VIDEO SERIES
Study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Video Lessons on the “four pillars” of the Catechism
1ST READINGRESPONSORIAL PSALM2ND READINGGOSPELLIFE APPLICATIONCONNECTIONSREFLECTION QUESTIONSPRESENT-DAY VOICESCHURCH FATHERSCATECHISM EXCERPTS
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1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12
Luca Giordano: The Dream of Solomon: God promises Solomon wisdom
Fr. Eamon Tobin's Reflection
The dream of Solomon
FIRST READING—As this chapter in the Book of Kings opens, Solomon consolidates the power he inherits from his father, David. God asks Solomon what gift (what pearl of great price) he desires most of all? He answers:“Wisdom and understanding heart.”
God gives Solomon wisdom and a discerning heart. In Israelite tradition, wisdom has to do with having the ability to attain success in any field of endeavor. Solomon illustrates this very well as he flourishes in governance, in construction, in foreign trade and diplomacy, and in writing proverbs.
Solomon is an example of the ‘wise scribe’ spoken about in the Gospel. Unfortunately, Solomon’s reign as king does not conclude as well as it began, which shows that God’s gifts are not bestowed automatically and permanently, but require continual tending and cooperation on the part of the one to whom they are given.
©2020 Fr. Eamon Tobin. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
Sr. Patricia Stevenson's Reflection
Recognizing God’s gifts
FIRST READING—The story from 1 Kings gives us a picture of a man who sought to understand God’s ways. Solomon, a man whose name is now synonymous with wisdom had a dream in which he was in conversation with God. God said, “Ask for anything and it is yours.” Solomon acknowledges that he has already many gifts from God so asks for a gift that would benefit God’s people. He asks for wisdom, the gift of discernment.
The hidden treasure and the pearl [in today’s Gospel] show us that the gifts of God are all around us. Sometimes they are not immediately obvious. Ask for help to recognise and use yours.
©2005 Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Used with permission.
Fr. Clement Thibodeau's Reflection
God is pleased that Solomon asks for wisdom
FIRST READING—God sometimes communicates with people in dreams (Genesis 20:3; 28:12; 31:11; Joseph in the Second Testament). Solomon has a dream: God says to him, “Ask for whatever!”But Solomon is already wise. He knows how to be modest and humble before God. So, he asks not for wealth or for power, nothing for himself, only for what he needs to be God’s worthy servant as king of God’s people. He asks for the kind of knowledge that will make him effective in his service of God. Solomon will forever be known as the one who knew the treasure worth pursuing.
©2020 Father Clement D. Thibodeau. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
Wisdom that comes from God
FIRST READING—A young King Solomon realizes the wisdom that comes from God is greater than all earthly treasures. When the Lord offers to give Solomon whatever he asks, the young king wisely chooses the spiritual over the material.
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Ps 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-13
The treasure of God’s Law
PSALM—The psalmist declares that the Law of Yahweh is his covenantal inheritance from the Lord that he treasures more than silver or gold. He hopes to live in God’s mercy with the commandments of God’s Law as his guide and his comfort. The psalmist expresses his love for God through his obedience to the Law. Therefore, he is hopeful that the Lord will show him favor by giving him the understanding he needs to live more fully in the light of God’s Law.
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Rom 8:28-30
Fr. Eamon Tobin's Reflection
God has a plan for our lives
SECOND READING—God has a plan for our lives and he is in control of everything. It is his desire that we be refashioned in the image of Christ in a progressive process which he himself directs.
When Paul speaks about those whom God has predestined, he does not mean that God whimsically chooses some to be saved and others to be lost. God’s plan is for all to be saved. This means it is God’s active will that all be saved, but God’s passive will permits each individual to accept or reject God’s salvation.
©2020 Fr. Eamon Tobin. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
Sr. Patricia Stevenson's Reflection
Our unfolding journey into Christ
SECOND READING—This passage from Romans has been presented as a kind of fatalistic approach to life. It doesn’t matter what you do everything is already decided. We are a kind of ROM computer disk; the text is set— it cannot be altered. This of course is not true.
The Jews understood God as a God of Order. The universe has wondrous patterns which cause us to marvel at the connections within and among all creation. Paul outlines in a series of steps the unfolding of the journey into the likeness of Christ which he sees as our imaging of God. Paul believes that, no matter what happens in our life, God can use it for good. In other words God will always cooperate with love, no matter how feeble our efforts.
This is an extension of the previous idea [from last Sunday] about us not being good judges of people. What we might judge as a physical or moral disaster in our lives can be used for good if we keep on trying to be faithful.
