(Matthew 2:16) QUESTION 1. THE HUMBLE COMPARED TO HOLY INNOCENTS. — In the expression: All children were murdered from two years old down, it means that the humble who have charity in their double aspect1, are able to die for Christ as well as those children of two years. (Matthew 10:27) QUESTION 2. FROM THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL. — "What I say to you in darkness," that is to say; now that you are still slaves of carnal fear, because fear seeks darkness; "Say it to the light," that is, with the confidence that the truth gives, when you have received the Holy Ghost: "And what you are told in your ear, preach it. on the rooftops," in other words, what you have heard in secret, announce it, after having trampled the contemplations of the flesh.
(Matthew 10:34-36) QUESTION 3. DIVISIONS THAT WILL TAKE PLACE AMONG MEN, FOLLOWING THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL. —"Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth; I did not come to bring peace, but the sword; because I came to separate the man from his father.” The one who renounces the devil had it as his father. “And the daughter with her mother:" God's people from the city of this world, I mean, the corrupt society of the human race, called in Scripture sometimes Babylon, sometimes Egypt, sometimes Sodom, and other names again. "The daughter-in-law of her mother-in-law," the Church of the Synagogue, to whom Christ, who is the husband of the Church, owes his birth according to the flesh. Now these divisions are affected by the spiritual sword, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:17). "And man will have for enemies those of his house," to whom the most intimate relations previously united him. (Matthew 8:1-3) QUESTION 4. HEALING A LEPER. — Having come down from the mountain, where he had taught his precepts to the disciples and to the crowd of the people, "he heals a leper, as soon as he laid his hand upon him:" to those who questioned whether to fulfill these same precepts Jesus Christ makes it known that he can by his help heal this kind of leprosy. (Matthew 8:20) QUESTION 5. WHAT IT TAKES TO FOLLOW JESUS. — The Lord said to the doctor of the law who wanted to follow him: "The foxes have dens, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of man has no place to rest his head.” It is meant here that that individual, impressed by the miracles of the Lord, wished to follow him, but only in a thought of vain glory, of which the birds are the figure: he had the good dispositions of a disciple only from the deceptive outside, figured by the foxes. As for this expression: "do not have where to rest his head," it marks the humility of the Savior, for whom there was no place in the heart of this deceitful and proud man. (Matthew 8:22) QUESTION 6. THE DEAD OF THE TIME. — “Let the dead bury their dead.” Jesus Christ hears by the dead those who do not believe; and by that expression, their dead, those who have left life without having faith. QUESTION 7. CONDUCT TO BE KEPT BY THE APOSTLES, WHEN THEY ARE PUSHED BACK. — “Shake off the dust from your feet:" either as a testimony of the painful labor, vainly undertaken in their favor; in order to show them how far you do not wish to take any earthly advantage from them, since you will not suffer even if the dust of their country adheres to your clothes.
(Matthew 10:16) QUESTION 8. PRUDENCE OF THE SERPENT AND SIMPLICITY OF THE DOVE. — “Be careful, then, like serpents”, keeping your head, which is Jesus Christ, to preserve you from evil. For the serpent exposes his whole body, in danger, to protect his head; to get rid of his skin and make a new one, he also forces his body to go through narrow cracks. This is what those who hear this saying imitate: "Enter by the narrow door (Matt. 7:14)," stripping off the old man. If Jesus Christ had wanted the flight of evil to reach violent resistance against the wicked, he would not have said before I send you like sheep among the wolves. But he wants his disciples to be as simple as doves, so as not to harm anyone. This bird does not kill any other animals; not only of those who are great, and against whom he is without strength, but also of the least, of those who make the very food of sparrows. Now, there is a certain society among all animals deprived of reason, just as there is also the society formed of rational beings, that is to say, men, not only among themselves, but also with the angels. This comparison drawn from the dove teaches them to do no harm to any member of this society of reasonable beings. (Matthew 11:27)
QUESTION 9. FROM THE CONFESSION OF PRAISE. — "I confess, O my Father, Lord of heaven and earth.” It should be noted that confession here refers to the praise of God. For our Lord did not confess sins that he did not commit; he is moreover remarked by another Evangelist, that he thus expressed himself in the midst of a transport of joy (Luke 10:21); lastly, the terms themselves leave no doubt as to the meaning they contain, that is to say, praise of God. Scripture therefore generally calls confession, the public expression of what we think. So when Our Lord says, "If any man confesses me before men, I will confess him also before my Father"; Or as we read elsewhere: "before the angels of God"; In this confession of Christ there is obviously no question of the confession of sins. If anyone believes that this confession relates to what we see in times of persecution, where the name of Christ is objected to as a time, then I ask if Christ will also confess in this way before his Father and before the angels whoever confessed it himself? Here is what we read in Ecclesiastes (29:20-21): "You will say this in your confession: The works of the Lord are all supremely good." There is no doubt that in this passage it is a question of the celebration of the praises of God. I make these reflections to enlighten our unreflecting brethren, who hear this word of confession to reading, hurry to the breast, without paying attention to the circumstances of the story, as if the confession could never have another object that confession of sins.
