The Cockle and other parables

The cockle and other parables

Strong, sharp, and clear though these first outlines were, they did not sufficiently prefigure the future development of the Church.  And so Jesus cast about for new similitudes.

"Unto what shall We compare the Kingdom of Heaven," He said, " and under what imagery may We describe it?"

In order to depict the persecutions which were in store for it He gave the Parable of the Cockle,1

The enemy sowing tares. J-J Tissot.

"The Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a man who has sowed good grain in his field.  Now while his people were sleeping his enemy comes2 and sows cockle through the midst of the wheat, and goes his way.  The blade having sprouted and born its fruit, the cockle also began to appear.
"‘And the servants of the father of the family came to him, saying, ‘My lord, did you not sow good grain in your field?  How comes it that there is cockle also?’
"‘It is mine enemy who has done this,’ he said to them.
"‘Will you have is go and weeded out?’ The servants replied.
"‘No, he answered, for fear lest in gathering up the cockle you might upward are we to the same time.  Let them grow up together until the harvest, and in the time of harvesting I will say to the reapers, First tear up the cockle and bind it in bundles to cast into the fire; but the other the wheat intimate Barnes.’"

Over against this picture of the Church’s sufferings Jesus set forth the scene of its Day of Triumph in even more striking contrast.  He showed how humble its beginnings, how slow its growth, but at the same time how mighty is the seed of life within it; and so He called it a Mustard Seed, the tiniest of all seeds, which becomes a tree in which the birds of heaven find a resting place; or it is the leaven which a woman mixes in three measures3 of meal, and which ferments the whole lump.

"All these things," adds Saint Matthew, "He told to the people in Parables, and He no longer spoke to them save in parables.  Thus was fulfilled what had been said by the Prophet, ‘I will open My mouth in Parables; I will lay bare things hidden from the foundation of the world.’"

Nevertheless the divine Master was careful, amid all this "great number of similitudes," to say nothing "which could not be comprehended" by docile hearts, and "in private He explained everything to His disciples."

To them, indeed was committed the great trust of treasuring up the truths which were denied to incredulous Jews; not that they were always to hoard of this wealth in secrecy, but that they might bring them forth at a fitting hour to be the Light of the Church, to be as a torch, which is not put beneath the couch, but is set within its holder that it made light of all those who enter the house; "for there is nothing hidden" in the Master’s doctrine "which must not be revealed, nothing done in the shadow which shall not be brought to light." This is why Jesus so earnestly beseeches His Apostles to listen to His words.

"Pay heed to what you are hearing.  Whoever has ears to hear let him hear!"

And again this is the reason of His solemn warning that this great gift of wisdom is not bestowed upon them alone, but that it is to be for all; hence He threatened to take it back from such as failed to guard it faithfully, "for it shall be given to him who has," to him who preserves the words of the Master, "but from him who has not, even that which he hath shall be taken away."

Towards evening Jesus dismissed the throngs, and returned to His dwelling.  Thither the disciples accompanied Him, and begged Him to enlighten them as to the Parable of the Cockle.  Thereupon interpreting the allegory word by word, He showed plainly how the Devil is the enemy who sows the cockle; yet at the end of the world the Angels shall gather together all the scandals, together with the evil doers, from out the Church, casting them into the furnace of fire; while the just shall shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.

To these parables Saint Matthew adds three similes which the Saviour uttered about the same time; and with these He completed the figurative description of what His Church was to become.  For some it is a Treasure buried in a field which the toiling labour turns up with the plough-share; "having found it, the fellow hides it, and in his joy he goes out and sells all he has that he may buy the field." For others it is the Pearl of great price which falls into the hands of a merchant who is seeking rare gems.  For all of us it is a Net which drags the very depths of the sea, letting nothing escape its meshes, bearing mankind from out the fierce waves of the world up to the peaceful shores of eternity.  "As fishers seated on the strand collect together the good fish and cast away the bad, even so shall it be at the end of the world.  The Angels shall come and shall separate the wicked from among the righteous, and shall cast them into the furnace.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

"Have you understood all these things?" added the divine Master.

"Yes, Lord," the Apostles replied; for now indeed their dazzled eyes were beginning to have glimpses of the truth, despite the surpassing splendour of His speech.  Little by little they were still to descry new and lovelier verities, as the divine Light grew in Glory, until the time should come for all to be made partakers in the heavenly day.  This was to be their Commission; for, unlike those Doctors of the Law who communicated their doctrine only to a handful of disciples, the Apostles of the Glad Tidings were to spread the good news over all the earth.  Just as a bountiful father will plunge his hand deep down in his coffers, bringing to light the hoardings of long ago as well as of today that he may lavish them upon the children of his household, even so the true Scribe, who has knowledge of the Kingdom of Heaven, must needs find in the Old Testament as well as in the New treasures of wisdom which shall become in his hands the noble heritage of all mankind.

Totus tuus ego sum 

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam 

The Parable of the Sower

Continuing Fouard's Life of Christ:

The Parable of the Sower

Matt. xiii. 3-23.

The sower. J-J Tissot.

"Listen!" Said Jesus, stretching out His hands toward those familiar shores of Genesareth.  "The Sower went out to sow, and while he was sowing some grains fell into the roadway, and the birds of the sky lighted and consume them; other some fell upon stony ground, where there was not much earth, and it sprung up immediately, because it had no depth of soil; but when the sun was up it was scorched, and as it had no roots it withered away; still others fell among thistles, and the thistles grew up and choked them; others, finally, fell in good earth and bore fruit, sum a hundred, others sixty, and others thirty fold.  He who has ears to hear let him hear!"