God’s sustaining love has always surrounded us: before we were born, in our calling to be Gospel people; in our faltering responses; in our efforts to be faithful; therefore God will be with us in the final stage as well, that is our entering into glory.
©2005 Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Used with permission.
Fr. Clement Thibodeau's Reflection
God will not default on plans of salvation
SECOND READING—Perhaps,some do not yet know for certain that God is in charge of the universe, in control of all the circumstance of our lives. God also protects and guides those who belong to God. The same God is the one who knows all things and who loves supremely.
Surely, there can be no more reassuring words in the whole Bible. In the plan of salvation that God has for all persons, we find comfort and consolation. God will make it happen on our behalf. (The verb tense indicates that God has already made it happen!) Ours is not like the lives of the pagans who are at the mercy of the whims and fatalities of the “fates”or blind powers.
The fact that God has already planned for our salvation does not mean that we have no part to play, nor that we have no choice now. God always respects the freedom given us in creation.
©2020 Father Clement D. Thibodeau. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
God has called the Christian to share in His glory
SECOND READING—God calls us to share in the glory of His eternal Son, and the Kingdom of the Church is the vehicle Jesus gave us to bring us to that glory when, one day, we reach God’s heavenly Kingdom. Saint Paul wrote that all who demonstrate their love for God by seeking His divine will in their lives, believing in all He has taught, and living according to that teaching have received a unique promise. No matter what happens for good or for ill and in success or suffering, all that we experience on our journey of faith is part of God’s divine plan of salvation for our lives. God will turn every experience, even suffering, to the benefit of our salvation if we persevere in faith and obedience and trust God with our lives.
Agape Bible Study by Michal E. Hunt; used with permission.
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Mt 13:44-52 or 13:44-46
Parable of the Hidden Treasure by Rembrandt (c. 1630).
Fr. Eamon Tobin's Reflection
The Kingdom of God is like…
GOSPEL—This Gospel offers three more parables which are intended to give the listener some insight into the Kingdom of God. Jesus does not give us a definition of the reign of God. Instead, he offers some images of what the Kingdom of God is like.
In the first two parables, Jesus says the Kingdom of God is like a buried treasure or a set of fine pearls. When one finds a treasure of pearls and realizes it is the ‘real thing,’ he/she thinks: “This is what I have been looking for all my life.” Stumbling upon the buried treasure of pearls brings great joy. Discovering a “pearl of great price” calls for great commitment symbolized by a willingness to sell all of one’s possessions to purchase the treasure. In the story, both men are willing to joyfully sacrifice all to purchase their new found treasure. No one is pushing them to do this. They want to do it. Message: we must be willing to risk everything in order to join the fellowship of Jesus’ disciples.
The third parable about the dragnet hauling all kinds of things, good and bad, is similar to the wheat and weeds parable. Judgment will happen at the end. Only then will the good be separated from the bad. Like the allegory on the wheat and weeds, this parable is a warning against premature judgment, but also a warning that judgment will take place. Matthew finishes this section of his Gospel by saying: “Every scribe who is learned in the Kingdom of God is like the head of a household who can bring from his store both the new and the old.” Jesus has been speaking in parables to the Pharisees and his disciples. Those who grasp their meaning are like a wise scribe who appreciates not only the old revelation in Moses, but also the new revelation in Jesus. Both shed light on each other, but the new is definite and the fulfillment of the old.
©2020 Fr. Eamon Tobin. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
Sr. Patricia Stevenson's Reflection
God’s vision revealed
GOSPEL—Jesus was first born of a large family. A family comprising people of all nations who believe in a world based on God’s vision, the reign of God. It is by our attentive reading of the scriptures that we are able to increase our understanding of how we might share in this vision.
We do not engage in this search alone, but in the company of those who have studied, discussed, prayed and shared over many centuries and across many cultures. We are blessed today because there are so many good resources available to enhance our hearing of the Word. In the gospels Jesus hints at the vision of God through stories and images. Today two are given.
The treasure and the pearl are linked as they carry a similar theme. The reign of God is like pounamu, opals or diamonds. These are gifts of the earth. It takes a practiced eye to discern the true from the false. Cutting reveals the beauty which lies beneath the dross. The reign of God is like a dealer’s search for that one really rare and valuable pearl.
These parables speak of a strong commitment, a passion which can override other considerations. The person who shares God’s vision for a just, cooperative, kind world will learn to search for ways to bring this vision to light.
©2005 Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Used with permision.