(Matthew 12:1-8) QUESTION 10. BROKEN EARS ON THE SABBATH. — To the Jews it seemed unlawful for the disciples to pluck ears on the Sabbath day. And in response there is a first example of the royal authority of David, and another of the priests, who break the Sabbath by their ministerial service in the temple. It follows that the crime of plucking ears on Saturday was much less in the case of who is the true King and true Priest, and therefore Lord of the Sabbath.
(Matthew
13:25-30.36-43)
QUESTION 11. THE TARES SOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WHEAT. — “But while the men slept, his enemy came, and sowed tares in the midst of the wheat, and departed.” When those responsible for the Church were negligent, or when the time came for the death of the Apostles, the devil came and planted that kind of men that the Lord calls bad sons. But does he want to talk about heretics, or Catholics whose conduct is bad? This is an important question. For heretics can also be counted among the wicked children, since before their birth, to the same seed of the Gospel and bearing the name of Christ, they let themselves be led to the teachings of error by depraved opinions. But as it is reported that the tares were sown in the midst of wheat, it seems that the gospel means here the Christians united by the same communion: However, the Lord by field does not mean only the Church, but this whole world. For this reason we can understand the heretics, who in this world are mixed with the good, not because they belong to the one Church, or because they profess the same faith, but because they have the same name as Christians. According to this interpretation, those who are evil in the bosom of the true faith must be considered straw rather than tares; for straw has in common with wheat the root and the stem. Whether it is a question of bad Catholics in the parable of the net, where good and bad fish are collected, there is certainly nothing reasonable about it. For another is the sea, which better represents the world; Another is the net which seems to be the communion in the unity of faith or of the Church. There is this difference between heretics and bad Catholics, that heretics cling to error; while Catholics, while believing the truth, do not conform their conduct to their belief. It is also commonly asked how schismatics differ from heretics: and what makes schismatics is not the difference of faith, but the separation of the communion of the Church. But should we consider them as tares? On this point, doubt is allowed. They seem rather to resemble the degenerate ears, according to this word of Scripture: "The perverse child will be corrupted by the wind (Wis. 1:4):" or also the broken edges of the spikes, or torn off and separated from the harvest: Indeed they are slender, that is, the more beautiful they are, the more they are fragile and light. It does not follow, however, that every heretic and every schismatic be separated from the body of the Church. But if anyone attaches to errors about God, one has some point of doctrine that relates to the edifice of faith, to the point of not hesitating as a man who seeks, but to believe firmly, and having the right knowledge to stick to his erroneous opinions, he is thereby heretical and separated from the soul of the Church, although he seems to belong to this body. Many such as these have the Church in their midst, because they do not defend their erroneous doctrines, pretending to gain followers. If they worked like that, they would be expelled. There are also those who hate the good, looking for any opportunity to reject or degrade them. Others are willing to defend their personal crimes, to the point that if they are betrayed or discovered, they are willing to form sectarian groups, or to stir up riots against the Church. These are already schismatics and in their hearts they are separated from unity, although for lack of evidence or for concealment of their actions, they remain in external coexistence with the mystery of the Church. We properly have as bad Catholics only those who believe everything that belongs to the doctrine of faith, and even when they do not know something, they feel compelled to inquire, arguing with pious respect, without prejudice against the truth; the good ones, or those whom they consider good, love and honor them as best they can; However, his conduct is deviant and criminal, contrary to the convictions that his faith dictates. These, although they are publicly denounced and corrected, or even excommunication is reached, as the ecclesiastical discipline and their own salvation demand, in no way do they think that they should withdraw from the Catholic communion: if they are willing to look for a way to repair their bad behavior, somehow they are allowed to continue. And sometimes it happens, as a result of this penance, that they become clean wheat, whether by correction, or by expulsion, or simply frightened by the Word of God, without a personal accusation or rebuke being necessary. It