his allies, who seek to deprive men of the willingness to believe, 2. weakness and vacillation of heart and will, 3. the three evil passions which govern the world. The word of God bears fruit in those only who, besides accepting it willingly, cherish it in a heart purified by faith, and patiently and perseveringly live up to their faith. Religion and grace are, therefore, affairs, not of reason, but chiefly of the heart and will. A powerful understanding is not necessary or even sufficient for salvation, or to enable us to lead a life according to faith. What is indispensable is a good heart, willing to receive what is great and supernatural. APPLICATION. You see by this parable how necessary it is that your heart should be well prepared for receiving the word of God. Have you always had a desire to hear God's word? Have you kept what you have heard in your heart, and made corresponding resolutions? Have you thought your religious instruction tedious? To which of the four classes described by our Lord do you think you belong? Pray fervently to the Holy Ghost before you hear any sermon, and listen attentively to it, with the resolve to take to heart and carry out what you hear. 2. The Parable of the Seed and the Cockle. Jesus proposed another parable to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven¹ is like to a man that sowed good seed in his field. But while men were asleep, his enemy came and sowed ¹ The kingdom of heaven. It is with the kingdom of God on earth, i. e. the Church, as it is with a man who sowed good seed. --- XXVIII. JESUS PREACHING ON THE LAKE OF GENESARETH.—PARABLES. 509 cockle (Fig. 75)$^(1)$ among the wheat and went his way. And when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle. And the servants of the master of the house came, and said to him: 'Master, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? From whence, then, hath it cockle?' He said to them: 'An enemy hath done this.' The servants said to him: 'Wilt thou that we go and gather it up?' And he said: 'No, lest, while you gather up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it. Let both grow until the harvest, and in time of harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle, and bind it in bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn.' Jesus likewise explained this parable, saying that He who sows the good seed is Himself the Son of Man. The field is the world. The good seed represents the children of God, and the cockle those of the devil. The enemy who sowed the cockle is the devil. The harvest-time is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. As the cockle is plucked up and cast into the fire, so it will happen to the wicked at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send His angels, and take away from His kingdom all scandals; and those who are guilty thereof shall be cast into the everlasting flames of hell. But the just, the faithful servants of God, shall be gathered into the eternal granaries of heaven, and they shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of the Father. COMMENTARY. Evil in the Church of God. In order that the apostles and other preachers of the Gospel might not lose heart, when, in spite of all their efforts, men would not be converted, our Lord teaches in this parable that it must needs be that evil shall grow up in the Church alongside of the good, and that the complete separation of the evil from the good will only take place at the end of the world. God suffers evil in His Church. 1. because He gave man a free will; 2. in order that the sinner may have time for conversion; 3. that the just may be proved and gain more merit; that even the wicked $^(1)$ Cockle. A weed which, until the ear is formed, is exactly like wheat. The cockle, therefore, was only discovered after the ears were formed. --- 510 XXVIII. JESUS PREACHING ON THE LAKE OF GENESARETH.—PARABLES. may bring glory to God, His holiness and justice being made manifest in them. Holiness of the Church. When we say that God suffers evil in His Church, we do not mean in His Teaching Church, but in that part of it which is called 'the learning Church'. The members of the Church, instead of following her teaching, are at times led away by the false maxims of the world. Therefore what is evil in the members of the Church comes from the devil and his allies, not from the Church herself. The Church sows only good seed by her teaching, her commandments and her means of grace; therefore she is holy, and leads to holiness those who obey her voice. The General Judgment. The Son of Man, Jesus Christ, will come at the end of the world to judge the wicked and the just. (Seventh article of the Creed.) Hell is the furnace into which the cockle will be cast, and where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Heaven. The just will come to the kingdom of their Father, i. e. to heaven, and will be glorified in body and soul, shining like the sun. 3. The Parables of the Grain of Mustard-seed; of the Leaven; of the Treasure hidden in the field; of the Pearl of great price; and of the Net full of fish. Another parable He proposed unto them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard-seed¹, which a man took and sowed in his field. Which is the least, indeed, of all seeds; but, when it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and dwell in the branches thereof." Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like to leaven² which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened." "The kingdom of heaven is like to a treasure³ hidden in the field, which a man having found, hideth, and, for joy thereof, goeth, and selleth all that he hath and buyeth⁴ that field." ¹ Mustard-seed. This was the smallest seed sown in Palestine. From this seed, however, there sprang a shrub which reached the height of ten feet, and which put forth a great many branches with large leaves. ² Leaven. Leaven is mixed with dough, to make bread light and palatable. ³ A treasure. By the word "treasure" a large sum of money, or a collection of valuables may be understood. ⁴ Buyeth. Because he knew the treasure to be buried there. By Jewish law everything found buried in the earth belonged to the owner of the ground. --- XXVIII. JESUS PREACHING ON THE LAKE OF GENESARETH. PARABLES. 511 "Again the kingdom of heaven is like to a merchant seeking good pearls. Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went his way, and sold all he had and bought it." "Again the kingdom of heaven is like to a net cast into the sea, and gathering together of all kinds of fishes. Which, when it was filled, they drew out, and sitting by the shore they chose out the good into vessels, but the bad they cast forth. So shall it be at the end of the world. The angels shall go out and shall separate the wicked from among the just; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the multitudes: and without parables¹ He did not speak to them. COMMENTARY. The growth of the Church. The parable of the grain of mustard-seed means this: Even as from a very small grain there springs up a large shrub, so would the Church of God have a small and insignificant beginning, but would grow and grow until she formed a mighty kingdom, embracing all nations in her fold. In this parable, therefore, our Lord foretold the external increase of His Church. She was to be Catholic or world-wide. The effects of Christianity. By the parable of the leaven our Lord described the manner in which His doctrine and grace would affect the hearts of men. The woman signifies the Church; the leaven, Christian truth and grace; while the meal denotes mankind, both individuals, and the whole race collectively. Even as leaven lays hold of one particle of meal after another, and penetrates everywhere, until the whole is rendered good and palatable, so would Christianity penetrate, purify and sanctify the hearts of men, and govern all their thoughts and aims, until the whole of human society was raised and sanctified by the doctrine and grace of Jesus Christ. The greatest of treasures. This treasure signifies the graces of Christianity, which far surpass all the riches of this world. He who has found the great treasure of faith and grace is fortunate indeed. He rejoices, and guards his treasure jealously, and is willing to give up everything rather than lose the faith and grace of God. ¹ Without parables. Jesus preached in parables, because the great mass of the people, together with even their leaders and teachers, were incapable of understanding or receiving the unveiled truth about the kingdom of God. He who has no sense of the supernatural, sees a mere narrative in the parable, without perceiving the hidden and higher teaching which it contains. --- XXIX. CHRIST STILLS THE TEMPEST. The Parable of the Pearl also signifies the great happiness of possessing the true faith and being in a state of grace. He who really and laboriously strives after truth and salvation will obtain them. "There exists, however, only one pearl without price, for there exists only one Truth. And even as the wise merchant who bought this pearl at the cost of all that he possessed, alone knew how rich he had become by the possession of it, so only those who belong to the Church and possess grace know how rich they are. Those who have not the faith are ignorant of its value, and have no conception how rich those are who possess it." (St. Irenæus.) The separation at the Last Judgment. The parable of the net full of good and bad fish conveys the same lesson as the parable of the wheat and the cockle. We became members of the Church when we were baptized; but our Baptism by no means ensured our reception into heaven. If we do not keep our baptismal vows and remain in a state of God's grace, we shall be finally rejected, and cast out of the net like the bad fish. APPLICATION. The grace of God is the greatest of all treasures, and a pearl indeed without price. Have you ever lost it by mortal sin? You can now understand better than you did before the meaning of the petition: "Thy kingdom come." May the kingdom of God, His holy Church, ever grow, ever put forth boughs and branches, and ever bring unbelievers and heathen into her fold! May the kingdom of God's grace and truth also continually sink into your heart, enlightening, purifying, and sanctifying you, so that you may be able to attain to God's everlasting kingdom in heaven! Say often and devoutly, and in this sense, the prayer: "Thy kingdom come", both for yourself, and for all those dear to you. JOHN THE BAPTIST IS PUT TO DEATH [Matthew 14, 1—12. Mark 6, 14. Luke 6, 7. 9] HERODIAS was filled with hatred$^(1)$ of John the Baptist, and sought to destroy him. But Herod esteemed John, and for a time obeyed him in many things. Moreover Herod was still afraid of the people, who considered John a great prophet. Now Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet$^(2)$ to the princes$^(3)$ and nobles of his kingdom. And the daughter of Herodias, by her former husband, coming in, danced before the guests, and Herod was pleased$^(4)$; whereupon he promised, with an oath, to give her whatsoever she would ask of him, even if it were the half of his kingdom. But she, being instructed beforehand by her mother, said: "Give me here in a dish$^(5)$ the head of John the Baptist." The $^(1)$ With hatred. The evangelist St. Mark (6, 20) says that Herod heard John willingly, and asked his advice and followed it. This made Herodias fear that, if John preached to him any more, the weak king might end by putting her away from him. She, therefore, knew no rest as long as John was alive. $^(2)$ A banquet. In the castle of Macharus, where John was imprisoned. $^(3)$ Princes. The chief men about the court of Galilee, who, however, were all Jews. $^(4)$ Was pleased. Not only Herod, but also his guests (Mark 6, 21) were pleased by the unseemly dancing and bewitching appearance of the girl, who but too closely resembled her wicked mother. $^(5)$ In a dish. The heartless creature, far from being horrified at her mother's request, hastened, without even hesitating, to ask for what she wanted. She demanded that the holy prophet's head should be given to her "forthwith", because --- XXXII. JOHN THE BAPTIST IS PUT TO DEATH. king was grieved on hearing these words, but thinking himself bound to keep the oath which he had sworn before his guests, he sent word to the gaoler, who beheaded John and presented his head on a dish to the wicked daughter of a still more wicked mother. Then the disciples of the holy Baptist took the body of their master, and buried it; and they came to tell Jesus what had happened. COMMENTARY. Growth in sin. When Herod persuaded his brother Philip's wife to leave her lawful husband for him, both he and Herodias committed a grievous sin. This sin led them on to commit other sins. Herod threw John into prison, though he "knew him to be a just and holy man". He thus sinned against justice. Herodias hated the holy Baptist, persuaded her daughter to sin, and thus caused the Saint's death. Oaths. Herod sinned by taking an oath thoughtlessly and without necessity. Now, ought he to have kept his oath when the sinful request for John's head was made to him? No; for an oath to do something sinful is, in itself, invalid. A man sins if he takes such an oath, and he sins again if he keeps it. Human respect made Herod grant the girl's cruel request. He was ashamed in the presence of his guests to break a promise which obviously could not apply to a gift such as was asked of him. He did not fear to offend God by committing a very grievous sin, but he shrank from the false judgment of men, and thus gave the cruel and murderous order on his birthday—the very day when those in power were accustomed to perform acts of mercy. Sharing in the guilt of others. Even the guests were not innocent of John's death. They ought to have remonstrated with Herod, and not have passed by his sin in silence. Virtue alone is beautiful. We all detest the daughter of Herodias. She was beautiful, she wore fine clothes, she danced very cleverly, but she had a vicious heart. St. John died a martyr to his calling. Having been called by God to be a preacher of penance, he represented Herod's sin to him, and reminded him of the law of God. On this account he died a violent death at the age of thirty-two. To him applies the eighth beatitude: "Blessed are they who suffer persecution, for justice' sake." His soul passed directly into Limbo, where he, like St. Joseph, awaited the she feared that, as soon as he was sober, Herod would refuse her request. Tradition says that Herodias treated the Saint's head with contumely, and pierced