Fr. Clement D. Thibodeau's Reflection
The Kingdom of Heaven is worth more than all else
GOSPEL—These three parables, found only in Matthew, are addressed to the disciples after Jesus has entered into the privacy of a house. They need to know something special. There will be a cost to discipleship that will not be charged to those who are not disciples! So, the disciples need to be comforted in a particular way.
Matthew himself exemplifies the “scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven.” He knows how to bring forth everything needed for the good of his community. He reaches into the living heritage of the community within which has been preserved the stories of Jesus. That is the old. He knows how to apply it to the years of the 80s when he is writing. That is the new.
Our translations are very weak: “the kingdom of heaven is like ….” The Aramaic which lies behind the Greek words here says, “It is the case with the kingdom of heaven as with a buried treasure …, a pearl of great price ….” The focus is with the conclusion of the story rather than with the specific item in the story.
One story has to do with private life: “a buried treasure.” The other has to do with one’s public life or business: “a merchant dealing in pearls.” The kingdom of heaven is about both the private and the public life, what is seen and what is unseen. Politics or public affairs are not exempt from God’s concern.
Parables sometimes contain an element that is not quite ethical, if not downright illegal! The “buried treasure” obviously belonged to someone else. The one who found it goes out and buys the field without disclosing to the owner all that lies in that field. Parables do not have to work in all their elements. Some facts may be extraneous to the point which the speaker wants to make (See Luke 16:1-13; 18:1-8).
The “Net Cast into the Sea” resembles the “Wheat and the Weeds” parable. It emphasizes that only at the end of the world should there be a sorting out of the good and the bad. Again, the fate awaiting those who have not repented is a horrible one. Weeds were used as fuel for cooking meals in a place where there were few trees. Here,Matthew goes beyond reporting what Jesus said: That the bad fish would be thrown out. He adds, “The angels will come; they will deal, not with fish but with evil people. They will throw those into the furnace of fire!”
Philosophers tell us that values are constructs of the human heart and of the human intelligence. A dog does not know the worth of the expensive shoe which he is chewing to pieces. Only persons can evaluate and appreciate that which is valuable. Made in the image and likeness of God, we have the ability to see and to assign value to things. We make judgments. And we go after what we value. We spend our time and our energies pursuing what we perceive to be good for us. The ultimate value has to be what God values.
©2020 Father Clement D. Thibodeau. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
The Kingdom parables continued
GOSPEL—Jesus tells the last three of the seven “Kingdom Parables.” The focus of the last three parables is the Last Judgment at the end of the Age of Humanity, which brings to a close the Messianic Era, the Age of the earthly New Covenant Church in Salvation History (see the chart on the twelve periods of salvation history). Jesus promises that His Kingdom is a treasure for which we should be willing to give up all earthly pursuits and attachments. The Church welcomes all people to join the community of Jesus’ earthly Kingdom (the good and the bad). However, only the righteous souls who fully submit themselves to God and offer Him their undivided love demonstrated by obedience to His commandments will inherit the promise of eternal life in His heavenly Kingdom. Living forever in the presence of God is the unequaled treasure Jesus promises those who live by what St. Paul called “the obedience of faith.”
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Responding to God’s Word
If your “pearl of great price” is someone or something other than God, do something to make God your pearl of great price. St. Augustine says: “Christ is not valued at all if he is not valued above all.”
Life Messages
We should live every moment in view of our precious goal
Most of the time, we are chasing false treasures such as money, status or pleasure. Often, we are locked into regrets over the past, or focused too much on the future. As a result, the enriching present passes us by, and the treasure is never discovered. Thus, the really valuable pearl of sharing in God’s life through Jesus here on earth and later in Heaven is never found.
Let us always remember that Heaven is within the reach of all of us who try to do the will of God, following the ordinary vocations of life and enjoying this world’s joys and pleasures within the framework of God’s Commandments. Right now, it is for us to use the time given to us to go in search of the pearl of great price and to help others in their search. We are challenged to search and discern where the Lord is calling us so that we may know what path to take.
Let us remember that whenever we fight against discrimination, whenever we trust completely in God, whenever our selflessness conquers selfishness, whenever our love overcomes sin and our Faith overcomes suffering, whenever we render humble service to others, we are doing the will of God as it is done in Heaven; Hence, we are already living in the Kingdom of Heaven while we are still on earth.
The pearl of great price in this life is also found in our human relationships: a happy family, good friends, and people who love and accept us, even if neither we nor they are perfect. We must give all we have to possess this great pearl because, through selfishness and self-worship, we can destroy entirely the bond of love joining us to God and each other, a bond that otherwise would flourish, surviving in spite of sickness, disease or geographical distance, and growing stronger when death divides us.