may happen that those who are in this condition of penitents, live exactly as before, or slightly less, and even worse. And yet, in no way are they separated from Catholic unity. If they were surprised by death in such conditions, they will be considered straw for all eternity. Of this they are convinced, and if they have other beliefs and maintain them tenaciously, they would have to be counted among the heretics. They would be sure that God grants forgiveness to all, including those who persevere in serious faults until the end of their lives, for the mere fact of having remained in unity with the Church moved not by sincere love, in which case their conduct It would be good, but out of fear of punishment. But they do not believe in things like that, or at least they are not firmly convinced, although sometimes they have doubts. What really makes them fall for the deception is to trust in the future: they go long and think that over time they will come to dominate themselves and change their perverse behavior. But against them it is written: “Do not delay in turning to God, nor do you go long from one day to the next; for his anger will come suddenly and in the time of revenge he will reject you.” (Eccles. 5:8-9) In fact, those who convert are those who begin to live righteously. And to become this is to turn to God. Those who persevere in following their desires, somehow turn their backs on God, (Cf. Jer. 32:33) although they remain in the unity of the Church and often make efforts to look at it by twisting their necks. As the prophet says, these are pure flesh, a breath that passes and does not return. (Ps. 77:39) However, as we have already said, because of the identity of their faith and their unity with the Church, they cannot be considered as tares, since the tares have a diverse root; nor are the edges of the spikes, which have the audacity to impose on the wheat with harsh and high, thus fragile disagreements. In spite of being part of the wheat plant, they belong to the straw that will be separated when the definitive moment arrives to fan the era. (Cf. Matt. 3:11) Good Catholics are those who keep faith and good works intact. As for the doctrine of faith, if any doubt arises in them, they try to clarify it, avoiding any dangerous controversy, both for the one seeking the solution and for the one to whom it is consulted, and also for those who can listen to the discussion. If they have been entrusted with the task of teaching some doctrine, in the case of truths of the common domain and already confirmed, they impart them with security, firmness and with all the sweetness of which they are capable. If, on the other hand, these are uncommon topics, even if for them it is an entirely clear truth, they take into account the weakness of the audience, and they teach it as who is in search, rather than as a teacher who insures and who imposes. If it is the case that a truth has such difficulty that it exceeds the forces of the disciple, it must be suspended until its capacity has matured; it does not happen that the imposed burden crushes whoever is still as a toddler. To this the words of the Lord allude: “When the Son of man comes, do you think he will find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8) Sometimes we will have to hide some truths, but infusing them with courage and hope, so as not to increase their discouragement, but so that the desire to learn to expand your capacity. The Lord himself referred to this point when he said: “I have many things to say to you; but you cannot take them for now.” (Jn. 16:12) But in regard to behavior, the teachings are very clear and brief: we must fight against the love of temporary goods, not to make us their slaves; it must be tamed and subject, and so when it tries to get up, it is easily repressed and even extirpated, so that it does not disturb us in any way. From this it follows that the very fact of dying for the truth, some face it with courage, others with peace and others with joy. These three attitudes are the three fruits of the fertile land: thirty, sixty and one hundred and one. At the time of death, the one who thinks of passing this life with dignity to the other, should be in one of these three levels. As for the tares, not only should it be tolerated until the time of harvest; and we refer to the perverse errors and false opinions that the devil sowed after the wheat, that is, to the heresies that he disseminated when the name of Christ was already preached. All of which he did well in secret, as the sacred text says: And then he escaped. It is also necessary to tolerate the straw until the moment of threshing the threshing. (Cf. Matt. 13:8.23) Because the best way to test the weight of wheat is to stir the straw. And if such agitations cannot be mastered with the defense of the truth, they must be tolerated to preserve unity. Although in reality the Lord, when concluding the explanation of this parable, he meant by the name of tares not some, but all the scandals and those who work iniquity.