his tongue with needles. --- XXXIII. THE MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES AND FISHES. arrival of the Messias, and the speedy accomplishment of the work of Redemption. When our Lord ascended into heaven, he was taken up with Him into everlasting happiness. The Church honours him as a great Saint, and on the 24th of June celebrates his nativity, because he was born without original sin. Dancing is often the occasion of sin, and unseemly dancing is forbidden by the Sixth Commandment. Intemperance (or gluttony) is a capital sin. Herod would not have been carried away by the sight of the girl's dancing to make a rash and frivolous oath, unless he had been excited by too much wine. Comparisons to be drawn between St. John and Elias, Herod and Achab, Herodias and Jezabel. The end of Herod. Later on, Herod was deposed by the Roman emperor and banished to Lyons. Both he and his wife died in misery. The daughter of Herodias perished during a pleasure-party on the ice. The ice broke, she fell into the water, and her head was severed from her body by a piece of broken ice. APPLICATION. Do you ever swear without necessity, or use the name of God irreverently in your conversation? THE MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES AND FISHES AND THE WALKING ON THE WATER [Matthew 14, 13 21. Mark 6, 30-44. Luke 9, 10 17. John 6, 1 13] THE Feast of the Passover being at hand, the apostles returned to their Divine Master, and gave Him an account of all they had done. But He said to them: "Come ye apart into a desert place, and rest a little." For there were so many coming and going that they had no time to eat. So they sailed across the lake and went into a retired spot¹. But even there the people followed them in large numbers². Jesus, seeing this great multitude, had compassion on them, and, without giving Himself any rest, went up into a mountain. There He sat with His apostles and disciples, and began to teach ¹ Retired spot. In an uninhabited neighbourhood. ² Large numbers. Travelling on foot round the northern side of the Lake (Mark 6, 33). --- XXXIII. THE MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES AND FISHES. them many things. When He had finished His discourse, He cured the sick that were brought to Him. Now the day was already far spent¹, and His disciples came to Him and said: "Send them away, that going into the next villages and towns, they may buy themselves meat to eat, for we are here in a desert place." Jesus said: "They have no need to go. Give you² them to eat." He then inquired how much bread they had. Andrew replied that there were only five loaves and two fishes. Jesus said: "Bring them hither to me, and make the men sit down." When the multitude, numbering five thousand men, besides women and children, had sat down on the grass, Jesus took the loaves³ and fishes⁴, and, looking up to heaven, blessed them⁵, and gave to His apostles to distribute⁶ among the people. Now all the people ate and were satisfied. And Jesus ordered His disciples to gather up the fragments, lest they should be lost. They did so, and filled twelve baskets⁷ with the remainder of the five loaves and two fishes. The multitude, seeing this wonderful miracle, said among themselves: "This is the Prophet⁸ indeed, that is to come into the world." Jesus knowing their thoughts, and fearing that they would make Him king⁹ by force, told his disciples to sail across the water, while He Himself went up into the mountain to pray. ¹ Far spent. Passed by Jesus in teaching and healing the people. ² Give you. Jesus wished to remind His disciples that, if only they would have faith, they were themselves quite able to relieve the necessities of the people, for they had already received the great gift of miracles (Origen). However, they did not understand what He meant, neither did it occur to them that our Lord would work a miracle. ³ Loaves. The loaves were about as thick as a finger, and round. ⁴ Fishes. These were dried or baked. ⁵ Blessed them. While all eyes were fixed expectantly on our Lord. ⁶ To distribute. The miraculous multiplication began even while our Lord was dividing the loaves and fishes into pieces, and, by the power of His blessing, it continued in the hands of the apostles, who dealt out the food as they stepped from one group of people to another. The portion of food held by them never grew less, and all who were fed saw with astonishment the wondrous miracle repeated thousands of times under their very eyes. ⁷ Twelve baskets. More, therefore, was left, than had existed at the commencement. ⁸ The Prophet. The Prophet foretold by Moses, or, in other words, the Messias. ⁹ Make Him king. The impression made on the people by this stupendous miracle was very great, and, full of ecstasy, they all acknowledged Jesus to be the --- XXXIII. THE MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES AND FISHES. It was dark when the disciples went into the ship. They had rowed about twenty or thirty furlongs in the direction of Capharnaum, and it was now almost the fourth watch of the night, when suddenly a storm¹ arose, and the sea swelled, and the ship was tossed with the waves. But, behold, Jesus came to them walking upon the sea; and drawing near the ship, He was going to pass them by; they knew Him not². They were troubled, and cried out, and thought it was an apparition. Immediately Jesus spoke to them: "Have a good heart; it is I, fear not." Then they were all astonished³. But Peter said: "Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come⁴ to Thee upon the waters." Jesus said: "Come." Peter left the ship, and walked upon the water, but, seeing the high waves, he feared⁵, and began to sink. He cried out: "Lord, save me." Jesus stretched forth his hand, took hold of him and said: "O thou of little faith⁶, why didst thou doubt?" They returned to the ship, and the wind ceased. Then those that were in the ship cried out: "Thou art truly the Son of God.'⁷ Presently the ship was at the place to promised Messias. But, unfortunately, their hopes of the Messias were entirely earthly and political, for they expected that he would come to free them from the yoke of the Romans. They wished, therefore, to proclaim Jesus king of Israel, and make Him march back into Galilee at the head of these five thousand men. Our Lord saw with sorrow how far the people were from faith in Him as a Redeemer from sin, and He went up into the mountain to pray for those who were so miserably blinded. ¹ A storm. According to St. John (6, 18), "the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew". In spite of all their efforts, the apostles could not advance, and their ship was driven about at the mercy of the winds and waves. How ardently they must have longed for Jesus' presence, when they found themselves in such danger. ² Knew Him not. They were unable to recognise Him on account of the darkness. ³ All astonished. They knew Him by His voice. What a joyful surprise! ⁴ Bid me come. Peter could not wait until our Lord came up to them. Full of a mighty love for Him and belief in His power, he cried out: "Lord, bid me come to Thee." ⁵ He feared. Peter was full of courage and determination at first. But when he felt the violence of the wind, and heard the sea roaring under his feet, his courage failed, his faith wavered, and he began to sink. But he