We need to learn the lesson of the dragnet
This parable offers us a lesson in tolerance and compassionate understanding. In this, it resembles the parable of the weeds growing up with the wheat, for both parables teach us that the kingdom is a mixed body of saints and sinners (wheat and weeds; good and rotten fish).
There will be always a temptation for those who feel they are more “faithful” to separate themselves from the “weeds”/” bad fish.” But Jesus reminds us that the final judgment resulting in reward or punishment is God’s work. Thus, we must learn to be patient, compassionate and understanding with those who seem to fall far below the requirements of the Gospel and the Kingdom.
Let us humbly admit the fact that there are only a very few of us who are not a mixture of good and evil and that the good is the result of God’s work within us, while we are responsible for the evil. Let us gratefully declare as St. Paul did, “I am what I am with the grace of God.”
Visit Fr. Tony’s Homilies each week for an introduction to the Sunday readings, scripture lessons, homily starter anecdotes, a summary of each of the scripture readings, and Gospel exegesis. Fr. Tony’s Life Messages have be used with permission.
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Connections
Visit Fr. Tony’s Homilies each week for an introduction to the Sunday readings, scripture lessons, homily starter anecdotes, a summary of each of the scripture readings, and Gospel exegesis. Fr. Tony’s Life Messages have be used with permission.
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Opening Prayer
Jesus, you are our ‘pearl of great price.’ Help us to always remember that and push back against all that seeks to replace you as the top priority in our lives.
Questions
Three sets of questions suitable for individual or group use. Choose one to best fit your purpose and time restraints: Faith Sharing Questions (by Fr. Eamon Tobin), Discussion Questions (by Fr. Clement D. Thibodeau), and Scripture Study Questions (by Vince Contreras).
Scripture Study Questions
1. In the 1st Reading, when God offers to give Solomon whatever he asks, what does the young king ask for? What is God’s response? Can you see yourself asking for the same thing of God? Why or why not?
2. What does the 2nd Reading tell us about placing our trust in God? How does God reward that trust?
3. In the Gospel Reading, what do the parables in verses 44-50 teach about the value of the kingdom? With what emotion and energy should it be pursued?
4. What does the parable of the net teach about the kingdom of heaven? How does it compare with the parable of the weeds (verses 24-30)?
5. Who are the teachers of the old Law who have been instructed in the new Gospel (verse 52)?
6. Compared to the man and the merchant, how valuable is the kingdom to you and why: (a) It’s worth more than anything else. (b) I think I’d miss too much of the other things. (c) I’m not ready to put all my eggs in one basket.
7. Examine how you spend your time, talent and treasure and ask yourself: “What would I sacrifice for the kingdom of heaven?”
© 2017 Vince Contreras. Used with permission.
Closing Prayer
Holy Spirit, fill us with heavenly wisdom. Help us to see what really matters. Give us the strength to follow where you are. Amen.
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Present-Day Voices
Video by Larry Broding. Visit Word-Sunday.com website for detailed commentary and other resources regarding the readings for this Sunday.
Can scripture help us determine who to vote for?
EXCERPT — In August, the Democratic and Republican parties will officially confirm their nominees for the presidential election. We need thoughtful leaders who will govern with the interests of all people in mind, not only a select base. Today’s readings provide insights into governance that can inform how we think about elected officials and whom we elect in November… As we prepare for election season, Scripture reminds us of the wisdom required for leaders to consistently promote the good and care for diverse communities. We similarly need wisdom to choose such leaders.
AMERICA MAGAZINE – Jamie Waters
EXCERPT — A 17-year-old boy was playing basketball in his driveway with his friends. In the course of the game he lost one of his contact lenses. He searched up and down the driveway to find it without success. So he gave up and he went in the house to tell his mother. She undertook the cause and went out to look. In just a few minutes she came in holding the contact lens in her hand. “I don’t get it,” said the boy. “I looked everywhere. How did you do that?” “Well,” she explained, “we were looking for different things. You were looking for a small piece of plastic. I was looking for $300.” What we value determines the search. This truth is captured in today’s gospel parable of the merchant…
BUILDING ON THE WORD – Fr. George Sigma
The “pearl of great price” in the parish
EXCERPT — A parish has its own “pearl of great price.”What is your greatest treasure at St.So-and-So? The oldest person in the parish? The youngest person in the parish? Those preparing to bereceived into the Church? The poor among us? Those who gave an anonymous gift for the repair of the church steeple? The man or woman who started a ministry for alienated Catholics? Perhaps your parish priest or deacon? Perhaps our greatest treasure is not really a person butratherthe love that binds us all to one another! …We can tell what is important to the parish when we look at the annual pastoral plan: How much of personal and financial resources do we assign to each segment of our responsibilities? Do we value buildings more than we do persons? A spiritual inventory will do us all some good!
