The Parables of Jesus: The Sower and the Seeds

Mark 4:1-20:

 

[1] And again he began to teach by the sea side; and a great multitude was gathered together unto him, so that he went up into a ship, and sat in the sea; and all the multitude was upon the land by the sea side. [2] And he taught them many things in parables, and said unto them in his doctrine: [3] Hear ye: Behold, the sower went out to sow. [4] And whilst he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate it up. [5] And other some fell upon stony ground, where it had not much earth; and it shot up immediately, because it had no depth of earth.

[6] And when the sun was risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. [7] And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. [8] And some fell upon good ground; and brought forth fruit that grew up, and increased and yielded, one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred. [9] And he said: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. [10] And when he was alone, the twelve that were with him asked him the parable.

[11] And he said to them: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but to them that are without, all things are done in parables: [12] That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand: lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. [13] And he saith to them: Are you ignorant of this parable? and how shall you know all parables? [14] He that soweth, soweth the word. [15] And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown, and as soon as they have heard, immediately Satan cometh and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

[16] And these likewise are they that are sown on the stony ground: who when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy. [17] And they have no root in themselves, but are only for a time: and then when tribulation and persecution ariseth for the word they are presently scandalized. [18] And others there are who are sown among thorns: these are they that hear the word, [19] And the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts after other things entering in choke the word, and it is made fruitless. [20] And these are they who are sown upon the good ground, who hear the word, and receive it, and yield fruit, the one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred. 

 

 

 

 Praised be Jesus Christ!

 Now and Forever. Amen.

I'll admit it. Jesus made this one easy for me, since, you know, He gives its explanation right there in the Gospel. So you have a sower sows seeds, and these fall on different kinds of ground, and different things happen to them. I'll summarize the explanation as follows:

1.) The Sower is he who sows the word--the seeds are the word.
2.) The seeds that fall by the wayside and are immediately eaten by birds--this represents those who hear the word, but which immediately have the word taken from their hearts by Satan.
3.) The seeds sown on rocky ground and shoot up quickly but are scorched by the sun--this represents those who receive the word with great joy, but having no "root" in themselves, when the tribulation and persecution arise, they fall away.
4.) The seeds sown among thorns and the thorns choked them out--this represents people who receive the word, but the cares of the world, the deceit of riches, and other lusts choke the word are render it fruitless.
5.) The seed sown on good ground--this represents those who hear the word, receive it into their hearts, and produce fruit, to varying degrees.

Although Jesus explains the parable, there are things to say about it, beyond the basic explanation. In other words, the explanation Jesus gives can be unpacked further.

The sower is principally Jesus Christ, Who is simultaneously the Word that is sown, and of course the word is also the Gospel. I realize that's probably confusing. Jesus is the Word because He is the perfect self-expression of the Father, Who sends His Son to the world to redeem it. The Father is often referred to by Christ in His parables as a landowner, the owner of a vineyard, etc. He is likened to a gardener, and the Son is sent into the world to produce good crop. So, in a real sense, the Father is actually the sower. 

However, I say Jesus is principally the sower in this parable because the work of sowing is principally the work of the Church, and the various people who receive the word in their various ways are represented in this parable. Furthermore, that principle work is the spreading of the Gospel, and the Church doesn't exercise this work of Her own power, but rather it is Christ Who works through Her. Yet, this signifies something important: that every Christian who spreads the Gospel is actually the sower here, realizing that in the spreading of the Gospel, Jesus works through each of us.

The structure of the parable is interesting. It first lays out the three different stages of faith life that the Gospel may be rejected, and then finishes by revealing that the good ground represents the faithful disciple as he who overcomes each of these other failings: he who hears it, receives it, and bears fruit. This helps us understand the fundamental problem of the other three who failed: that is, he who doesn't hear it, he who doesn't receive it, and he who doesn't bear fruit. Let's take a closer look at each.

    The seed that falls by the wayside: Jesus explains that this seed represents the word sown in the heart of a person who, immediately after hearing the word, Satan comes and takes the word out of his heart. We must always remember that the principle way that Satan attacks us is through temptation. We often don't think about this in our day. We tend to think that the influence Satan and his devils have on us is through things like possession, or the lesser known obsession and oppression. But these are extraordinary interactions. The ordinary way Satan tries to harm us is to cause us to fall into sin through temptation. So, when we see Satan come to take the word away here, we should understand it first to mean that he is tempting the hearer of the word to reject it. Note, this action by Satan is immediate, meaning that as soon as the person hears the word he is tempted to reject it. Thus, immediately rejecting the Gospel, this person is principally characterized as not hearing the word--and consequently neither receives it nor bears fruit.

    The seed sown on rocky ground: Jesus explains that this seed represents the word sown in the heart of a person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. However, the receiving of the word is deficient, because this person has "no root in themselves, but are only for a time." This kind of person is flighty, moving from project to project, perhaps never staying with a thing to completion, filled with emotion, but lacking a consistent principle that grounds them in themselves. So, being filled with joy, they receive the word, recognizing its truth and goodness, but being shallow, when the tribulations of the world, or persecution, come--and they will come--they fall away from the faith. What this signifies is that, though he received the word immediately into his heart with joy, it wasn't a complete reception. It was incomplete. The word should be that thing that grounds us, that is the consistent thing in our life that we can always return to, the thing to hold onto to get through our tribulations, the one thing worth receiving persecution for. This is what it means to receive it into our hearts--to recognize that this is the pearl of great price, that we should sell everything to keep it. Thus, this person, the rocky ground, is the person who hears it but doesn't receive it, and consequently also doesn't bear fruit.

One more note on this seed. When tribulations and persecutions arise, this person becomes scandalized. We have this idea in modern times that to be scandalized means something like shocked and appalled by some evil or outrageous thing you've observed. That's not what scandal is. A scandal is a thing that leads a person into sin. So, to be scandalized means that these people, on account of the tribulation or persecution, are thereby led into sin. What sin? Well, principally to fall away from the faith. This could be through schism, heresy, apostasy, or some other grave sin.  