knew that Jesus was near, and, trusting in Him, he cried out: "Lord, save me!" ⁶ Of little faith. If you had had a great and firm faith and had not doubted, you would not have sunk. ⁷ The Son of God. Overwhelmed by the wonders which they had witnessed during the last twelve hours, they fell at the feet of Jesus and loudly confessed their faith in His Divinity. --- XXXIII. THE MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES AND FISHES. which they were going. When they had landed¹, the people brought the sick to Him, and He healed them, and all those who touched His garments² were made whole. COMMENTARY. Our Lord's Omnipotence. St. Augustine writes thus about the miracle of the loaves and fishes: "Jesus multiplied the bread in His Hands by virtue of the same power wherewith God multiplies a few grains of corn into a waving cornfield. The five loaves were like unto those grains of corn which, when sown, do not lie unfruitful in the ground, but to which increase is immediately given by Him who is the creator of the world." Thus the miraculous multiplication of the loaves showed forth the creative Omnipotence of our Lord, proving Him to be the Almighty God who every year multiplies the grains of corn which are sown in the earth. Figure of the Holy Eucharist. The great miracle of the loaves and fishes is one of the most striking figures of the Blessed Eucharist, in which the Saviour of the world nourishes the souls of countless millions of His faithful people. The object of the miracle of the loaves. Besides the common object of all our Lord's miracles, viz. the increase of men's faith in Him, this miracle had one special object, viz. to foreshadow, and to prepare men's hearts for the marvellous Food which He gives us in the most holy Sacrament of the altar—the gift which He promised on the following day. Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist feeds the souls of the faithful with the most precious bread from heaven, multiplying His own Body, and distributing It by the hands of His priests. And with this heavenly Food all are satisfied, for it appeases our spiritual hunger by uniting us to our Lord Jesus, the author of all grace. The Goodness of Jesus. He had compassion on the people, teaching them and healing their sick. He fed the multitude which followed Him with food both for their bodies and their souls; and because they were so eager to hear His word that they forgot to supply themselves with food, He supplied them with it by a wonderful miracle. "Seek first the ¹ Landed. Without any effort or action on the part of the apostles, the little ship accomplished the rest of the voyage, a distance of at least a mile and a half, in one moment. The whole distance from Capharnaum to the opposite, eastern coast is about six miles. According to John 6, 19, they had rowed 25 or 30 furlongs, or about four miles and a half, before the ship came to a stand-still. Thus the ship was still a mile and a half from the western shore when Jesus entered it. ² Touched His garments. The cure of the woman with an issue of blood (chapter XXX) had convinced all beholders that the mere touch of our Lord's garments sufficed to cure the sick. --- XXXIII. THE MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES AND FISHES. kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things (which are necessary for the life of the body) shall be added unto you." Grace at meals. Before multiplying and distributing the bread, Jesus raised His eyes to heaven and prayed. Thus we, before and after our meals, ought to raise our hearts to God, from whom all good things come. Waste. The words of our Lord bid us also to beware of wastefulness: "Gather up the fragments, lest they be lost." It is wrong to allow the gifts of God to be wasted. What is left over from our food should, if possible, be given to the poor, and, if not, to animals. The annual multiplication of food. The wonderful miracle of the loaves ought to remind us how every year God gives increase to the seed which we sow. For example, ten grains of wheat sown in the ground produce three or four hundred grains: one small potato produces from ten to twenty potatoes, and so forth with everything. Now, who has given to the seed its power of germinating in the ground, of growing up, and of bearing fruit? Who sends the sunshine, dew and rain, without which no seed can thrive? It is God. The annual increase of food is the work of God's Omnipotence. We do not call it a miracle, for it all happens in what we call the course of nature, and we are so accustomed to it that it makes no impression on us. "The wonderful way in which God governs the world and provides for all His creatures makes no impression on us. His marvels are so constantly occurring that we scarcely observe His wonderful action in every little grain of corn &c. It is on this account that sometimes, in His mercy, God performs wonders out of the course of nature, so that men may realize the marvel (not because it is greater than what is constantly occurring, but only more unusual), since the every-day wonders make no impression on us. The government of creation is really a greater marvel than the feeding of five thousand with five loaves, but whereas no one marvels at the one, all men were astounded at the other, not because it was greater, but because it was more unusual" (St. Augustine). The Divinity of our Lord. Our Lord wrought four miracles in the early dawn after the miracle of the loaves—miracles of a new kind, which on that account made a great impression on the apostles, and so quickened their faith, that they cried out: "Thou art the Son of God!" 1. Jesus Himself walked on the sea, stepping as easily and firmly over the seething waves as He would have done on dry land. He did not work this miracle on any one else, but by it He manifested Himself as a supernatural Being transcending the ordinary laws of nature. As He trod the dark abyss of water, He stood forth as the Lord of creation, being subject to the otherwise inexorable laws of nature (such as gravitation) only in so far as He pleased. 2. At our Lord's bidding St. Peter walked on the water, and was kept up by KNIGHT, Commentary. 3. ed. --- XXXIV. JESUS PROMISES TO GIVE THE BREAD OF LIFE. an invisible power. 3. When our Lord entered the ship, the storm was immediately quieted, and 4. the ship instantly arrived at its destination. The object of these miracles. These four miracles, in common with the preceding miracle of the loaves, and the miracle which followed of healing the sick by the very touch of His garments, had the object of quickening and strengthening the apostles' faith and of preparing them for the revelation of the great mystery of faith, the Real Presence of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. The miracle of our Lord walking on the water was intended to explain to them the attributes of His glorified Body; and the healing of the sick by the touch of His garments foreshadowed the effects of receiving His Sacred Body, which our Lord described in the next chapter. If the very touch of His garments could heal the sick, surely it is not hard to believe that a soul can obtain everlasting life by receiving His Body and Blood. The faith and love of St. Peter are remarkable, and show us why our Lord Jesus Christ chose this particular apostle to be the rock on which to build His Church. All the apostles recognised our Lord's Voice, but only to St. Peter did it occur to hasten across the water to meet Him. St. Chrysostom says: "Behold how great were the faith and love of the apostle! His faith made him say: Jesus not only can walk on the water Himself, but He can make others walk with Him! He did not say: 'Lord, teach me to walk on the waves', but: 'Lord, bid me come to Thee!' It was not for display, but for pure love of Jesus, that he demanded this great miracle." APPLICATION. Do you always say your grace at meals? Do you say it devoutly, or carelessly? The great miracles you have heard about ought to strengthen your faith in Jesus and His divine word. Say to our Lord joyfully and with deep conviction: "Truly, Thou art the Son of God!" Pray to Him every day to increase your faith and to keep it from wavering. THE CURE OF THE DAUGHTER OF THE WOMAN OF CHANAAN AND OF THE DEAF AND DUMB MAN [Matthew 15, 21. 