ECHOING GOD’S WORD – Rev. Clement D. Thimbodeau (1932-2017)
Buried treasure, costly pearls, nets full of fish — are these parables about becoming wealthy?
EXCERPT — Yes, but not as one could think. Jesus tells his disciples about the man who found a buried treasure. It is really all about Discipleship, and when you have the opportunity, you have to do everything that is necessary to possess it. It’s a very subtle point, but notice that the owner of that field isn’t aware that he has a Great Treasure within his grasp! Matthew’s community needed to hear this parable because they were being ostracized by the Jewish community, and had to give up family and friends to be a disciple of Jesus. But if you want the treasure, you have to be willing to pay the price!
MASS HOMILIES – Deacon Joseph Pasquella (Confraternity of Penitents)
EXCERPT — The billions spent on advertising presume, quite successfully, that the foundations of all value and meaning are things, privilege, and self-indulgence…Reformulations of Descartes’s “Cogito ergo sum,” appear as “I want, therefore I am,” “I shop, therefore I am,” “I win, therefore I am. …Some seek pleasures in every variation imaginable. They fall away sated but restless. Some build shrines to the ego’s power. They die alone, unloved, and uncaring. Others collect their things, like the movies’ Citizen Kane, empty of substance. Solomon dreamed long ago that a higher wisdom and deeper joy might be found… For the treasures of his heart, not earthly, Solomon is rightly remembered.
SUNDAY WEB SITE – Father John Kavanaugh, SJ
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The Catena Aurea Commentary
by St. Thomas Aquinas
The Catena Aurea (or, Golden Chain) is a compilation of Patristic commentary on the Gospels and contains passages from the Church Fathers. In this masterpiece, Aquinas seamlessly weaves together extracts from various Fathers to provide a complete commentary on all four Gospels.
Click on banner above to show/hide an annotated list of the Church Fathers that Aquinas compiled in his multi-volume commentary of the Gospels.
Matthew 13:44
44. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
CHRYSOSTOM. The foregoing parables of the leaven, and the grain of mustard-seed, are referred to the power of the Gospel preaching, which has subdued the whole world; in order to shew its value and splendour, He now puts forth parables concerning a pearl and a treasure, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field. For the Gospel preaching is hidden in this world; and if you do not sell your all you will not purchase it; and this you ought to do with joy; wherefore it follows, which when a man hath found, he hideth it.
HILARY. This treasure is indeed found without cost; for the Gospel preaching is open to all, but to use and possess the treasure with its field we may not without price, for heavenly riches are not obtained without the loss of this world.
JEROME. That he hides it, does not proceed of envy towards others, but as one that treasures up what he would not lose, he hides in his heart that which he prizes above his former possessions.
GREGORY. (Hom. in Ev. xi. 1.) Otherwise; The treasure hidden in the field is the desire of heaven; the field in which the treasure is hidden is the discipline of heavenly learning; this, when a man finds, he hides, in order that he may preserve it; for zeal and affections heavenward it is not enough that we protect from evil spirits, if we do not protect from human praises. For in this present life we are in the way which leads to our country, and evil spirits as robbers beset us in our journey. Those therefore who carry their treasure openly, they seek to plunder in the way. When I say this, I do not mean that our neighbours should not see our works, but that in what we do, we should not seek praise from without. The kingdom of heaven is therefore compared to things of earth, that the mind may rise from things familiar to things unknown, and may learn to love the unknown by that which it knows is loved when known. It follows, And for joy thereof he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. He it is that selleth all he hath and buyeth the field, who, renouncing fleshly delights, tramples upon all his worldly desires in his anxiety for the heavenly discipline.
JEROME. Or, That treasure in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3.), is either God the Word, who seems hid in Christ’s flesh, or the Holy Scriptures, in which are laid up the knowledge of the Saviour.
AUGUSTINE. (Quæst. in Ev. i. 13.) Or, He speaks of the two testaments in the Church, which, when any hath attained to a partial understanding of, he perceives how great things lie hid there, and goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that; that is, by despising temporal things he purchases to himself peace, that he may be rich in the knowledge of God.