    The seed sown among thorns: Jesus explains that this seed represents the word sown in the heart of a person who hears the word, but the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts after other things entering in choke the word, and make it fruitless. This is the person who hears the word, receives it fully, but fails to produce fruit. Why? There are three reasons that are given why one may fail to produce fruit: the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and lusts after other things.

The cares of the world aren't in themselves wicked. Indeed, the cares of the world may even be good things: taking care of your family and friends, supporting yourself, engaging in politics, etc. The problem here is when the cares of the world take precedence over and above the faith. When that happens, you're choking out the Gospel from your heart, such that it does not bear fruit. Keep in mind that a fruit houses a seed, so to produce fruit is to facilitate the sowing of the word in the hearts of others. If your focus is on the world such that it excludes things of the Faith, then you will fail to     produce the fruits of that Faith, which are to spread the Gospel to others.

The deceitfulness of riches represents the lie that wealth is that thing which is necessary to improving your own life, or the lives of others. It is alluring, because wealth does allow for much good, but with wealth comes a great temptation of self-interest. Wealth in itself is neither good nor evil, but its allure is corrupting. We are all called to be content with our various stations in life, whatever they may be. And, to be content with our station in life allows us to keep our focus on our faith life. If we do this, and we produce much fruit even in our own small way, God will reward us with more. Yet, material reward should never been our focus. Our goal should ever be on our everlasting, eternal reward in heaven. If we allow ourselves to fall into the allure of wealth, and the utopian dream, this will choke out our faith, and we will not bear fruit.

The lusts after other things is definitely wicked, and this represents a failure to root out vice from our lives. It's not sufficient only to receive the word into our hearts, as is implied by our Protestant brothers. Each of these failures, the cares of the world, deceitfulness of riches, and other lusts, will cause us to fail to spread the Gospel. What they have in common is that they represent failures to put God and His Gospel at the center of our lives--they represent distractions that keep us from growing and maturing in the faith, such that we fail to produce fruit. Keep in mind, these "enter in", which signifies that one may start out his faith life free of these things, but that some time after receiving the word, these thing enter in, and impede the development of our faith. So, the seed that falls on this ground is heard, received, but fails to bear fruit.

    The seed that falls on good ground: This represents the person who hears the word, receives it, and produces good fruit. As seen from our previous analysis, this means it is the person who hears the word, grants his intellectual assent to it, allows it to change his life, who he is, what he's all about, his mission in life, etc., and finally, as a consequence of being thusly transformed, becomes a fellow sower in the field, evangelizing others, and spreading the Gospel. Keep in mind that this doesn't mean you have to be a missionary in Africa, or something like this. This could be as simple as parents raising their children in the Faith. That sounds simple, but it really does require parents to be fully invested in the Faith, themselves. If they aren't, their children will see through it, and will be scandalized by it, and fall away from the Faith in their adulthood.

One final note, and this goes back to my earlier point about being content with your station in life, those who produce fruit do so to varying degrees: "the one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred." This according to each person's ability, station, degree of holiness, etc. Jesus doesn't lament this fact, that not everyone produces a hundred. It doesn't seem to matter to Him. All the matters is that you are producing fruit. So, don't worry if you're not doing the kind of work that Mother Angelica did, or Pope John Paul II, or St. Francis, St. Thomas Aquinas, etc. Don't worry. Just do your best, and God will reward your effort.

If you're like me, you've probably already heard and accepted the word, and maybe aren't quite producing fruit yet, but are still working through the process of receiving the word into your heard. That's okay. Keep at it. Keep the Faith at the center. Work on rooting out vice, and building virtue, and as I say, God will reward your effort.

God bless you, and thank you for reading.

The Parables of Jesus: New Cloth and New Wine

Mark 2:21-22:

[21] No man seweth a piece of raw cloth to an old garment: otherwise the new piecing taketh away from the old, and there is made a greater rent. [22] And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: otherwise the wine will burst the bottles, and both the wine will be spilled, and the bottles will be lost. But new wine must be put into new bottles. 

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Now and forever. Amen.

In Mark chapter 2, a series of events are recounted wherein Jesus is seen departing from the customs of the Mosaic Law. First, a scribe, in his heart, accused Jesus of blasphemy for saying to the man sick with palsy, "Son, thy sins are fogiven thee," because it was understood that only God could forgive sins. Next, His disciples were confronted by the scribes and Pharisees because Jesus was eating and drinking with publicans and sinners, which was a problem because under the Law, publicans and sinners were to be social outcasts. After that, the disciples of John and the Pharisees asked Jesus directly why neither He nor His disciples fasted, which was a practice proscribed by the Law. Finally, the Pharisees accuse Jesus directly of breaking the Law by plucking ears of corn on the Sabbath.

It was in the middle of these events, specifically after Jesus is questioned about fasting, that Jesus gives these two analogies (yes, I know, these aren't parables, properly speaking, but I'm treating them as such for the purpose of this series). On the face of it, one might be tempted to think these are just a couple of practical proverbs. They make sense, they're good advice, but in the context of the rest of the chapter, they might seem out of place. What does advice about patching a rent garment, or putting wine into bottles, have to do with fasting, or anything else that's going on in the chapter?

This is why I call them analogies, because Jesus is making a more meaningful point. In answering the question about fasting, Jesus says, "Can the children of the marriage fast, as long as the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them; and then they shall fast in those days."  This answer supplies us with the proper context with which to understand these analogies. The reason they weren't fasting is because they were in the midst of a momentous event, though the scribes and Pharisees didn't know it. That is to say, a wedding was taking place.