11. Mark 7, 24. 17] ON the next Feast of the Passover, Jesus did not go up to Jerusalem because of the snares laid for Him by the Jews, but retired into Galilee. Immediately He was followed by a great crowd of people bringing the sick, the blind, the lame, the deaf, the dumb, whom they laid at His feet, and He cured them all. Passing one day from Galilee to the confines of Tyre and Sidon, a woman of Chanaan¹ ran after Him, crying out: "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David! my daughter is grievously troubled by a devil." Jesus made no answer². But she continued to beseech Him that he would have mercy on her daughter. Then the apostles, pitying the woman, and anxious to be rid of her importunity, besought their Divine Master to grant her petition. Jesus replied that He was sent only³ to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Hearing this, the woman renewed still more earnestly her supplications, falling at the Saviour's feet, and exclaiming: "Lord, help me." ¹ A woman of Chanaan, i. e. a descendant of the old idolatrous inhabitants of the land of Chanaan, and evidently a Gentile, though acquainted with the Jewish beliefs, as she calls Jesus Son of David. ² No answer. In order to try her faith. ³ Sent only. My personal work is due only to the people of Israel. It was after Israel and through Israel (all the apostles being Israelites) that the Gentiles received the grace of salvation. --- 536 XXXV. THE CURE OF THE DAUGHTER OF THE WOMAN OF CHANAAN. Jesus, wishing to try her faith still more, said: "It is not good to take the bread of the children, and to cast it to the dogs."$^(1)$ But she, nowise discouraged, answered: "Yea, Lord, for the whelps also$^(2)$ eat of the crumbs that fall from the table of their master." Jesus was pleased with the humility of her answer, and said: "O woman, great is thy faith. Be it done to thee as thou wilt." At the same moment her daughter was cured. After this Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee$^(3)$, and they$^(4)$ brought to Him a man who was deaf and dumb, and they besought Him that He would lay His hand$^(5)$ upon him. He took him aside$^(6)$ from the multitude, put His fingers into the man's ears, touched his tongue with spittle, sighed$^(7)$, and said: "Eph-pheta", that is, "be opened", and immediately he was able to speak$^(8)$ and hear. The people cried out: "He hath done all things well$^(9)$. He hath made both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak." "And he charged them that they should tell no man. But the more He charged them, so much the more a great deal did they publish it.' $^(1)$ The dogs. The children (of the kingdom) are the Jews, the members of the chosen race. The "dogs" are the heathen, so called on account of their idolatry and impurity. Our Lord's answer appeared to be a refusal, and was a great trial to the poor woman; but she stood the test. $^(2)$ The whelps also. She did not protest against our Lord's words. She admitted that Israel must have the preference, and humbly numbered herself among the "dogs". "But", she urged, "even the dogs pick up the crumbs." Thou art so rich in grace, she meant to say, and Thou hast done so much for the children (of Israel) that they are satiated, and will lose nothing if Thou art merciful to me, and showest me only a crumb of Thy power and goodness by answering my prayer. $^(3)$ The Sea of Galilee. On the east side of the Lake. The towns in that neighbourhood were heathen. $^(4)$ And they. The compassionate relatives of the deaf and dumb man. $^(5)$ Lay His hand. They knew that Jesus usually wrought His cures by the imposition of hands, and were quite convinced that this of itself would be enough to restore hearing and speech to the man. $^(6)$ And. So as to turn the man's attention from the crowd, and fix it entirely on Himself, and on what He was going to do. $^(7)$ Sighed. At the misery both spiritual and corporal which sin had brought upon man. $^(8)$ Able to speak. He could use his tongue, which had been hitherto, as it were, tied. He could speak fluently and correctly, not like one who was just beginning to learn the use of speech. It was this that most astounded the on-lookers. $^(9)$ Well. i. e. excellently, perfectly. --- XXXV. THE CURE OF THE DAUGHTER OF THE WOMAN OF CHANAAN. 537 COMMENTARY. The Omnipotence of our Lord. The first miracle related, i. e. the curing of the woman of Chanaan's daughter, was worked by our Lord at a distance from her who was possessed, and by the sole power of His Almighty will. In the second miracle, the "Ephpheta" and its instantaneous effect remind us of God's great creative words: "Let light be!" and their instantaneous effect: "And light was." Both miracles were wrought on Gentiles. Our Lord wished to show that, provided they would believe, the Gentiles had a share in the kingdom of the Messias, even if the Israelites, by reason of their election as God's people, had the first claim. Faith and humility of the woman of Chanaan. Perseverance in Prayer. This woman did not give way to discouragement, although for a time Jesus would not hearken to her. His sole response to the intercession of His apostles was to say that He was sent only to the Israelites, and His reply to herself sounded very like an absolute refusal. This shows us that we ought never to weary of prayer, even though it seems as if God would not hearken to us. The meaning of ceremonies. In healing the deaf-mute our Lord made use of several signs and ceremonies wherewith to enable the man to understand what was the matter with him, and to whom it was he owed his cure, inducing him thereby to have faith in Him. 1. The gazing up to heaven was meant to show him that God alone could help him. 2. The sigh breathed by Jesus was to make him realize what a miserable condition he was in, and to induce him to sigh to heaven for relief. 