Matthew 13:45-46
45. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46. Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
CHRYSOSTOM. The Gospel preaching not only offers manifold gain as a treasure, but is precious as a pearl; wherefore after the parable concerning the treasure, He gives that concerning the pearl. And in preaching, two things are required, namely, to be detached from the business of this life, and to be watchful, which are denoted by this merchantman. Truth moreover is one, and not manifold, and for this reason it is one pearl that is said to be found. And as one who is possessed of a pearl, himself indeed knows of his wealth, but is not known to others, ofttimes concealing it in his hand because of its small bulk, so it is in the preaching of the Gospel; they who possess it know that they are rich, the unbelievers, not knowing of this treasure, know not of our wealth. Jerome; By the goodly pearls may be understood the Law and the Prophets. Hear then Marcion and Manichæus; the good pearls are the Law and the Prophets. One pearl, the most precious of all, is the knowledge of the Saviour and the sacrament of His passion and resurrection, which when the merchantman has found, like Paul the Apostle, he straightway despises all the mysteries of the Law and the Prophets and the old observances in which he had lived blameless, counting them as dung that he may win Christ. (Phil. 3:8.) Not that the finding of a new pearl is the condemnation of the old pearls, but that in omparison of that, all other pearls are worthless.
GREGORY. (Hom. in Ev. xi. 2.) Or by the pearl of price is to be understood the sweetness of the heavenly kingdom, which, he that hath found it, selleth all and buyeth. For he that, as far as is permitted, has had perfect knowledge of the sweetness of the heavenly life, readily leaves all things that he has loved on earth; all that once pleased him among earthly possessions now appears to have lost its beauty, for the splendour of that precious pearl is alone seen in his mind.
AUGUSTINE. (Quæst. in Matt. q. 13.) Or, A man seeking goodly pearls has found one pearl of great price; that is, he who is seeking good men with whom he may live profitably, finds one alone, Christ Jesus, without sin; or, seeking precepts of life, by aid of which he may dwell righteously among men, finds love of his neighbour, in which one rule, the Apostle says, (Rom. 13:9.) are comprehended all things; or, seeking good thoughts, he finds that Word in which all things are contained, In the beginning was the Word. (John 1:1.) which is lustrous with the light of truth, stedfast with the strength of eternity, and throughout like to itself with the beauty of divinity, and when we have penetrated the shell of the flesh, will be confessed as God. But whichever of these three it may be, or if there be any thing else that can occur to us, that can be signified under the figure of the one precious pearl, its preciousness is the possession of ourselves, who are not free to possess it unless we despise all things that can be possessed in this world. For having sold our possessions, we receive no other return greater than ourselves, (for while we were involved in such things we were not our own,) that we may again give ourselves for that pearl, not because we are of equal value to that, but because we cannot give any thing more.
Matthew 13:47-50
47. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
48. Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
49. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from the just,
50. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
CHRYSOSTOM. In the foregoing parables He has commended the Gospel preaching; now, that we may not trust in preaching only, nor think that faith alone is sufficient for our salvation, He adds another fearful parable, saying, Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net cast into the sea.
JEROME. In fulfilment of that prophecy of Hieremias, who said, I will send unto you many fishers, (Jer. 6:16.) when Peter and Andrew, James and John, heard the words, Follow me, I will make you fishers of men, they put together a net for themselves formed of the Old and New Testaments, and cast it into the sea of this world, and that remains spread until this day, taking up out of the salt and bitter and whirlpools whatever falls into it, that is good men and bad; and this is that He adds, And gathered of every kind.
GREGORY. (Hom. in Ev. xi. 4.) Or otherwise; The Holy Church is likened to a net, because it is given into the hands of fishers, and by it each man is drawn into the heavenly kingdom out of the waves of this present world, that he should not be drowned in the depth of eternal death. This net gathers of every kind of fishes, because the wise and the foolish, the free and the slave, the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, are called to forgiveness of sin; it is then fully filled when in the end of all things the sum of the human race is completed; as it follows, Which, when it was filled, they drew out, and sitting down on the shore gathered the good into vessels, but the bad they cast away. For as the sea signifies the world, so the sea shore signifies the end of the world; and as the good are gathered into vessels, but the bad cast away, so each man is received into eternal abodes, while the reprobate having lost the light of the inward kingdom are cast forth into outer darkness. But now the net of faith holds good and bad mingled together in one; but the shore shall discover what the net of the Church has brought to land.
JEROME. For when the net shall be drawn to the shore, then shall be shewn the true test for separating the fishes.