Jesus likens Himself to a bridegroom. This symbol is used throughout the New Testament. It signifies the union of God with man, firstly in Jesus Christ, the Incarnation, who was Himself a hypostatic union of the divine and human natures. Secondarily, it was the wedding of Jesus to His Church, the Bride--all of us. This imagery of marriage is important because it well qualifies the nature of Christ's coming. In this wedding event, a new family is made. By wedding ourselves to Christ, we become sons and daughters of God the Father. That is to say, sons- and daughters-in-law, and this is effectuated by our baptisms, and in this union, all that belongs to Christ (the treasury of merit and grace that He won on the cross) belongs to us.

What happens at a wedding? Well, I've already alluded to it: a new family is created, but how? It is through the covenantal vows professed by the spouses. In other words, Jesus came to establish a New Covenant (a marriage covenant), and this is principally what is meant by "Old" garment and "New" cloth. The old garment is the Old Law, or the Old Covenant, and the new cloth is the New Covenant.

It's important that we understand what Jesus is saying here. The new covenant cannot be "sewn" or grafted onto the old. Why? Because the new covenant would take away from the old, and a new tear would occur. What does that mean? It means it would cause confusion and division. The new covenant didn't merely add new ideas, or new ways of understanding the old law, or new precepts, or new customs, to the old. The new covenant is completely new.

In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says, "Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." What this means is that in Jesus, the whole of the Law and the Prophets was fulfilled. That is to say, the Old Garment's purpose had been completed, fulfilled. After Jesus, the Old Covenant no longer served a purpose. People who think that this covenant is still in place with the Jews are wrong, otherwise they must deny that Jesus fulfilled it.

No, indeed. The New Covenant is entirely new, and the old has been fulfilled, and come to its end. But this is only the first of the two analogies. The second is about new wine and old bottles. The wine is that which is poured into and fills up a container. The bottles here are us, people, and the wine is the Holy Spirit, and the sanctifying graces of the Sacraments that He pours into our souls. The old bottle is the old man spoken of by Paul in Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:22, and Colossians 3:9, and the new bottle is the spiritual man, reborn by baptism in Christ, to be His bride.

Notice, Jesus says of the new wine put into old bottles, "otherwise the wine will burst the bottles, and both the wine will be spilled, and the bottles will be lost." That is to say, you cannot confer the sacramental graces upon the man who is not yet made a member of the Church (except Baptism, which is that very entrance into the Church and the life of grace), the graces will be to no effect (the wine will be spilled), and the soul of such a one will be damned (the bottle will be lost). "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord." (1 Corinthians 11:29)

It must be stated strongly that in order to receive the grace of salvation, one cannot live according to the Old Covenant, but rather one must become a new man in Christ through baptism, and live according the new law of Christ. And what is the principal difference between the Old Law and the New Law? Under the Old Law, all was done according to restraint, according to prohibition or mandate. Under the New Law, all is done according to good will, through the love and fervor and joy of the Holy Spirit. Anyone who lives according to right virtue, but only because it's required of him, and not out of the generosity of his heart, for the love of God and his fellow man, is living not according to the law of the New Covenant, but as the Old Man, according to the Old Law. It isn't so much that the moral precepts of the Old Law are to be abandoned, but rather that they be done according to the right spirit.

So, what we learn in Mark chapter 2 is this: under the Old Law, only God could forgive sins. Annually, at Passover, the sins of the people were put on sin offerings and sacrificed to God, and this action was completed by the high priest, but it wasn't the action of the high priest that forgave the people their sins, it was God alone. In the New Law, Jesus is revealing that this may not be the case. Jesus is both God and the High Priest, and in the establishment of the priesthood among the Apostles, He conferred His power to forgive sins upon them (John 20:23). Instead of men going to the Temple for forgiveness, the Temple, Who is Christ, Who is His Church, goes out to them to offer forgiveness.

In the Old Law, sinners and publicans were social outcasts, and if they repented and wanted forgiveness of their sins, and to be brought back into the public life of Israel, they had to go to the temple, and follow the instructions of the priests. In the New Law, Jesus goes out to the sinners and publicans, in order to call them to repentance and conversion. Thus, we are to go out and evangelize all people, calling them to turn away from their sinful lives, to repent and be baptized, and to become sons and daughters of God. Under the New Law, we are to be physicians of souls, because all men are sick with sin. Instead of leaving sinners to find it within themselves to repent and convert, we are to go out generously to call them to repentance with encouragement and love.

According to the Old Law, one was required to fast on appointed times and days as a matter of restraint, of submission. According to the New Law, we feast and fast from the good will of our hearts, feasting to rejoice in all the good things that God has given to us, and fasting in sorrow for sin and death, and in remembrance of what Jesus endured for us.

Under the Old Law, all work was prohibited on Sabbath, in order to rest from work in imitation of God. Under the New Law, the charity of man, which is love for God, impels him to do necessary work on the Sabbath in order to care for the needs of his fellow man, especially his Christian brother, who is also yoked to Christ, and of whom Jesus says, "as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me." (Matthew 25:40)

Let us rejoice in this New Cloth, which is the Church, and of the New Wine that is poured into our hearts, the grace of the Holy Spirit and His Sacraments. We are truly blessed!

God bless you, and thank you for reading.

The Parables of Jesus: The Talents

Matthew 25:14-30:

 [14] For even as a man going into a far country, called his servants, and delivered to them his goods; [15] And to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to every one according to his proper ability: and immediately he took his journey.

[16] And he that had received the five talents, went his way, and traded with the same, and gained other five. [17] And in like manner he that had received the two, gained other two. [18] But he that had received the one, going his way digged into the earth, and hid his lord's money. [19] But after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reckoned with them. [20] And he that had received the five talents coming, brought other five talents, saying: Lord, thou didst deliver to me five talents, behold I have gained other five over and above.

[21] His lord said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. [22] And he also that had received the two talents came and said: Lord, thou deliveredst two talents to me: behold I have gained other two. [23] His lord said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant: because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. [24] But he that had received the one talent, came and said: Lord, I know that thou art a hard man; thou reapest where thou hast not sown, and gatherest where thou hast not strewed. [25] And being afraid I went and hid thy talent in the earth: behold here thou hast that which is thine.