3. The touching and anointing of his ears and tongue was intended to show him plainly that he owed his cure to Jesus. In her services and in administering the holy sacraments the Church follows the example of her Divine Lord, and makes use of outward and visible signs, whereby to raise our hearts and minds to the supernatural, and make plain to us the invisible effects of the holy sacraments. The man deaf and dumb is a type of the unregenerate. He who is unbaptized is deaf to the supernatural truths of religion and dumb to confess his faith and his own sinfulness. By Baptism the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity are implanted in the soul of man; his spiritual ears are opened to the Divine truth, and his tongue is loosened to confess the faith, and to thank the Redeemer for his benefits. In the rite of Baptism the Church imitates the action of our Lord, the priest touching the child's ears and nose with spittle, while he pronounces the word 'Ephpheta': 'Be opened!' Hearing and speech are gifts of God, and as such should be used rightly. Remember that you have two ears, but only one tongue, --- 538 XXXVI. JESUS PROMISES PETER THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. doubly enclosed behind lips and teeth! "If any man think himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue, this man's religion is vain" (James 1, 26). APPLICATION. Jesus forbade any talk about His miracle, and desired to stop all tokens of honour paid to Him. You do just the contrary. If you have done any good work, you let all the town know it. Follow our Lord's example, and say nothing without necessity that tends to your own credit. JESUS PROMISES PETER THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN [Matthew 16, 13-20. Mark 8, 27-30. Luke 9, 18-21] BEING come to the neighbourhood of Cæsarea Philippi (Fig. 77)$^(1)$ Jesus asked$^(2)$ His apostles, as they went along, who the people said that He was. They replied: "Some$^(3)$, John the Baptist, others, Elias, and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets."$^(4)$ Wishing to hear their own opinion, or, rather, to draw from them a profession of faith, He asked: "But whom do you say that I am?' Simon Peter answered$^(5)$: "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him: "Blessed$^(6)$ art thou, Simon Bar- $^(1)$ Cæsarea Philippi. A heathen city about thirty miles to the north of the Sea of Galilee. $^(2)$ Asked. After He had spent some time in prayer (Luke 9, 18), as He was wont to do before He took any important step. $^(3)$ Some. Say Thou art Ac. $^(4)$ One of the prophets. The people quite believed that Jesus was one of the prophets, risen from the dead, and a precursor of the Messias. That He could be the Messias Himself did not occur to them, in spite of His assertions to that effect, supported as they were by miracles; for they utterly refused to admit the idea that the Messias could come in poverty and humility. After the apostles had thus truthfully related the erroneous opinions of the Jews, our Lord startled them by His earnest and significant question: "But whom do you say that I am?' $^(5)$ Peter answered. Peter had made a similar confession of faith after the promise of the Blessed Sacrament (chapter XXXIV), as had also the other apostles previously (chapter XXXIII); but on this occasion his confession rang out more distinctly and decidedly: "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God", of God, that is, who has life in Himself, and from whom all life proceeds. $^(6)$ Blessed. Our Lord called Simon "blessed" in the strongest sense of the word, as it is applied to the blessed in heaven; because faith in Jesus Christ, the --- XXXVI. JESUS PROMISES PETER THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. Jona, because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but My Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee that thou art Peter¹, and upon this rock² I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the Son of God, is the source of eternal life. Simon did not obtain this faith by flesh and blood, that is to say through the medium of his human senses, which had seen and recognised our Lord's miracles, nor yet by means of his human reason, but entirely by the grace of God, which had enlarged and enlightened his heart. ¹ Thou art Peter. In Greek and Latin the word signifies "rock". The Syro-Chaldaic word used by our Lord is "Cephas", which also means "rock" or "stone". ² This rock, i. e. on thee, as the rock. Thou hast said that I am Christ, the Son of the living God; therefore I say to thee that thou art that which is signified by the name which I gave thee when I first called thee. Thou art the rock on which I will build My Church, so that it may stand firm for ever. On this occasion our Lord fulfilled the promise which He had made two years before, when He first met Simon and said "Thou shalt be called Cephas (Peter)". A wise man, said He at the end of His Sermon on the Mount, builds his house upon a rock; and therefore our Lord meant to build His Church upon a rock, that rock being Peter. And as a consequence the gates of hell should not prevail against it. Hell would throw open its gates, and let all its powers loose against the Church, --- 540 XXXVI. JESUS PROMISES PETER THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. keys$^(1)$ of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose$^(2)$ upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven." COMMENTARY. Witnesses for the Divinity of Christ: 1. Peter testified that Jesus was the Son of the living God. 2. Our Lord accepted and ratified this confession of faith, by calling Himself the Son of the Father who is in heaven, and by calling Peter 'blessed' on account of his faith in His Divinity. 3. Our Lord acted and spoke as God, by giving Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and by promising him a continuous power of binding and loosing—a power which, obviously, only God could give. Faith is a gift of God. The natural reason of the people sufficed to make them understand, from His teaching and miracles, that Jesus was a mighty prophet. But, as our Lord expressly said, supernatural light and grace were necessary to enable them to pierce the veil of His human nature, and recognise in this poor Jesus of Nazareth the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. St. Leo the Great writes thus: "By divine inspiration Peter's mind soared above that which his senses could perceive, and with the eyes of his spirit he recognised the Son of the living God, and the glory of His Divinity." The Church of Christ. Our Lord, in this chapter, said that He would found a Church (one only), and that this Church could not be overcome. At the same time He elected Peter to be its foundation, and clearly chose the other apostles to be its pillars. Thus the twelve apostles, with Peter as their chief, were the foundation of the Church, upon which and into which all men, like so many stones, had to be built. The Church of Christ is, therefore, visible. She is formed of men, and governed by men, who are armed with the divine power of binding and loosing. The faithful owe obedience to this Church of Christ, and he who refuses to obey her is to be regarded as a heathen, who has no part in the kingdom of heaven (chapter XI). but they would be powerless to overcome or destroy her. By the "gates of hell" are, therefore, to be understood all the powers of evil proceeding from hell, or employed by hell. $^(1)$ The keys. By the kingdom of heaven is meant the Church, just compared by our Lord to a building. Now he who possesses the keys of a house has power over that house, and can open and shut it as he will, and can admit or exclude whomsoever he thinks fit, naming the conditions of admission or exclusion. The power of the keys signifies, therefore, the supreme