CHRYSOSTOM. Wherein does this parable differ from the parable of the tares? There, as here, some perish and some are saved; but there, because of their heresy of evil dogmas; in the first parable of the sower, because of their not attending to what was spoken; here, because of their evil life, because of which, though drawn by the net, that is, enjoying the knowledge of God, they cannot be saved. And when you hear that the wicked are cast away, that you may not suppose that this punishment may be risked, He adds an exposition shewing its severity, saying, Thus shall it be in the end of the world; the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Though He elsewhere declares, that He shall separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; He here declares, that the Angels shall do it, as also in the parable of the tares.
GREGORY. (ubi sup.) To fear becomes us here, rather than to expound for the torments of sinners are pronounced in plain terms, that none might plead his ignorance, should eternal punishment be threatened in obscure sayings.
JEROME. For when the end of the world shall be come, then shall be shewn the true test of separating the fishes, and as in a sheltered harbour the good shall be sent into the vessels of heavenly abodes, but the flame of hell shall seize the wicked to be dried up and withered.
Matthew 13:51-52
51. Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
52. Then said he unto them, Therefore every Scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
GLOSS. (non occ.) When the multitude had departed, the Lord spoke to His disciples in parables, by which they were instructed only so far as they understood them; wherefore He asks them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
JEROME. For this is spoken especially to the Apostles, whom He would have not to hear only as the multitude, but to understand as having to teach others.
CHRYSOSTOM. Then He praises them because they had understood; He saith unto them; Therefore every Scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like unto an householder who bringeth out of his treasure things new and old.
AUGUSTINE. (De Civ. Dei, xx. 4.) He said not ‘old and new,’ as He surely would have said had He not preferred to preserve the order of value rather than of time. But the Manichæans while they think they should keep only the new promises of God, remain in the old man of the flesh, and put on newness of error.
AUGUSTINE. (Quæst. in Matt. q. 16.) By this conclusion, whether did He desire to shew whom He intended by the treasure hid in the field—in which case we might understand the Holy Scriptures to be here meant, the two Testaments by the things new and old—or did He intend that he should be held learned in the Church who understood that the Old Scriptures were expounded in parables, taking rules from these new Scriptures, seeing that in them also the Lord proclaimed many things in parables. If He then, in whom all those old Scriptures have their fulfilment and manifestation, yet speaks in parables until His passion shall rend the vail, when there is nothing hid that shall not be revealed; much more those things which were written of Him so long time before we see to have been clothed in parables; which the Jews took literally, being unwilling to be learned in the kingdom of heaven.
GREGORY. (ubi sup.) But if by things new and old in this passage we understand the two Testaments, we deny Abraham to have been learned, who although he knew indeed some deeds of the Old Testament, yet had not read the words. Neither Moses may we compare to a learned householder, for although he composed the Old Testament, yet had he not the words of the New. But what is here said may be understood as meant not of those who had been, but of such as might hereafter be in the Church, who then bring forth things new and old when they speak the preachings of both Testaments, in their words and in their lives.
HILARY. Speaking to His disciples, He calls them Scribes on account of their knowledge, because they understood the things that He brought forward, both new and old, that is from the Law and from the Gospels; both being of the same householder, and both treasures of the same owner. He compares them to Himself under the figure of a householder, because they had received doctrine of things both new and old out of His treasury of the Holy Spirit.
JEROME. Or the Apostles are called Scribes instructed, as being the Saviour’s notaries who wrote His words and precepts on fleshly tables of the heart with the sacraments of the heavenly kingdom, and abounded in the wealth of a householder, bringing forth out of the stores of their doctrine things new and old; whatsoever they preached in the Gospels, that they proved by the words of the Law and the Prophets. Whence the Bride speaks in the Song of Songs; I have kept for thee my beloved the new with the old. (c. 7:13.)
GREGORY. (ubi sup.) Otherwise; The things old are, that the human race for its sin should suffer in eternal punishment; the things new, that they should be converted and live in the kingdom. First, He brought forward a comparison of the kingdom to a treasure found and a pearl of price; and after that, narrated the punishment of hell in the burning of the wicked, and then concluded with Therefore every Scribe, &c. as if He had said, He is a learned preacher in the Church who knows to bring forth things new concerning the sweetness of the kingdom, and to speak things old concerning the terror of punishment; that at least punishment may deter those whom rewards do not excite.
SOURCE: eCatholic 2000
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Catechism Excerpts
Cannot ignore wound of sin in discerning human situation
A hard battle. . .
407 The doctrine of original sin, closely connected with that of redemption by Christ, provides lucid discernment of man’s situation and activity in the world. By our first parents’ sin, the devil has acquired a certain domination over man, even though man remains free. Original sin entails “captivity under the power of him who thenceforth had the power of death, that is, the devil”.298 Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to serious errors in the areas of education, politics, social action299 and morals.