[26] And his lord answering, said to him: Wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sow not, and gather where I have not strewed: [27] Thou oughtest therefore to have committed my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received my own with usury. [28] Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him that hath ten talents. [29] For to every one that hath shall be given, and he shall abound: but from him that hath not, that also which he seemeth to have shall be taken away. [30] And the unprofitable servant cast ye out into the exterior darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Now and forever. Amen.

In the last post, we went through the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. This parable was principally about being ready at all times for the coming of Christ, whether that be His second coming at the end of time, or His coming at the time of our deaths: we must always be ready to go before Him for judgment.

This parable is a continuation of the same teaching, but instead of focusing on our readiness, our anticipation of Christ's coming, instead it focuses on the quality of our preparation. The parable begins with, "a man is going into a far country", other translations render it "foreign country", and this refers to Jesus' ascension into heaven of His body. For, although Christ's Divine Nature is not foreign to heaven, Jesus' human nature is, as it is a creation of the earth. "After a long time", He returns, and He exercises judgment over His servants. The phrase, "after a long time", refers to all that interval of time between His ascending to heaven, and to that time of our judgment.

Before the man goes on his journey, he gives to his three servants five talents, two talents, and one talent. The Church Fathers have interpreted this in various ways, but I would like to highlight two. First, using the symbolism of numbers, the five refers to the five bodily senses. Thus, according to the same fathers, it can be interpreted to mean that to the servant who received the five talents was given knowledge of the external world, knowledge of the earth, of the world around him. The two refers to the powers of understanding and action--understanding being a distinct idea from knowledge. One can have knowledge without understanding. Finally, the one refers, according to the fathers, to understanding only--that is, understanding without action.

Second, attached to this gradation is the phrase, "to everyone according to his proper ability." What this means is that the reason each servant is given a different number of talents (by the way, a talent was a gold coin, in case you hadn't heard that before) is because they each have varying capacities, differing abilities. Moreover, the significance of this is that God gives to each one of us according to our own capacities. So, if we find that we have less, we should be humble and recognize that this is because our abilities are less than others. However, it also means that to him who has greater capacity, he also has greater responsibility, because he is then given more over which to be responsible.

The significance of the "doubling" of the talents is this: that he who received the five talents, or knowledge of the outer world, used that same knowledge to gain knowledge of the spiritual, or Divine world. He who received the two talents, or understanding and action, used these powers to gain understanding of the same Divine world, and also to grow in those spiritual virtues which are proper to holiness. Finally, he who received the one talent, understanding only, took no action to grow his understanding--to take his understanding and deepen it. Rather he buried it in the earth, which is to say that he didn't put it to use for God, for His Kingdom, but instead used it exclusively to meet the ends of his earthly life in the pursuits of worldly gain.

When the time of judgment arrives, when the lord returns, the two who doubled their talents give back to the lord all of the money, both the original amounts they were given, as well as the amounts they gained in addition. They recognize that all of it belongs to the lord, not just that which he originally gave to them. This is why he calls them "faithful" servants, because they did not attempt to appropriate for themselves that which did not belong to them. For this, they are allowed to "enter into the joy" of the lord. Do we recognize that all the gains of our lives do not truly belong to us, but to God, whether they be gains in knowledge, gains in understanding and wisdom, gains in prestige, gains in wealth, gains in progeny, etc.? Are we prepared to give it all to God, or do we seek to claim some of it for ourselves?

When the wicked servant comes to the lord, and explains why he didn't do anything with it, the lord calls him both wicked and slothful. He calls him slothful because the servant, recognizing in the same way as the other two servants did that whatever gains he makes with the gold won't belong to him anyway, so why bother? And this is what makes him wicked also, because he is filled with pride. He is a servant of the lord, but does not actually serve the lord, but instead serves himself by freeing himself from the burden of working to build up the wealth of his lord. This makes him wicked, because we are all called to serve, both to serve God and to serve each other. If we see no gain in it for ourselves, that doesn't matter, we are still called to serve.

This really clarifies the Catholic position on "faith and works." The lord, when he exercises judgment on the good and faithful servants, rewards them both with the same reward: heaven. It doesn't matter that one doubled up his talents to ten, and the other only doubled his talents to four, the reward is the same. Why? Because it's a gratuitous reward. They are servants, and don't have to be paid for doing what is expected of them. Yet the lord does pay them, with great reward, because they were good and faithful. And He does expect us to work. For, if we do not, if we fail to be good and faithful, if we fail to produce fruit from what we've been given, then we will not receive the reward. Thus, salvation, which is itself a gratuitous gift and cannot be earned, will still not be granted to those who are "slothful and wicked" servants. So, we believe that works are necessary for salvation, not because of a legal contract with God, as though God owes us heaven for the work we've done, but rather because God has told us that if we don't do anything with the gifts we've been given, if we are wicked and slothful, then we will be thrown into the outer darkness.

Indeed, the wicked servant even admits that he believes his lord is severe, and fails to act anyway. And the lord, too, says, "that I reap where I sow not, and gather where I have not strewed. Thou oughtest therefore to have committed my money to the bankers." What does this mean? The bankers are those who have been entrusted with the "treasury of grace", that is, the Bishops. To give his talent to the bankers means that, even if he didn't work to gain understanding of heavenly things (double his talent), he should have at least put his earthly understanding to the good use of the Church, through the Bishops, who then, making use of his earthly gifts, could have expanded the spiritual wealth of the Church (conversion of sinners, application of the sacraments, teaching through exhortation, homiletics, encyclicals, etc., the salvation of souls) to the glory of God.

But the wicked servant didn't even do that! In other words, he failed to live up to his Christian vocation in every sense. He neither used his Christian gifts to build up his own faith and virtue, nor did he assist those around him, nor did he even bother to put his gifts toward the use of the Church, but instead focused his gifts entirely on worldly affairs (buried it in the earth).