authority over the house and its inhabitants, or, in other words, over the Church and its members. $^(2)$ Bind and loose. By binding and loosing is to be understood the exercise of that supreme authority which includes the power of making and unmaking laws (moral ties), and especially of forgiving or retaining sins and punishments for sin. --- XXXVI. JESUS PROMISES PETER THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 541 The duration of the Church. "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The Church, therefore, can neither be overcome nor destroyed; it will endure till the end of time. Peter is the visible head of the Church and the Vicar of Christ upon earth. Our Lord built His Church upon the rock of Peter (on the rock which is Peter), giving to it an invincible strength and stability. Thus Peter, according to the will of the Divine Architect, is the immovable foundation of the Church. On him the visible Church, and all its pillars and stones (or to speak without figure, all its members) must, mediately or immediately, rest, and by this support be kept together. Whatever does not rest on this foundation, does not belong to the Church of Christ. We must, therefore, accept the fact that Peter occupies quite a unique position in the Church; that he is its supreme head, and that his office is to keep all other members in the unity of the faith, and that he is, in fact, the supreme authority in the Church. This is to be understood by the power of the keys, which was given to Peter. The giving up to another of the keys of a house is understood by all to be the token of the surrender to that person of supreme authority over the house and its inhabitants. So, when our Lord Jesus gave to St. Peter the power of the keys, He gave him supreme authority over His Church, that is, the authority to teach, to judge, and to make laws. The promise which our Lord on this occasion made to Peter, He fulfilled after His resurrection, when He gave him the office of Chief Pastor. By this supreme authority Peter became the visible representative of our Lord Jesus Christ upon earth, and this Primacy of St. Peter must needs continue so long as the Church lasts; in other words, there must be successors of Peter. The Pope. St. Peter became the first Bishop of Rome, and for that reason the Roman Bishop has ever been believed to be the successor of St. Peter in the Primacy. Hence he is called the 'Pope', i. e. the father of all the faithful. The Papacy therefore is of divine institution. The Infallibility of the Pope. The infernal spirit of lies would overcome the Church, if he could succeed in diverting her from the true faith, and plunging her into error. If, therefore, the Church is to be invincible through Peter (that is, through the Papacy), the Pope must be an infallible teacher. Even as far back as the third century St. Cyprian writes: "To the rock of Peter no error can obtain access." APPLICATION. How great is the authority of the Church! It is a divine authority. What a great sin it is to disregard it! Do you faithfully observe the Commandments of the Church? Do you love her august head on earth, our Holy Father, the Pope, and pray for him? --- XXXVII. THE TRANSFIGURATION. THE TRANSFIGURATION [Matthew 17, 1-6. Mark 9, 1-8. Luke 9, 28-36] A SHORT time before His Passion, Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John, and went up to a high mountain¹ to pray. And whilst He prayed, He was transfigured² before them. His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as snow³. And behold, Moses and Elias⁴ appeared, discoursing with Him ¹ A high mountain. Probably Mount Thabor (Fig. 78), which is situated six miles to the south east of Nazareth, and Isaiah 2000 feet high. ² Transfigured. The shining glory of His Divine nature illuminated His Body and even His raiment. ³ As snow. On which the sun is shining ⁴ Moses and Elias. The first, as the representative of the Old Law, and the second, as the representative of the Prophets, came to offer their homage to Jesus and to speak with Him about His accomplishment of the work of Redemption (Luke 9, 31). Elias, who had been translated from this world without tasting of death (Old Test, LXV), appeared in his own body, while the soul of Moses assumed a body, such as the angels assume when they appear visibly. --- XXXVII. THE TRANSFIGURATION. concerning His Passion and Death, which He was soon to suffer for the redemption of the world. Transported with joy¹ at the sight, Peter exclaimed: "Lord, it is good² for us to be here. If Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias." As he was yet speaking, a bright cloud³ overshadowed them⁴, and the Voice of the Eternal Father was heard, saying: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased. Hear ye Him!" The disciples fell prostrate on the ground, terrified⁵ by the heavenly Voice. Then Jesus came to them, and touched them⁶, saying: "Arise, and be not afraid!" When they arose, they saw no one but Jesus alone. As they went down from the mountain, Jesus said to the three disciples: "Tell the vision to no one⁷ till the Son of Man be risen from the dead." COMMENTARY. The Divinity of Christ is proved: a) by the testimony of His heavenly Father, Who, at the time of our Lord's Transfiguration, declared for the second time that Jesus was His beloved Son. b) by the teaching of the apostles, who were eye-witnesses of His divine glory. This glory was visibly manifested at the Transfiguration, and was seen by the three apostles. Therefore St. Peter was able to write in his second epistle (1, 16, 17, 18) thirty-five years later: "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known ¹ With joy. Being quite beside himself with the beauty and glory of his transfigured Lord, and speaking, according to Luke 9, 33, "not knowing what he said". ² It is good. "This is so glorious to us that we wish to remain here for ever." ³ A bright cloud. The token of the immediate Presence of God. Compare this cloud with the cloud into which Moses entered on Mount Sinai (Old Test XXXVI), and with the cloud which rested on the Tabernacle (Old Test XXXVIII). ⁴ Overshadowed them. Namely, Jesus, Moses and Elias. ⁵ Terrified. Because they recognised the Presence of God both in the Voice and in the bright cloud. ⁶ Touched them. To help them to recover themselves, so amazed and shaken were they by all they had seen and heard. ⁷ Tell no one. Our Lord gave them this command, because the time for His being glorified was not yet come. St. Chrysostom writes thus: "Silence was imposed on them, because the greater the things related of the Son of God were, the harder would it be for many to believe, and the greater in consequence would be the scandal of the Cross." It was only by His Resurrection that the stumbling-block of His Death was removed. --- XXXVII. THE TRANSFIGURATION. to you the power and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ: but having been made eye-witnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honour and glory; this voice coming down to Him from excellent glory: "This is My beloved Son in whom I have pleased Myself. Hear ye Him!" And this voice we heard brought from heaven, when we were with Him in the holy mount." c) by our Lord's own prophecy of His Resurrection, when He forbade the apostles to tell what they had seen, till after He