(Verses 13:26-30) QUESTION 12. CONTINUATION OF THE SAME SUBJECT. — When the grass began to grow and the spike formed, the tares also appeared. It means that when man begins to be spiritual and can judge things, (Cf. 1 Cor. 2:15) the errors begin to come his way. And the workers said to him: Do you want us to go and start it? Will these workers be the same ones that they call harvesters shortly after? And since in the explanation of the parable it says that the harvesters will be the angels, will anyone dare, without sin of lightness, to affirm that the angels did not know who had planted the tares, and who warned them only when the stem produced the spike, and that therefore it is more opportune to understand here with the name of workers the same faithful, also called good seed? It is not strange that the same individuals are sometimes called good seed and other workers of the head of the family. The same Lord, speaking of himself, is sometimes called a door and other times a shepherd. (Cf. Jn. 10:7.11) The same reality can have many and different similarities to obtain different meanings. Specifically, here, when it is addressed to the workers, it does not say: When the time of harvest arrives, I will say to you: first gather the tares, but: I will tell the harvesters. From this we can deduce that the gathering of the tares to send it to the fire is a different order, and that no son of the Church should think that it is his responsibility. When one begins to be a spiritual man, one becomes aware of what the errors of the heretics are, and judges with certainty and knows how to discern, whether he hears it or reads it, which is contrary to the norm of truth. However, until you achieve the perfection proper to the spiritual, and become the mature fruit of the spike, you may be surprised by the large number of heresies and errors arising under the Christian name. Hence the workers say: Did not you sow good seed in your field? How is it that we now have weeds? But then he discovers that that disaster has been contrived by the devil, who, feeling its nullity before the name of Christ, hid all its fallacies under that name. And it could be that this spiritual comes up with the intention of eliminating such individuals from the human scene, if time permits. But before knowing if such an intention is his duty, consult God and his justice, to see if he is sent or allowed, or if it is his will that this be an obligation of humans. That's why the workers say: Do you want us to go and start it? The Truth itself responds that man in the present life is not capable of knowing with certainty what the future of the person who is now immersed in error will be, nor the advantages that the presence of that error of his may have for the good. There is, then, no reason why to eliminate the bad guys from this life, lest by trying to kill the bad, kill the good ones, since some of them can become good; or harm those good ones whom the presence of the wicked, in spite of themselves, can be profitable for them. But this is more appropriate to be carried out at the end of time, when it is no longer possible to change one's life or to delve into the truth, seeing and comparing the error of others. But this task will not be the responsibility of men, but of angels. And for this reason the master of the house answers them: Do not do it, lest by removing the tares you also take away the wheat. When the time of harvest comes, I will tell the harvesters, etc. In this way he made them totally patient and calm. We might ask why he said: Tie her in sheaves to burn her, instead of ordering them to put the tares in a single bundle or in a pile. Perhaps the reason is the diversity of heretics, who disagree not only of good wheat, but among themselves, forming their own grouping every heresy. With the name of sheaves meant to imply the close connection that members of each group have among themselves. In reality they begin to form such bundles, destined for the fire, when they segregate from the Catholic communion and found, say, their own churches. Thrown into the fire they will be at the end of the world, but they are now tied in small sheaves from now on. Of course, if this were to happen exactly, there would not be so many who, rethinking and returning to the Catholic Church, renounce their errors. The consequence, then, is that the bundle of the sheaves will be at the end, taking into account that the punishment will not be indiscriminate, but according to the degree of perversion of each and its pertinence in error. Lest you pick up the tares, you tear the wheat together. Also the good ones, when they are not yet fully strengthened, can benefit from the near presence of the bad, either because they exercise their faculties, or because the contrast with them springs a strong drive to improve. Which, eliminating the bad from the scene, the greatness of charity would remain as eliminated and withered, which is as much as to say eradicated. The Apostle says it already: “Being rooted and grounded in charity, you can understand.” (Eph.3:17-18) It can also refer to the wheat being torn off by tearing the tares, in the sense that many, which at first are pure tares, end up becoming good wheat. And if from the beginning they are not tolerated patiently, in spite of their evil, they are not given the possibility of that commendable change. In conclusion: pulling out the weeds, the wheat would also be uprooted, in which some will eventually be converted if given the opportunity with this consent.