Finally, after the servant has received his judgment, he is then punished, and the punishment is twofold. First, he loses even that which he thought he had (remember, all belongs to God), and second, he is thrown into the outer darkness where there is weeping (sorrow) and gnashing of teeth (regret). What he had, the one talent, or understanding, is given to the one who had been given five talents. We might think this is unfair, why not give it to the one who was given two? First, it fulfills the earthly justice, which is that he who produced more, should receive more in reward. Secondly, and more importantly, since the five talents signifies knowledge of earthly things, and that knowledge was doubled to include heavenly things, and since the two talents signifies both understanding and virtue, and it is doubled in piercing into the inward and mystical realities, it may be rightly said that he who received the two talents actually received more than he who received the five. Thus, to him who had only knowledge, it was also given to him understanding. For God gives all gifts, and may take them away, and grant them to whom He chooses.

However, there is a deeper meaning here, which is that sin destroys those gifts which we possess. Sin darkens the intellect, for example. Thus, a man who has been given the gift of understanding, for example, through his sin actually loses that same gift. And, while he continues to think he possesses this gift, he is only deluding himself, as he comes to believe wicked things to be good, and good things to be wicked, true things to be false, and false things to be good. This is what happened with Solomon, who possessed the greatest wisdom in all the world, but through his sin, he began to lose that wisdom, and ended up using that great intellect of his to make poorer and poorer judgments, which he continued to believe were wise.

Sin damages our natures. This is unavoidable. Thus, works are doubly necessary, because the Gospel is meant to heal us, to build up our natures, even to deify us through Christ's own deity. This cannot happen if we continue to sin. Our sin is antithetical to the Gospel, and all who revel in sin are rightly called "antichrist." For, in that revelry, rather than becoming more like Christ, they become less, instead of moving toward Him, they move away.

And in the end, whatever great gifts we were given, both at births, but most especially at our baptisms, we will lose, if we are like this wicked and slothful servant. We will plunge into that outer darkness which is hell, never to return.

What have you done with the gifts God has given to you? Seek ye first, the kingdom, and all these things and more besides will be given to you. Be a good and faithful servant, so that you may hear those blessed words pass Our Lord's lips when you stand before Him in judgment. Then, enter into His joy.

God bless, and thank you for reading.

The Parables of Jesus: The Wise & Foolish Virgins

Matthew 25:

[1] Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like to ten virgins, who taking their lamps went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride. [2] And five of them were foolish, and five wise. [3] But the five foolish, having taken their lamps, did not take oil with them: [4] But the wise took oil in their vessels with the lamps. [5] And the bridegroom tarrying, they all slumbered and slept.


[6] And at midnight there was a cry made: Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him. [7] Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. [8] And the foolish said to the wise: Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. [9] The wise answered, saying: Lest perhaps there be not enough for us and for you, go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. [10] Now whilst they went to buy, the bridegroom came: and they that were ready, went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. 


[11] But at last come also the other virgins, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us. [12] But he answering said: Amen I say to you, I know you not. [13] Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Now and forever. Amen.


This parable is a continuation of the previous set regarding the end times. Please read my previous post to get the wider context. However, please note the way Jesus opens the parable. He says, "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be..." As you may have seen from my previous posts, you might note that whenever Jesus says "the kingdom of heaven", it's typically a reference to the Church, and the parable that follows is a description of what His Church is like. In this case, it's a description of the Church at a particular time, since He beings with "then". So, at the consummation of the world, the kingdom of heaven will be like... ten virgins. Alright, let's dig into this.

Whereas in the previous parable, Jesus warns us against falling into wickedness, lest we be sent to eternal damnation when He comes (or when we die), Jesus here reveals that the avoidance of wickedness alone is not enough. We know this because Jesus likens the kingdom to virgins. Here it should be understood that He is referring to those who have the true Faith, and live within the Church. By ten, Jesus signifies the whole human race (or perhaps more specifically the whole Church), because a man has five senses, and this is doubled to ten to account both for men and for women. Even the Faithful are not guaranteed heaven, for even the Faithful may be foolish and not prepare themselves rightly.

So the scene Jesus sets up is of 10 virgins who are awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom and bride. They take lamps with oil, but the foolish virgins don't take oil with them. The lamps here signify the good works that we do, as Catholics; that is, the works of mercy. The vessels in which the oil is kept signify our bodies, our persons, and the oil signifies the love and joy of God in our hearts.

All of the virgins, those who hold the true Faith, go out with lamps. They all go out and do good works, in anticipation of the coming of the Lord. All of them know what they're supposed to do, as good Christians. But they don't all go with oil, with the love of God in their hearts. And, as the bridegroom tarries, they all slumbered and slept. That is to say, because Jesus' return is not immediate, because the consummation of the world is sometime in the unknown future, we die and sleep the sleep of death. Both the wise and the foolish.

At midnight--that is, at the end of time--the arrival of the bridegroom will be announced, and all will rise to meet Him. This signifies the general resurrection of the dead. All will rise, both righteous and wicked, to stand before all and receive their final judgement. And at this judgement, we are to give an account of our lives. That is what is signified when the virgins "trimmed their lamps." That is, they prepared themselves to give their final account. This is when the foolish realize their lamps don't have enough oil, and the light is out. This may signify that, though they did good works during their lives, their disposition was for the accolades of men, rather than for love of God. And, while they yet lived, their goods works shone before all, and they were lauded. But remember what Jesus says of such people, "truly, they have received their reward." At the end, when they come under judgement, and the truth of their hearts is revealed before all, they will realize that their works were empty, and instead have turned to their own shame.

This is why they turn to the wise. The wise have kept in their hearts the love and zeal for God, and He is their joy, and this is what lit the flame of their lamps, their good works. They didn't do the good works to receive reward, but because they wanted to share their joy, their light. And so they were merciful, and showed mercy in their actions to those who were in need. And the foolish, seeing that love in the hearts of wise, and not wanting to be found without it, sought after it from the wise.

