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.
***
***
There are plenty of acronyms and sayings in modern American English that would make no sense to people living back in Jesus’ day. Some examples include:
BYOB.
RSVP.
I have the blues.
Or, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin.
***
We find the reverse happening in today’s Gospel. Jesus uses a saying that might’ve made sense 2,000 years ago, but is lost in translation today:
“Do not throw what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine… lest they turn and tear you to pieces.”
What on earth does he mean?
***
Christ is cautioning his disciples, urging them to protect their budding faith, the new relationships they are forming, and the culture of faith-sharing he’s building.
Do not throw these precious things – these “pearls” – before those who will not appreciate them. Otherwise, they might be ruined.
While the early Christians were commissioned to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth – as we still are today – they also needed to form boundaries against those who were sinful, unrepentant, or non-believers.
This might’ve even included friends or people in their own family.
You and I can benefit from such a reminder today. While we live in the world, we are not of it. Be careful not to let the doubt, the skepticism, or growing anti-Christian values in our culture into your heart, lest your faith be weakened.
***
When you come across such people or moments who tempt your faith, you might say, “Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin.”
***
***
Image credits: (1) Popular Sayings, Writer of Pop Culture (2) illustAC, pig and pearls (3) Austin Davis, 3:24 YouTube
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
The Gospel of the Lord.
***
***
Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born…and the day you know why.”
***
In today’s Gospel, we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist. From the moment of his birth, people were wondering, “Why was he born? What will this child become?”
They suspected John had a divine purpose. But they’d have to wait another thirty years to find out what it was.
Eventually, John built up the kingdom of God by leading thousands of people to Jesus.
***
John reminds us that we all have a “why,” a reason for our lives. Part of life is spent discovering that purpose, which may change over time.
The rest of life is spent living it out.
In my own case, I know I was born to be a priest. Thirty-nine years ago, while the Lord was knitting me together in my mother’s womb, he was also planting the seed of a vocation – a call to love and serve his people.
How grateful I am to have found my purpose, and to share that with all of you.
***
Have you found your “why?” Has it changed over time? Are you still searching?
***
“I know well the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “Plans for your benefit, not for woe… You will find me when you seek me, when you seek me with all of your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
There is a purpose for each day of our lives. While the particulars may vary, ultimately every purpose is connected with that of John the Baptist: to draw others closer to Jesus.
How might we do that today?
***
***
Image credits: (1) Happify.com (2) Saint John the Baptist as a Child, William Bouguereau (3) Proverbs Mama, WordPress
On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
The Gospel of the Lord.
***
***
There’s a riddle I’m sure we all heard as children:
Why did the chicken cross the road?
To get to the other side.
***
Similarly, why does Jesus tell his disciples to get into the boat?
To get to the other side.
***
It seems so simple, yet it’s difficult to maintain that focus while listening to today’s Gospel passage.
I’m sure most of us were imagining the storm: Peter and the others staggering like drunkards, trying to right the ship, terrified they’re knocking on death’s door.
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Peter cries out to awaken a sleeping Jesus.
After rebuking the wind and the waves, the Lord looks at him and says, “Do you not yet have faith?” … As if Peter has nothing to fear.
Stunned, he and the others wonder, “Who then is this whom even the wind and the sea obey?”
***
This Gospel story leaves us much to ponder about our own relationship with God.
***
It begins with Christ’s invitation to step into the boat.
Although the Sea of Galilee is familiar territory – some of the disciples were fishermen – the fact that Jesus tells them to get into the boat means that something new is happening; this isn’t any ordinary trip.
As the sun sets over the hills, the disciples enter into the slow crawl of darkness, into the night – and figuratively, into the unknown.
When the violent squall comes rushing in, they’re tossed about, and, eventually, Peter cries out in fear, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
Peter’s use of the title teacher – “rabbi” – is one of respect, but not of belief. If Peter were addressing Jesus in faith, then he would’ve used a title he uses later, Lord.
In questioning Jesus, Peter is placing the blame on him for leading them into the storm, saying essentially, “You told us to get into the boat…now we are about to drown! Why would you do this to us?”
Making matters worse, Jesus was sleeping comfortably on a cushion while the disciples fought for their lives.
***
Have you ever had a moment like Peter’s? Have you had that sinking feeling in your stomach like you’re going to drown – not necessarily in water, but in debt, fear, anxiety, grief, or depression?
And when those powerful waves of emotion arise, how many of us feel like we’ve bumped into a sleeping Jesus, leaving us wondering, “Lord, do you not care?”
***
While our prayers can – and often do – awaken the Lord, perhaps the deeper invitation is to remain calm while drifting in the night. As the Psalmist says, “the floods of water may reach high, but you they shall not overcome.”
Look at Peter. While he’s staggering in fear, he fails to accept that Jesus is enduring the storm with him; Jesus is also being tossed about by the wind and waves; he, too, must be soaked in water.
If their boat sinks, then everyone is in trouble!
And yet, the Lord remains calm, even to the point of being able to sleep, because he has absolute trust in his Father.
This is the same type of faith that Jesus is trying to elicit from his disciples – and us. “Why are you terrified?” he questions. “Do you not yet have faith?”
***
Part of having faith in the Lord involves remembering why he invited the disciples into the boat in the first place … to get to the other side.
They’re crossing the Sea of Galilee so that Jesus can preach, heal, and save those in Gentile territory. They, too, need the Gospel message.
The storm is merely a temporary obstacle to overcome; or, better yet, to be endured. The Lord rests in order to conserve his energy for the real challenges ahead. Meanwhile, Peter and the others have exhausted themselves.
***
The same can be true in our own lives. God is always guiding our journey, leading us into new chapters or terrain – whether that’s in our career, our marriage, our family, or our spiritual life.
There may be storms along the way, but that doesn’t mean we’re headed in the wrong direction or that we’ll be overcome.
Rather, curl up next to the Lord, even if he’s asleep on a cushion, and trust in him, whom, “even the wind and the sea obey.”
Then you, too, will make it to the other side.
***
***
Image credits: (1) Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt (2) FreePik (3) While Jesus slept, In-Between