(Matthew 13:45-46) QUESTION 13. THE PRECIOUS PEARL. — “It resembles the kingdom of heaven to a merchant who is looking for fine pearls. And when he found one of great value, he went to sell everything he had and bought it.” The question is why one goes from the plural number to the singular: the merchant looked for quality pearls, and he finds one of great value, selling all he had to buy it. It could be someone who looking for good men, with whom to live life in a laudable way, meets the one who overcomes them all, the sinless, (Cf. 2 Cor. 5:21) mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (Cf. 1 Tim. 2:5) Or it could be one who searches for commandments, observes them and has a good behavior with men, and finds love for his neighbor, which in the words of the Apostle, he only sums up all the commandments. Because you will not kill, you will not commit adultery, you will not steal, you will not give false testimony and any other commandment is like pearls that are all contained in this single sentence: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Rom. 13:9) Or perhaps it is someone who is in search of good concepts, and meets the one who contains them all: the Word that existed in the beginning, that was with God, that was God; (Cf. Jn. 1:1) the luminous Word with the splendor of truth, solid with the firmness of eternity, and in everything similar to itself by the beauty of divinity; that Word that is God for those who manage to penetrate beyond the shell of the flesh. The man in the parable had already obtained the pearl, which for a time was hidden under the cover of mortality, as under a hard shell obstacle, deep in this world, and hidden among the stony hardness of the Jews. This man, I say, had already obtained the possession of the pearl, when he says: “And although we had known Christ according to the flesh, now we do not know him like that.” (2 Cor. 5:16) Because no conception deserves the pearl name at all, if it is not possible to eliminate from it all the earthly envelopes that are covering it, be it by the human word or by the similarities with which it is wrapped. Only then can you come to see this concept with purity, solidity, in nothing different from itself and with total certainty. All other true, stable, perfect concepts are contained in that one single one, by means of which all things were created, that is, the Word of God. (Cf. Jn. 1:3) Each one of these three interpretations, or any other one that can occur to us, and that is well signified with the name of the unique and precious pearl, has the price of ourselves. And we are not able to come to possess it, if it is not achieving our liberation through the contempt of all the temporality that we possess. Selling all our things, no higher price we receive for them than for ourselves. When we were involved in all of them, we were not owners of us. Let's surrender, then, in exchange for such a pearl, not because that is its value, but because we cannot give it anymore. (Matthew 13:15) QUESTION 14. BLINDNESS OF THE JEWS. — “They have closed their eyes so as not to see with their eyes.” It means that they were the cause of God closing their eyes. Another evangelist confirms it by saying: “God blinded their eyes.” But we do not know if it is to see no more, or at some point they will see again, perhaps displeased with their blindness and, humiliated by it, feeling impelled to confess their sins and sincerely seek God. Hence, Mark expresses himself thus: “lest at some point they should be converted and their sins forgiven.” (Mark 4:12) Here it is given to understand that their sins had made them deserving of their confusion, and yet this same thing was an act of mercy, so that they would come to recognize their evils, and by becoming, they would deserve forgiveness. On the other hand, John, when referring to this same point, expresses himself thus: “They could not believe according to what Isaiah also said: he blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that their eyes would not see or their heart would not run, and so they would not convert and have to cure them.” (Jn. 12:39-40) Such a statement seems to contradict the solution proposed above, and force us to make the words so they do not see with their eyes cannot understand: "to see if they come to see at once", but much harder: "so they cannot see.” Since it says clearly: so that they do not see with their eyes. And the first sentence: That's why they could not believe openly shows us that the cause of their blindness was not so that, moved and hurt of not being able to understand, they repent someday and convert. But this would not be possible without first