But the wise understood that they had no ability to give it. Therefore, they sent them to those who could offer it to them: the poor--those who were in need. For, it is through the neediness of others, and our capacity to serve them, that we come to understand the great gift that God has given to us, who are also in need. This is what ignites our love for Him--seeing His great love for us. The poor, and our almsgiving, are a sign of that. This is what the foolish should have learned through their good works while they lived, and before they fell asleep (died), but they were too focused on the admiration of others, and they remained blind to the meaning of their good works.

While the foolish went away to try to buy more oil, the bridegroom came, and took the wise virgins, who were prepared to meet Him, with Him into the marriage feast, and the doors were shut. That is, the gates of heaven accepted those who did the work of Christ for love of Him, and it was closed to everyone else. The foolish virgins returned, saying Lord, Lord. Remember, they did have the true Christian Faith, but did not live it out as they ought to have. And He responded to them, "Amen I say to you, I know you not." For the heart reveals who we are.

Finally, Jesus admonishes His listeners to watch, because you know not the day nor the hour. Watch, because we must always keep our minds on the Lord. If we do not, we may be dazzled by the glamour of the admiration of the world. Only the Lord matters. Seek ye first, the Kingdom.



If you are curious what the works of mercy are, which all good Christians should live by, the Catholic Church defines 14 such works. They are divided into two sets of 7; the 7 corporal (bodily) works of mercy and the 7 spiritual works of mercy. The corporal works are explicitly stated by Christ in the gospels, while the spiritual works are referenced throughout scripture, but not explicitly grouped and listed together. They are:

The Corporal Works: 
1) to feed the hungry,
2) to give water to the thirsty,
3) to clothe the naked,
4) to give shelter to the homeless,
5) to visit the sick,
6) to visit the imprisoned or to ransom the captive,
7) to bury the dead; and

The Spiritual Works: 
1) to instruct the ignorant,
2) to counsel the doubtful,
3) to admonish the sinner,
4) to bear wrongs patiently,
5) to forgive offenses,
6) to comfort the afflicted,
7) to pray for the living and the dead.

So go out and do these works! And do them for love of God! He created each human person in His image and likeness, and this is what gives us our dignity and worth. It is this image in us, the image of God, that makes us worthy of mercy. Remember, though, that you can only offer mercy to those who seek it. Those who refuse to hear the truth, for example, you cannot instruct. So be careful when doing these works. Do not throw the pearls before swine. Go. Do these good works, and do them for the love of the one who's image resides in all men.

God bless you, and thank you for reading!

The Parables of Jesus: the Body & the Vultures, the Tender Branch, the Sleeping Householder & the Thief, the Wise & Faithful Servant

Matthew 24:

"[1] And Jesus being come out of the temple, went away. And his disciples came to shew him the buildings of the temple. [2] And he answering, said to them: Do you see all these things? Amen I say to you there shall not be left here a stone upon a stone that shall not be destroyed. [3] And when he was sitting on mount Olivet, the disciples came to him privately, saying: Tell us when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the consummation of the world? [4]And Jesus answering, said to them: Take heed that no man seduce you: [5] For many will come in my name saying, I am Christ: and they will seduce many.

[6] And you shall hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that ye be not troubled. For these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. [7] For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be pestilences, and famines, and earthquakes in places: [8] Now all these are the beginnings of sorrows. [9] Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall put you to death: and you shall be hated by all nations for my name's sake. [10] And then shall many be scandalized: and shall betray one another: and shall hate one another.

[11] And many false prophets shall rise, and shall seduce many. [12] And because iniquity hath abounded, the charity of many shall grow cold. [13] But he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved. [14] And this gospel of the kingdom, shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations, and then shall the consummation come. [15] When therefore you shall see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place: he that readeth let him understand.

[16] Then they that are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains: [17] And he that is on the housetop, let him not come down to take any thing out of his house: [18] And he that is in the field, let him not go back to take his coat. [19] And woe to them that are with child, and that give suck in those days. [20] But pray that your flight be not in the winter, or on the sabbath.

[21] For there shall be then great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be. [22] And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved: but for the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened. [23] Then if any man shall say to you: Lo here is Christ, or there, do not believe him. [24] For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect. [25] Behold I have told it to you, beforehand.

[26] If therefore they shall say to you: Behold he is in the desert, go ye not out: Behold he is in the closets, believe it not. [27] For as lightning cometh out of the east, and appeareth even into the west: so shall the coming of the Son of man be.[28] Wheresoever the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together. [29] And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be moved: [30] And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all tribes of the earth mourn: and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with much power and majesty.

[31] And he shall send his angels with a trumpet, and a great voice: and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the farthest parts of the heavens to the utmost bounds of them. [32] And from the fig tree learn a parable: When the branch thereof is now tender, and the leaves come forth, you know that summer is nigh. [33] So you also, when you shall see all these things, know ye that it is nigh, even at the doors. [34] Amen I say to you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. [35] Heaven and earth shall pass, but my words shall not pass.

[36] But of that day and hour no one knoweth, not the angels of heaven, but the Father alone. [37] And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. [38] For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark,[39] And they knew not till the flood came, and took them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. [40] Then two shall be in the field: one shall be taken, and one shall be left.

[41] Two women shall be grinding at the mill: one shall be taken, and one shall be left. [42] Watch ye therefore, because ye know not what hour your Lord will come.[43] But know this ye, that if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open. [44] Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of man will come. [45] Who, thinkest thou, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath appointed over his family, to give them meat in season.

[46] Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord shall come he shall find so doing.[47] Amen I say to you, he shall place him over all his goods. [48] But if that evil servant shall say in his heart: My lord is long a coming: [49] And shall begin to strike his fellow servants, and shall eat and drink with drunkards: [50] The lord of that servant shall come in a day that he hopeth not, and at an hour that he knoweth not:

[51] And shall separate him, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Image taken from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Roberts_Siege_and_Destruction_of_Jerusalem.jpg

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Now and forever. Amen.


