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 seem lost in translation. This may be one of them.
So, what exactly did Jesus mean?
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To the early Christians, these words had an implicit exclusiveness; an “us versus them” mentality.
Jesus makes the distinction here between what is holy versus what is unholy; between what is thrown to dogs versus what is kept; between pearls and pigs.
Christians saw themselves as the “holy” ones; the pearls; the ones who were saved. If they were to follow Christ faithfully, then they needed boundaries to protect themselves.
Associating with non-believers and giving into temptation watered down their faith.
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You and I are no different. We must work hard to nurture our faith.
What boundaries have I erected to guard my heart? How do I protect the pearl of my faith?
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“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine.”
Protect it, lest you lose it.
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Image credits: (1) Scott on Scripture, WordPress.com (2) Justice Versus Conscience (3) Theworldlyrice
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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Why is it so harmful to judge other people?
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Because judgments lead to generalizations.
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For example, if a child is bitten by a dog once, then he or she can develop a fear of dogs. Suddenly, every dog is dangerous.
Or, if you have one bad meal at a restaurant, it’s easy to say, “I’ll never go there again.”
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While we need to make certain judgment calls to protect ourselves, what Jesus warns us about is judging the morality or character of another person based upon a single action.
For example, if we judge someone for losing their temper once, then it it’s easy to say, “Oh, he’s an angry person.”
Or, if someone makes one impure joke, it’s easy to say, “That’s an impure person.”
But it’s not the business of Christians to be the confident moralist who passes judgement on those who stumble – not publicly, and not in the silence of our hearts.
As Mother Teresa once said, “If you spend all your time judging other people, then you have no time to love them.”
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Perhaps we should examine our hearts today and consider how we see other people. Have we developed unfair judgments of others?
Or do we readily forgive and offer a second chance?
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“For as you judge,” Jesus says, “so you will be judged.”
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Image credits: (1) Aldersgate United Methodist Church (2) Quotespedia.org (3) Truthfollower.com
Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, “Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.” He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.” They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.” Now the men there numbered about five thousand. Then he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty.” They did so and made them all sit down. Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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I converted to Catholicism during my second year in college.
I wasn’t raised with much religion – I was baptized a Christian, but only went to church a handful of times afterwards.
I remember soul searching as a teenager, though, asking some of life’s bigger questions:
“Is there a God? Why is there evil? Why are so many born into poverty and violence? If God exists, does he know me? Does he have a plan for my life?”
Back then, my aunt attended a non-denominational mega church, so I reached out to her and asked her to take me. That became my only experience of Christianity until I reached Seton Hall University.
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In college, I went to Mass for 100 Sundays, often sitting in the last pew, wondering what all of these Catholic gestures meant.
Why was there so much sitting, standing, kneeling, and responding? It seemed strange to me.
Then there was the Eucharist.
I remember clearly saying to myself, “That’s either Jesus or it is not. If it is, then I must have Him.”
But how would I know the difference?
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I started reading the bible from cover to cover.
All of the miracles Jesus performed – from the multiplication of the loaves to the raising of Lazarus – pointed towards this pivotal moment. If the Lord could turn water into wine, then why could he not turn wine into his Precious Blood?
After all, the focus of Jesus’ ministry was healing people. It only makes sense that on the last night of his life on earth, he’d want to give us the only thing he had left: his Body and Blood.
His presence in our lives would be forever assured.
John’s Gospel makes this clear.
In chapter 6, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life…whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
Dictionaries have been written over the centuries explaining why we believe this – why the Eucharist is the Promised Presence of Christ.
But instead of delving into theology, allow me to share why Eucharist is so meaningful to me. And, perhaps, why it may be so meaningful to you.
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Each morning at Mass as I approach the altar and place the host in my hand, Christ repeats those sacred words through me, “This is my Body…This is my Blood.”
While it is he offering himself for us, I take that moment as an invitation to offer myself for you, as well.
In the silence of my heart, I pray in union with the Lord, saying, “This is also my body, my heart, and my life given up for this community of faith.”
Every homily written, every Mass, every baptism, wedding, or funeral celebrated is my way of giving myself up for you.
It’s how I participate in Christ’s command, “Do this in memory of me.”
Strangely enough, giving myself away has only increased my sense of purpose, my inner peace, and overall happiness in life.
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Haven’t we all answered that command to some extent?
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Think about all of the tiny sacrifices we make for one another throughout the day, allowing us to say with the Lord, “This is my body, this is my blood, this is my time, my heart, my life given up for you.”
We answer that call for our family members.
I think of pregnant mothers who share their bodies with their unborn children; young parents who sacrifice sleep and sanity to raise their children; parents who never miss a sports game or school ceremony; others who care for elderly parents or a spouse.
We answer the call within our community.
Think of the volunteers who run our parish soup kitchen; those who stand at the door and greet; those who teach in our CCD program; those who serve on staff; and those who are helping to rebuild our parish ministries.
I think of the countless frontline medical workers, fire fighters, police officers, and members of our military who risk their lives every day for our safety.
The examples are endless, but the call is the same. In the words of Saint Augustine: “Become what you are: the Body of Christ.”
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In what ways do I answer the call to become like Christ, offering myself for others?
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On this Feast of Corpus Christi, may we all unite ourselves to Him, who first loved us and gave himself for us, but then concludes, “Do this in memory of me.”
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Image credits: (1) A Flower of God (2) The Lord’s Supper, Pinterest (3) Joanne Viola, Bread and Wine