believing, and believing they would convert, and with conversion they would be healed, and, once healed, they could come to understand. On the contrary, they were blind precisely to not believe; his words testify openly: That's why they could not believe. Well, if this is really so, who would not come out in defense of the Jews, to proclaim that they are free from guilt for not having believed? In effect, they could not believe, because they blinded their eyes. (Jn. 12:39-40) But what we must maintain is that God is out of all guilt, which requires us to confess that they deserved the blindness for some sins, whatever they were, and it was the one that prevented them from reaching the faith. Here really are the words of John: They could not believe according to what Isaiah also said: he blinded their eyes.” It is useless to pretend to interpret that they were blinded to their conversion, since this was impossible without believing, and they could not believe because they had become blind. It seems reasonable to say that it was possible to heal some Jews, but the great swelling of their arrogance put them in danger of being convinced from the beginning that faith was unnecessary, and for that reason they were blinded: they did not understand the Lord when he spoke in parables, and without understanding them it was impossible to believe in him; By not believing in him, they crucified him, joining others who were without hope. But they became after the resurrection, when the remorse of the death of the Lord humbled them deeply and they began to love ardently who had the joy of knowing that he had forgiven them of such a horrendous crime, and that their great pride had to be struck down by such humiliation. Someone might think that this opinion is somewhat unreflective, if it were not that in the Acts of the Apostles he can clearly read that it happened that way. (Cf. Acts 2:36-41) Accordingly the words of John: They could not believe because they blinded their eyes so they would not see, they do not contradict the interpretation we have given that their blindness was for their conversion. (Cf. Matt. 4:12) This means that the doctrine of the Lord was hidden in the darkness of the parables, so that, once resurrected, they would reconsider with a healthier penance. Blind as they were, they did not understand the words of the Lord, and for that reason they did not believe, and by not believing, they crucified Him. But astonished then by the miracles that were done in his name after the resurrection, they felt more guilty of their crime, they repented with humble penance, they received forgiveness, and, already converted, they submitted to the obedience of the Gospel with ardent love. There were some to whom the aforementioned blindness, which occurred in the language of the parables, was not profitable for their conversion. Of them a prophet already speaks, cited in turn by Paul, when he deals with the obscurity of tongues. He says: In other languages and through the mouths of others I will speak to this people, and they will not even listen to me, says the Lord.” (1 Cor. 21:25; Isa. 28:11) I would not say and they will not listen to me, if their intention was not that they would pay attention, giving as a fruit a humble confession, a restless search, an obedient conversion and a fervent love. This is also the method followed in body treatment. In fact, many remedies cause pain first before healing. The same eye drops, for the good of the eyes, when they have to be applied inside the eye, do not have an effect if they do not cloud before and disturb the eyesight. We should not be surprised by what the prophet himself says: “If you do not believe, you will not understand,” (Isa. 7:9 see LXX) which seems to contradict what John says: “They could not believe because he had blinded their eyes,” (Jn. 12:39-40) that is, the parables had such a language that they could not understand. And someone could reply: If they had to believe before they could believe, how could they not believe precisely because they did not understand, that is, because they had blinded their eyes? But what Isaiah affirms: “If you do not believe, you will not understand,” it refers to the comprehension of the ineffable realities that we will have eternally. But when it is spoken of that it is necessary to believe to understand, it refers to the things that if they are not understood it is not possible to believe them. So, when it comes to things that can be expressed in words, you have to understand them beforehand to believe them; but if it is about realities that cannot be expressed, in order to understand them we must believe in what can be said about them.