Today, I decided to combine several parables into one, because they're all part of the same discourse. Instead of breaking them up into four, similar posts, I'm just going to write one very long post.

Today, we'll be looking at the well known "end times" prophecy given by Our Lord, Himself, from Matthew 24. I put up the entire chapter so that you could see the discourse in full, and so that you could see the full context of the parables.

Jesus comes out of the Temple (this follows Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, where He spends some time (days) teaching in the Temple), and the disciples were eagerly showing Him how impressive the construction of the Temple was. Jesus responds by saying that not a single stone of the Temple wouldn't be destroyed. When they went out to Mount Olivet, the disciples asked Jesus privately a somewhat strange question: "Tell us when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the consummation of the world?"

The reason they ask Jesus this is because in saying that the Temple would be destroyed, He reminded them of the prophecy made by Daniel in Daniel 9:26-27: "[26] And after sixty-two weeks Christ shall be slain: and the people that shall deny him shall not be his. And a people with their leader that shall come, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary: and the end thereof shall be waste, and after the end of the war the appointed desolation. [27] And he shall confirm the covenant with many, in one week: and in the half of the week the victim and the sacrifice shall fall: and there shall be in the temple the abomination of desolation: and the desolation shall continue even to the consummation, and to the end."

Jesus' response even references Daniel, and the abomination of desolation. So, He understands where they are coming from with the question--they're on the same page. But His answer is somewhat confusing.

Many read this discourse as a discourse about the "end times", when Jesus will return to establish an everlasting kingdom and the souls of the just will be rewarded with heaven and the souls of the wicked will receive their condemnation in hell. Others read this, however, as only a prophecy of the destruction of the Temple by the Romans under Titus in the year 70 AD. I happen to think it's both, and more.

So, in this prophecy, I see a three-fold vision. The first is a prophecy about the historical event of the destruction of the Second Temple. This is a well-documented event. It fits the description that Jesus gives it, and the Christians, following Jesus' warning, actually remain safe from Roman slaughter and slavery because they fled the city well in advance of its final sacking.

In 66 AD, there was Jewish unrest due to new Roman taxation laws--the taxes were going up. The Roman governor, Gessius Florus, raided the Temple, removing 16 talents of gold from the Temple to satisfy the taxes that the Jews were withholding. This action, the entrance into the Temple by the Romans--unclean gentiles--was the abomination of desolation that Daniel prophesied, and that Jesus referenced. It was an abomination because only ritually clean Jews were permitted into the sanctuary of the Temple, and only the High Priest was allowed in the Holy of Holies. It was a violation of Jewish Law laid down by God through Moses, and was therefore an abomination to Him. It was a desolation because the Romans emptied the Temple coffers of gold--part of a wider desolation of high taxation that was bringing the Jewish people to ruin.

Over the next four years, the Jews revolted against Rome, and the land was plunged into war, until Jerusalem was finally sacked in 70 AD, and the Temple was destroyed. So the historical fulfillment of the prophecy is easy to trace. But, we cannot stop here.

A strange phrase is repeated both in Daniel and in Jesus' own prophecy: consummation of the world. This is made even stranger when we hear Jesus say that "this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done." If we take the historical perspective, this makes sense, except that the consummation of the world hasn't yet occurred. Or has it?

The Jewish understanding of the Temple went something like this: The inner sanctuary, where God dwelled, symbolized Heaven. There were interior courts, and also exterior courts. The interior courts were the places where Jews could enter into, who were not of the priestly class, and this area was divided into different sections for the men and also for the women and children. The interior courts symbolized the Earth. The exterior courts was the part of the Temple that the gentiles were permitted to enter. This is generally where the money-changing, etc. took place. The exterior courts symbolized the Sea.

In this sense, then, the consummation of the world--the completion, the end--may be said to be the consummation of the Temple. Or said differently, the destruction of the Temple may be said to be the consummation of the world. In this sense, then, yes Jesus' prophecy that all would be completed before that generation passed was fulfilled.

But, this opens the prophecy up to more possibilities. After all, we ourselves, our bodies, are said to be Temples of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, the Church itself is the Temple of the New Covenant, which makes sense because the Church is the Body of Christ, and the Body of Christ is the perfect Temple of the Holy Spirit.

The inner sanctuary is the human spirit, this part of our being represents heaven, as it is where God resides. Our bodies represent the earth, and the exterior world, our relationships to the things outside of us represent the Sea. So, in a real sense, for the Christian, this prophecy of Jesus represents our own individual lives. The abomination of desolation is grave (or mortal) sin, and leads to our destruction.

This makes Jesus' teaching here personally relevant. Now, we can start to make sense of these parables in our own lives. At the time preceding the destruction of the Second Temple, there were those who wanted to liberate Israel from the Romans. They proclaimed themselves to be Christ, the Messiah--for that is what the Jewish conception of the Messiah at the time was: a liberator, a king who would free Israel from foreign rule. In our own time, we have many who claim to be "the true church" or "true christians", and they perform all kinds of miraculous feats (such as healings, exorcisms, visions, prophecies, tongues, etc.). Jesus warns us not to be deceived.

What is the sign that Jesus says reveals the coming of the Son of Man? That is, how do we know where the truth is? "Wheresoever the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together." The imagery is that of eagles surrounding and eating a corpse. Notice that Jesus didn't say they were vultures. The reason is clear, the eagles represent the Saints, or the members of His true church. What are they doing? They're eating the body. This is veiled language for the Eucharist. In other words, Jesus says that if we want to be certain of the true Church, we will find it in the one who teaches the true presence in the Eucharist, and who eats of this meal.

But the question His disciples asked Him is "when" will this happen? He doesn't give us a when. He promises us warning signs to indicate that it is imminent. "And from the fig tree learn a parable: When the branch thereof is now tender, and the leaves come forth, you know that summer is nigh." But what He does tell us though, is that we need to be ready, because He may come at any moment, like lightning. That quickly. The destruction of the Temple in our own context is sin and death. If we sin, we destroy ourselves, spiritually. Jesus' second coming, in this context is our bodily death, and that will come unexpectedly, and we will face our particular judgment.

