I do this to encourage you

Don't give your precious things to pigs

Tuesday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time                     Tuesday, 25 June 2013

Genesis  13:2.5-18.

Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.
Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents,
so that the land could not support them if they stayed together; their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
There were quarrels between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and those of Lot's. (At this time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were occupying the land.)
So Abram said to Lot: "Let there be no strife between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are kinsmen.
Is not the whole land at your disposal? Please separate from me. If you prefer the left, I will go to the right; if you prefer the right, I will go to the left."
Lot looked about and saw how well watered the whole Jordan Plain was as far as Zoar, like the LORD'S own garden, or like Egypt. (This was before the LORD had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
Lot, therefore, chose for himself the whole Jordan Plain and set out eastward. Thus they separated from each other;
Abram stayed in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the Plain, pitching his tents near Sodom.
Now the inhabitants of Sodom were very wicked in the sins they committed against the LORD.
After Lot had left, the LORD said to Abram: "Look about you, and from where you are, gaze to the north and south, east and west;
all the land that you see I will give to you and your descendants forever.
I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth; if anyone could count the dust of the earth, your descendants too might be counted.
Set forth and walk about in the land, through its length and breadth, for to you I will give it."
Abram moved his tents and went on to settle near the terebinth of Mamre, which is at Hebron. There he built an altar to the LORD.

Ps 15(14):2-3a.3bc-4ab.5.

He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
Who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.


Who harms not his fellow man,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.

Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.

Matt 7:6.12-14.

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.

Commentary:

 Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he

Would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every colour of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band -- he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

 Then unexpectedly, a sinister thought entered his mind. Why should the other man alone experience all the pleasures of seeing everything while he himself never got to see anything? It didn't seem fair. At first thought the man felt ashamed. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded

into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and he found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - that thought, and only that thought now controlled his life. Late one night as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running in. In less than five minutes the coughing and choking stopped along with that the sound of breathing. Now there was only silence-deathly silence. The following morning the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take it away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

 Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Now I know very few people read these reflections so I can be more honest in what I say (rather than the priest in the pulpit who is scared of deterring his followers from contributing to the collection by delivering a challenging sermon).
I write these not to impress people with my spiritual insights or to upset people, but to encourage those who struggle.

But this very brief passage from Matthew is filled with import.
Jesus warns us to not waste our time with people who will not appreciate the value of what we are offering.
I knew this in regards to talking about religion when I was preparing couples for marriage.
How I would love to share with them the beauty of our Catholic faith but I knew they would not understand. They were too focussed on themselves and their goals.
But Jesus warns us to make an effort to reach the eternal life that is hard to get into. He says the gate is narrow which means we should be tightening our belts to fit in. Stripping from ourselves the things (and people) that don't matter or are weighing you down unnecessarily will allow you to keep walking on with a quicker stride to achieve the purpose you were given life for.
Blessings on your day!
Kevin Lee