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Moral decision making in rapport with God’s wil
I. THE JUDGMENT OF CONSCIENCE
1777 Moral conscience,48 present at the heart of the person, enjoins him at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil. It also judges particular choices, approving those that are good and denouncing those that are evil.49 It bears witness to the authority of truth in reference to the supreme Good to which the human person is drawn, and it welcomes the commandments. When he listens to his conscience, the prudent man can hear God speaking.
1778 Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed. In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right. It is by the judgment of his conscience that man perceives and recognizes the prescriptions of the divine law:
1779 It is important for every person to be sufficiently present to himself in order to hear and follow the voice of his conscience. This requirement of interiority is all the more necessary as life often distracts us from any reflection, self-examination or introspection:
1780 The dignity of the human person implies and requires uprightness of moral conscience. Conscience includes the perception of the principles of morality (synderesis); their application in the given circumstances by practical discernment of reasons and goods; and finally judgment about concrete acts yet to be performed or already performed. The truth about the moral good, stated in the law of reason, is recognized practically and concretely by the prudent judgment of conscience. We call that man prudent who chooses in conformity with this judgment.
1781 Conscience enables one to assume responsibility for the acts performed. If man commits evil, the just judgment of conscience can remain within him as the witness to the universal truth of the good, at the same time as the evil of his particular choice. The verdict of the judgment of conscience remains a pledge of hope and mercy. In attesting to the fault committed, it calls to mind the forgiveness that must be asked, the good that must still be practiced, and the virtue that must be constantly cultivated with the grace of God:
1782 Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. “He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters.”53
II. THE FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE
1783 Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings.
1784 The education of the conscience is a lifelong task. From the earliest years, it awakens the child to the knowledge and practice of the interior law recognized by conscience. Prudent education teaches virtue; it prevents or cures fear, selfishness and pride, resentment arising from guilt, and feelings of complacency, born of human weakness and faults. The education of the conscience guarantees freedom and engenders peace of heart.
1785 In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path,54 we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord’s Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church.55
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Seeking will of God in divine law in difficult circumstances
III. TO CHOOSE IN ACCORD WITH CONSCIENCE
1786 Faced with a moral choice, conscience can make either a right judgment in accordance with reason and the divine law or, on the contrary, an erroneous judgment that departs from them.
1787 Man is sometimes confronted by situations that make moral judgments less assured and decision difficult. But he must always seriously seek what is right and good and discern the will of God expressed in divine law.
1788 To this purpose, man strives to interpret the data of experience and the signs of the times assisted by the virtue of prudence, by the advice of competent people, and by the help of the Holy Spirit and his gifts.
1789 Some rules apply in every case:
– One may never do evil so that good may result from it;
– the Golden Rule: “Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.”56
– charity always proceeds by way of respect for one’s neighbor and his conscience: “Thus sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience . . . you sin against Christ.”57 Therefore “it is right not to . . . do anything that makes your brother stumble.”58
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Separation of good and evil at Judgment
V. THE LAST JUDGMENT
1038 The resurrection of all the dead, “of both the just and the unjust,”623 will precede the Last Judgment. This will be “the hour when all who are in the tombs will hear [the Son of man’s] voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.”624 Then Christ will come “in his glory, and all the angels with him. . . . Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. . . . And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”625
1039 In the presence of Christ, who is Truth itself, the truth of each man’s relationship with God will be laid bare.626 The Last Judgment will reveal even to its furthest consequences the good each person has done or failed to do during his earthly life:
1040 The Last Judgment will come when Christ returns in glory. Only the Father knows the day and the hour; only he determines the moment of its coming. Then through his Son Jesus Christ he will pronounce the final word on all history. We shall know the ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and of the entire economy of salvation and understand the marvelous ways by which his Providence led everything towards its final end. The Last Judgment will reveal that God’s justice triumphs over all the injustices committed by his creatures and that God’s love is stronger than death.628
1041 The message of the Last Judgment calls men to conversion while God is still giving them “the acceptable time, . . . the day of salvation.”629 It inspires a holy fear of God and commits them to the justice of the Kingdom of God. It proclaims the “blessed hope” of the Lord’s return, when he will come “to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all who have believed.”630
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God predestines no one to hell
1037 God predestines no one to go to hell;620 for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. In the Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of God, who does not want “any to perish, but all to come to repentance”:621
from your whole family.
Grant us your peace in this life,
save us from final damnation,
and count us among those you have chosen.622
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