Unfortunately, many of us, myself included, behave as though death is far off, that judgment is far away. "[T]hat evil servant shall say in his heart: My lord is long a coming: And shall begin to strike his fellow servants, and shall eat and drink with drunkards: The lord of that servant shall come in a day that he hopeth not, and at an hour that he knoweth not: And shall separate him, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites." This is a stern warning.

In our lives we will face many tribulations. In every age, there has been war, and disease, and famine, and in our hearts there has been war--anger, fighting with our friends and families--there has been disease--sin and death--and there has been famine--a feeling of emptiness, spiritual dryness, despair. All these tribulations accompany us throughout our Faith lives. We must attend to the Eucharist, and be ready and watchful against sin.

"But know this ye, that if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open." If you knew that you were going to die tomorrow and face judgment, you would not let yourself fall into sin. You would pray, and repent, and slam the door shut to anything that could even tempt you to sin. We must live like this always, because we do not know the hour that our time will come. Like lightening.

So, I exhort myself, and I exhort you, along with Our Lord, Jesus: don't be counted among the hypocrites. Do not profess the Faith, but then live as though death is afar, and you have time to live freely, not warding yourself against sin. The destruction of the Temple is near, live as though it is. Jesus' second coming is near: He is in the Eucharist. Welcome Him, and rejoice. Live this way, and when death finally comes, it will be a joyful moment, not a fearful one.

One last word. This prophecy of Jesus, and all the signs and warnings that come with it, does have Eschatalogical significance, that is, it does refer to the end of the world as well, in a real sense, but as to that, for now, I will remain silent. If we live our lives as though we are going to die tomorrow, then we don't need to worry so much about the end times, because we will be ready either way.

God bless you, and thank you for reading.

The Parables of Jesus: Two Sons Asked to Work

Matthew 21:28-31:

[28] But what think you? A certain man had two sons; and coming to the first, he said: Son, go work today in my vineyard. [29] And he answering, said: I will not. But afterwards, being moved with repentance, he went. [30] And coming to the other, he said in like manner. And he answering, said: I go, Sir; and he went not.

[31] Which of the two did the father's will? They say to him: The first. Jesus saith to them: Amen I say to you, that the publicans and the harlots shall go into the kingdom of God before you.

Image taken from: https://i1.wp.com/www.mcfloogle.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/TwoSons.jpg?fit=450%2C236&ssl=1

Praised be Jesus Christ!


Now and forever. Amen.


We have a short parable today. Just before we start, I want to give the context for this parable. Jesus has completed His triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, and the people saying "Hosanna in the son of David: blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest." Then Jesus went to the Temple, and kicked out all the money changers, and then all the sick and lame came to Him to be healed, and the people continued to cry out, "Hosanna to the son of David."

The chief priests and scribes, hearing all this, became indignant and confronted Jesus. After a brief exchange, Jesus left the city for the night, then returned in the morning. On His way into Jerusalem, He cursed the barren fig tree. He went into Jerusalem, continuing to teach the people, and again He is confronted by the chief priests and scribes. They question His authority, but, refusing to answer Jesus' own question to them about John the Baptist's authority, Jesus refuses to reveal His own authority. Then He gives the above parable.

Okay.

Jesus again uses the vineyard motif to represent the world, and the work that needs to be done in the vineyard is the work of salvation in the world. This sets the parable, then, in the context of the Kingdom--which Jesus expressly confirms at the end in explaining the meaning of it. The father of the two sons, therefore, is God, Himself, and the two sons represent we, the people of God, who respond to God in two different ways.

We will start with the second son, who said to his father that he would go to work in the vineyard, but did not. The chief accusation that Jesus makes against the Pharisees, chief priests, and the scribes, throughout the Gospels, is their hypocrisy. Therefore, the second son is the hypocrite. He is the one who professes the Faith, saying "I believe", but then fails to enact the meaning of that profession: he fails to do the work of salvation in the vineyard--the world. He is the barren fig tree, which represents a fruitless Israel, who the Lord curses with perpetual barrenness, granting the true desire of his heart to live for himself, and not for the Lord and the work that He calls us to.

The first son, therefore, is perhaps who we might want to emulate more closely. Not precisely, because we don't want to reject God from the start. But we should recognize that every time we sin, it really is us saying "no" to God. Not, one might be tempted to draw a false conclusion about this parable. 

Jesus says, "Amen I say to you, that the publicans and the harlots shall go into the kingdom of God before you." Well that's a hard saying if you happen to be like the second son, who says "I go, Sir". You might be afraid that you are indeed like the second son, and are not living up to the calling of your Faith. But it's a challenge to you, and that's not a bad thing, as long as you try to rise up to meet it.

The false conclusion one might make is that God is freely bringing the "publicans and harlots" into the Kingdom without making any demands on them, or perhaps that one doesn't even need to make any kind of profession of Faith as long as one simply does the good work of the vineyard (i.e., leads a "good" life).

Jesus clearly says this of the first son, "But afterwards, being moved with repentance, he went." This is the most important part of the parable. Repentance isn't merely an interior regret. Repentance implies a declaration of regret and a determination to change one's choices from evil to good--to live according to the Will of God. The publicans and harlots will go ahead of the chief priests and scribes if they repent of their sins, turn back to God and go to work in His vineyard. And they were! We see that throughout the Gospels. Jesus calling sinners to repentance, and they responding.

And that is our hope--that God is calling us to work in His vineyard, and even though we are sinners, and have said no to Him on many, many occasions, perhaps daily even, He has told us that as long as we repent, turn back to Him, and say yes to His invitation, and go work in His vineyard, then we can be content in knowing that we are doing the Will of the Father.

Repent. Say yes to Him. Do not be a hypocrite.

God bless, and thank you for reading.