(Matthew 13:34) QUESTION 15. PARABLES OF OUR LORD. — “And without parables he did not speak to them.” He does not mean that he did not speak to them in normal language, but that he did not explain almost any speech without using parabolic symbolism in his explanation, even though some parts are found in his own language. In fact, we often find the entire discourse of the Lord explained in parables, while none of them is entirely in our own language. I refer to the discourses in which, from the beginning to the end, and for some opportune circumstance, he spoke on the same subject, until he changed to another subject. On this point some evangelist links several issues that, according to another, were pronounced at different times. The evangelists did not strictly order the narration of the events as they occurred, but according to the memory that each one kept of the past. (Matthew 13:51-52) QUESTION 16. THE TREASURE OF NEW THINGS AND OLD THINGS. — “Have you understood all this? They answered: Yes. He said to them: Therefore every learned scribe in the kingdom of heaven resembles a father of a family who takes out of his treasure new and old things.” We ask ourselves if with this conclusion he wanted to express what he understood by the treasure hidden in the field, (Cf. Matt. 13:44) since with that expression is meant the Sacred Scripture, composed of the New and the Old Testament; Something similar to what another evangelist wants to mean the same uses the expression of a double-edged sword. (Cf. Rev. 1:16) As he had spoken to them in parables and asked them if they had understood, they answered yes. That is why it is probable that in this last image of the father of the family who brings out new and old things from his chest, he wanted to make it understood that in the Church we should have as wise those who also understand the ancient Scriptures exposed through parables, obeying the norms of life derived from the new explanations, illustrated, moreover, by the Lord through parables. Christ himself, by the way, is the end of all of them, or rather, in him the Old Scriptures are fulfilled. (Cf. Rom. 10:4) And he, in whom everything was fulfilled and manifested, continued speaking in parables until his passion tore the veil, so that nothing would remain hidden without being revealed; (Cf. Matt. 10:26) for that reason, with much more reason we must suppose that everything written in ancient times to manifest the great mystery of salvation was hidden under the veil of parables. So, the Jews, who still continue to literally interpret the Scriptures, have not wanted to be wise in the kingdom of heaven, nor to go to Christ, so that the veil that covers their hearts is removed. (Cf. 2 Cor. 3:15-16) (Matthew 13:55-56) QUESTION 17. THE BROTHERS OF OUR LORD. — His brothers, James and Joseph, Simon and Jude, and his sisters, are they not all of us? Where does all this come from? And they were scandalized by him. With the term "brothers" the Jews usually designate their relatives, something that can be proven not only among those related with the same degree of kinship, such as the children of brothers and sisters, which also we often call them brothers, but even the uncle and the son of his sister, as were Jacob and Laban. All these they used to call them brothers. (Cf. Gen. 29:13-15) Do not be surprised, then, that they were called to all those related to their mother's lineage. Moreover, they would also call Joseph's relatives who thought he was the Lord's father. Violate the general justice: anyone who, moved by their passions, breaks the rules of human coexistence, such as theft, robbery, adultery, incest and the like; the one that contradicts the nature, as they are the insults, the killings, the homicide, the sodomy or brutality; and also that which is exceeded in what is in itself lawful, such as lashing a servant or a child more than one should, exceeding in eating and drinking, go beyond what is convenient in the conjugal treatment with one's wife, and other similar things. We come easily to understand why the Holy Spirit first gave men the gift of tongues. (Cf. Acts 2:4) These have been emerging from the same men by arbitrary pacts, and then learn by repeatedly listening to others with the bodily senses. Thus, he showed them how easily he could make them wise by using the wisdom of God that resides within man. The will of the eternal Word is immutable, because all things possess it simultaneously. Our will, on the other hand, is not stable, because it does not have everything at the same time: we want one thing now and then another. There were, then, in the Word all created things; even the same human incarnation was already known to him. He is like a painter who has contrived to paint a complete house, and he already knows well the place where he must paint himself. Artistically he already possesses everything, both in preparation and in the will, although he will capture everything in due time. So it is with every creature, and so it was with that man who, mysteriously and by an ineffable assumption, was to be the bearer of the person of Wisdom itself: he was always present in this Wisdom, as if it were the eternal art of God, although then out doing everything in its time, which reaches vigorously from one end to the other, and governs everything smoothly, and always remaining the same, everything renews. (Wis. 7:1) Let us suppose the case of one who aspires to wish for his death, and finally has succeeded: he wants to die. Those who already have a mature faith and know where to go, it is beneficial to leave the present life with pleasure. Because it is not the same to know where you reach the goal, to love it and wish to be there already. For this feeling to really occur in someone, it is imperative that when death comes, he accepts it with pleasure. It lacks, then, of sense that some, that already have a mature faith, say that they do not want to die to be able to continue improving themselves, if it is true that their perfection lies in the perfection of wanting to die. If they are to be sincere, do not say: "I do not want to die to continue perfecting myself", but rather: "I do not want to die because I have advanced little in perfection". The fact that the faithful do not want to die is not a desire to progress, but rather a sign of having made little progress. Consequence: those who do not want to die with the excuse of perfecting themselves, who want it, and will begin to be perfect. |
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