had risen from the dead. Jesus is the Messias and Lawgiver of the New Testament. The apparition of Moses and Elias proved Jesus to be the Messias to whom the law and the prophets pointed. They paid homage to Him as their Lord, Who had fulfilled the law and the prophets, and Who by His impending death would release the holy men of the Old Covenant from Limbo, and admit them into heaven. The Voice of the heavenly Father proclaimed Jesus to be the Founder and Lawgiver of the New Covenant, the teaching of which all men are bound to believe, and the commandments of which they are bound to obey. This narrative, therefore, reveals Jesus to us as the Messias, and the Fulfillment of the law and the prophets, the Divine Founder and Lawgiver of the New Covenant, the Redeemer of mankind in all ages, and the centre of the history of the world. Thabor and Golgotha. This glimpse of glory was meant to make such an impression on the three apostles, as to prevent their losing courage or faith when, ere long, they saw their Lord in the hour of His deep abasement, and in that fearful state of suffering, when "there was no beauty or comeliness in Him" (Old Test. LXXII). In fact, the Transfiguration contrasts with the Crucifixion in every respect. In the one, we perceive Christ in wondrous majesty—on either side of Him two Saints—, the revelation of God, and the disciples in rapture. In the other we see our Lord marred and disfigured—on either side of Him two thieves—, abandoned by God, and with Him His sorrowing Mother, the grief-stricken John, and the weeping women. The happiness of heaven. If one passing glimpse of their Lord's glory could fill the apostles with such rapture, how unspeakable must be the happiness of heaven, where the blessed see God face to face, and rejoice in the company of the Saints and angels. Truly it will be good to be there! APPLICATION. While Jesus was praying, He was transfigured. Have you ever been able to watch any one who is praying interiorly and with recollection? You can see devotion on his very countenance, and he is, as it were, transfigured. Prayer raises and ennobles a man, and makes him heavenly. --- XXXVIII. THE TRIBUTE FOR THE TEMPLE. minded, filling him with peace and conformity to God's will. He who prays devoutly feels himself raised and filled with joy. Have you ever prayed thus? Compose yourself carefully before you begin your prayers, and say: "Lord, teach me how to pray!" THE TRIBUTE FOR THE TEMPLE [Matthew 17, 25-26 and 27, 13 19] JESUS having returned with His disciples to Capharnaum, those who collected the annual tribute for the Temple came to Peter and asked: "Doth not your Master pay the didrachma?"¹ Peter replied: "Yes", and went to tell Jesus. But when Jesus saw Peter coming, He said to him: "Of whom do the kings of the earth take tribute or custom? Of their own children, or of strangers?" Peter answered: "Of strangers." Jesus continued: "Then the children are free. But, that we may not scandalize them², go to the sea and cast in a book, and the fish which shall first come up, take; and when thou hast opened its mouth, thou shalt find a stater; take that, and give it to them for me and for thee." Peter did as his Master had commanded. Then Jesus began to upbraid the Pharisees, saying: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left the weightier things of the law, judgment and mercy and faith. These things you ought to have done, and not leave those undone. Bind guides, who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you are like to whited sepulchres, which ¹ Didrachma. A didrachma was half a siele or stater (Fig. 79), that is, about fifteen pence of our money. This was a tax imposed upon every man for the service of the Temple. ² Scandalize them. Our Lord thus carefully observed every law and precept of the Old Covenant, rather than give scandal; but, on the other hand, He judged with great severity those who thought only of the outward observance of the letter of the law, without having any regard for its spirit. KNIGHT, Commentary. 3. ed --- XXXVIII. THE TRIBUTE FOR THE TEMPLE. outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones and of all filthiness. So you also outwardly, indeed, appear to men just, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity!" (See chapter LIX.) COMMENTARY. Peter's Superiority. The manner in which Christ associates Peter with Himself in paying the tribute, is most marked and striking. It is a part of the gracious design that our Lord had upon him in the future. See chapters XXXVI and LXXXII. Divinity of Christ. Our Lord claims to be the Son of Him to whom the Temple belongs, that is, God the Father. As the kings of the earth do not exact tribute from their own children, so neither does God from His own Son. Avoiding of scandal. Our Lord's example shows us that we must avoid even the appearance of giving a bad example. He would have been quite justified in refusing to pay the Temple tax, but He did not refuse lest He should scandalize the weak and ignorant. That which is most important. Whenever our Lord pronounced a "woe" on any one, He signified that such an one was worthy of the everlasting punishment of hell, and therefore He wound up His denunciation of the Pharisees (of which only a portion is given above) by these words: "You serpents! How will you flee from the judgment of hell?" (Mat. 23, 33) But why did our Lord threaten the Pharisees with everlasting punishment? Because they transgressed all the most important precepts of the law without shame and without conscience, and were, all the same, most scrupulous in their minute observance of the less important commandments. Our Lord enumerates the duties of justice, mercy and faith as those which are of most importance, and the Pharisees sinned most glaringly against these by their oppression of widows and orphans, by their unjust extortions, and by their refusal to believe anything that they did not wish to believe. Hypocrisy. Above all, the Pharisees were hypocrites, because they set themselves up for being outwardly just and God-fearing men, whereas their hearts were full of evil and injustice, and without any true fear of God. Hypocrisy or dissimulation is a lie, and is, therefore, a sin against the eighth Commandment. APPLICATION. If you want to know yourself (and without self-knowledge there can be no amendment of life), ask yourself what it is that most easily disturbs you. Do you feel sad when others are praised or rewarded? Do you feel glad when they are blamed or punished? If so, you are full of selfishness and envy. --- XXXIX. JESUS AND THE LITTLE CHILDREN. Are you put out when you cannot have your own way, or if leave is refused you to do something you wish? If so, you are self-willed and disobedient. Never laugh about the sins of others. Remember the offence against God, and pray for the conversion of those who have sinned. Be compassionate towards the poor, and practise self-denial in order to be able to give them alms. Be kind to those of your companions who are sick or in trouble, and try to comfort and cheer them. Examine your conscience on the subject of honesty and straightforwardness. Do you never take anything—such as fruit, sweets &c.—that does not belong to you? When you have committed a fault, do you never tell falsehoods in order to excuse yourself and escape punishment?