Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Matthew 7:6, 12-14

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the Law and the Prophets.“Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,
and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine.”

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There are a few phrases in the Gospels that can get lost in translation. This is one of them. 

Sometimes taking the Lord’s words out of context, or trying to impose our own meaning upon them, can be misleading.

So, what exactly does Jesus mean? 

Perhaps it’s best to pull his words back layer by layer.

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We begin with opposing images: throwing what is sacred before dogs, and pearls before swine.

The Jews considered dogs and pigs to be unclean animals. Thus, an easy – and incorrect – interpretation of this passage might lead us to conclude that only Christ’s Jewish followers were the “holy” ones; the rest of humanity, the Gentiles, were like swine.

Defiled. Condemned.

But we know from later Gospel texts that this is not true. As the Lord himself says, “I have come that they [all of us] may have life in abundance” (John 10:10).

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A deeper discernment of this text might lead us to consider that Jesus is not making a distinction between Gentiles and Jews, rather those who are holy versus those who are defiled within the Christian community.

It’s an unfortunate truth, but there will always be a “Judas” among us. The weeds will grow with the wheat until the Lord returns. Only then will his judgment upon the world be definitive, separating good from evil once and for all.

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However, we might take Christ’s words even further. While it’s easy enough to distinguish between those who are “holy” versus those who are “unholy,” Christ’s words should provide a word of caution to us all.

As one Russian novelist wrote, “If only it were so easy, but the dividing line between good and evil cuts through every human heart.” There may be holy and unholy sides to us all.

May the Lord in his mercy come to our aid, removing from us that which does not serve him, making our soul like a shiny pearl, pure and blameless in his sight.

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Image credits: (1) Merriam Webster (2) Turner Fine Art (3) Instagram

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Gospel: Matthew 7: 1-5

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Sight is a curious thing. 

Our eyes allow us to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation – the glow of sunrise, the twinkle of the stars at night, the blue of water, the face of our beloved. 

But it can also be misused to judge and criticize the imperfections of other people without noticing our own.

This is the irony of the eye. 

It cannot see itself. Nor can it look inward. Eyes can only look outward, allowing us to see one of two possibilities: beauty or imperfection. 

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Which of the two do I tend to focus on? 

In particular, what do I see when I look upon other people, either beauty or imperfection?

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No one is perfect.

“All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God,” Saint Paul says. 

Sometimes it is right and necessary to correct a friend, a neighbor, or a colleague who has done wrong.

But before criticizing someone else, the Lord commands us to take an honest look within, making sure that we are not guilty of the same offense – or a greater one – lest we be hypocrites.

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Perhaps today we can set the tendency to notice imperfection aside, focusing on what always surrounds us: the glow of sunrise, the twinkle of the stars at night, the blue of water, the face of our beloved.

The beauty of God’s creation.

You and me.

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Image credits: (1) Facebook (2) The Parable of the Mote and the Beam, Domenico Fetti, Metropolitan Museum of Art (3) Thegoodsayings.in

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Gospel: Matthew 10: 26-33

Jesus said to the Twelve:
“Fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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What is one of the most common sayings in the bible?

“Do not be afraid.”

It appears more than 100 times – three of which occur in today’s Gospel.

Jesus is sending his disciples out into the world to continue his ministry, and he knows the first hurdle they must overcome is fear.

The disciples are not afraid of following Jesus; they marvel at his power and bask in his fame. What they are afraid of is being his witnesses – of going out and preaching the Gospel to all nations.

The same is often true of us. 

We love Jesus. We enjoy listening to him and learning from him. But when our faith moves from a private to a public sphere, we can become afraid – afraid of speaking out; afraid of stepping into the unknown; afraid of placing our fate into God’s hands.

“Do not be afraid,” Jesus says, “every hair on your head is counted; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

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Consider a few other moments in the New Testament when this phrase – “do not be afraid” – occurs.

They are some of the first words spoken by the Angel Gabriel to Mary when he reveals God’s plan for her. Reading her heart, Gabriel says to Mary, “Do not be afraid. You have found favor with God.” 

And so Mary says humbly, “Let it be done unto me according to your word.”

Or, thirty years later, the first time the disciples are without Jesus. A storm breaks out on the Sea of Galilee, one so strong that these professional fishermen fear they are drowning! Suddenly, they see Jesus walking on the water towards them, mistaking him for a ghost.

Approaching them on the waves, Jesus says to them, “Do not be afraid.” Then he stills the sea, calming their fears.

Then at the Last Supper, the night before Jesus’ death, he tells his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” To be “troubled” meant to be overwhelmed by the fear of death. The Lord would no longer be with them physically. Change was coming. 

But so was the Holy Spirit. 

And when the tomb was empty that first Easter morning, the angels say to a tearful Mary Magdalene, “Do not be afraid. You are looking for Jesus, but he has been raised from the dead.” 

After seeing him, Mary runs off to share the Good News of the resurrection with the others. 

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God is constantly comforting people in the bible as they face their fears. The same can be true of us today.

So, what am I afraid of?

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It could be something physical like spiders or snakes.

But then there’s a deeper, more subtle type of fear that can influence – even control – our decisions. It could be the fear of rejection; failure; loneliness; loss; or losing control.

When not brought before the Lord in prayer, these fears can stifle us. But the Lord says to us what he once said to his disciples before sending them out on mission, “Do not be afraid, every hair on your head is counted; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

God is watching over every step we take.

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Interestingly, the word “trust” appears in the bible nearly as many times as the word “fear” does. As it’s written in the Book of Proverbs, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Trust in the Lord and he will act.”

It’s a lesson that Mary, the disciples, and every Christian must learn. At times fear can threaten to overwhelm us. But God is with us, assuring us that we shall not be overcome.

As the Lord says at the conclusion of the Gospels, “Do not be afraid. I have overcome the world.”

May we place our trust in him today.

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Image credits: (1) GodSongs.net (2) Psephizo (3) God Pictures