There He stopped, leaving His listeners to fathom the meaning hidden beneath the Parable.  There was nothing to help them to an understanding of it; it remained a riddle not only to the Jews who were strangers to His doctrine, but even to the Twelve as well.  Though the latter pressed about Him, and upon their asking why a He spoke in this way, Jesus at once explained His conduct.  If He concealed the mysteries of the Kingdom of God under the form of an allegory, it was only that His enemies might "behold without perceiving, right here without understanding," and thus, aided by this security, He might, as we have said before, gain the necessary time for the development of His doctrine, which was to make out of these lowly disciples a Holy Church, the Household of the most Highly God.  The same truths were delivered to every hearer of His Parables, but they were not fully revealed to any hearts which were not docile enough to beg more light of the Master Himself.  As for the mass of the Jews, the Oracle uttered long since by Isaias was now fulfilled in them, "You shall hear with your ears, and you shall not understand; you shall behold with your eyes, and you shall not see.  For the heart of these people is waxed gross; they have grown dull of hearing, they have shut their eyes, in such ways that they may no longer either see or hear or understand in their hearts; neither can they be converted nor be healed."

"But as for you," continued Jesus, "blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.  In very truth, I tell you, many Prophets and just men have desired to see what you are seeing and have not seen it, and to hearken to what you are hearing and have not heard it.  Therefore listen to the Parable of the Sower." But the minds of the Apostles were not yet sufficiently clear-sighted to grasp the meaning of this allegory; and for the moment Jesus was amazed at their blindness.

"Do you not understand this Parable?  How, then, will you be able to understand all the rest?" However, He took pity upon their weakness, and expounded His own words.  The Church is a vast Field, through which Jesus walks scattering the grain from an unstinting hand; for the gifts of God are without measure.  The seed falls everywhere in an equally generous shower, — upon hearts as cold and hardened as those worn, beaten pathways, which offer it no resting-place or nourishment; upon light and superficial souls, wherein the strength of the seed, spending itself in a sudden show of growth, sends down no deep roots, and so withers beneath the first window of temptation; upon the creatures of worldliness, who no sooner receive the gift of grace than they proceed to stifle it" beneath the weight of earthly cares and the deceitfulness of riches."But those true followers of Him are "the good ground, they who hearken to the Word, who receive it, and bring forth fruit bearing thirty, sixty, and an hundred fold." Such was the first rough draft of the Church drawn by the hand of the Master Architect,— a Field wherein the heavenly seed is sown with exceeding plentifulness, and yet it will bear no fruit if so be that man's evil passions place an obstacle in its wake.

Jesus dwelt more strongly still upon this last point by showing what perfect freedom of action He would bestow upon His earthly Heritage, the Church.  He likened it to a land which, being once oversown, "produces its fruit of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the grain enclosed in the ear.  And when it has borne its full crop, immediately they put sickle to it, because it is now the time of harvest." What matters it whether the workmen sleeps or watches, will not the harvest still come round?  The grain takes root of itself, and grows up while he is dreaming; when once the soil is planted, there is no need of him until the time of reaping is come.  In like manner the Saviour has dealt with the Kingdom of Heaven in our hearts.  He came to sow, but He need never more return until the end of Time, — until the harvesting is come.

Totus tuus ego sum 

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam 

The Parables: Healing the blind, mute man possessed

Continuing with Fouard's life of Christ:

Chapter V: The Parables

Luke viii. 1-21; Mark iii. 20-35, iv. 1-34; Matt. Xii. 22-37, 46-50, xiii. 1-52.

The Public Life of Jesus might be divided into two periods: one would be that in which the Jews did not directly interfere with His Ministry; while during the latter epoch they actively attacked Him.  Up to this time the Master’s glory had known no diminution of its growing splendour in the eyes of the people; although Judaea rejected Him at the command of the Sanhedrin, He found a warm welcome awaiting Him in Galilee, and each succeeding day saw the throngs about Him increase in number and enthusiasm.  For a long time the efforts of the Sanhedrin's emissaries, who strove to stir up the populace against Him, were altogether fruitless; we have noticed at the banquet given by Simon how the power and popularity of Jesus then overawed the Pharisees themselves.  But now the hour had come for a complete change in the aspect of events; and hereafter the authority of the Lord begins to wane slowly and surely, until at last His enemies are again masters of the situation.

This reversal of affairs became most apparent during the second mission which the Saviour began in Galilee.  It is Saint Luke who tells us of these new journeyings, when Jesus travelled again through towns and hamlets spreading the good tidings of Salvation; but he does not relate any particular occurrences.  He simply notes the fact that the Twelve Apostles were with Him, and also certain Galilean women, of whom the greater number, if not all, "had been delivered by Him either from evil spirits or from other maladies.  These were Mary, called the Magdalen, Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's Steward, Susanna, and many others who aided Him with such goods as they had."

These saintly companions of the Christ were evidently of distinguished character both on account of their rank and their riches.  Of Susanna we know nothing more than her name, the gracefulest name of any borne by the daughters of Israel, since it recalls the white cup of the lily-flower.  As for Joanna, her husband's title would lead us to believe that she had been at the court of the Tetrarch before she set out to follow Jesus; yet having once devoted herself to the Lord, she never was unfaithful to her vows.  We shall find her again at the Sepulchre, still by the side of Mary Magdalen, with whom Saint Luke associates her here.

Among all the followers of the Christ, this last-named figure is known and loved the best.  We have seen how Tradition regards her as the penitent sinner, who came to the feast given by Simon.  This opinion would seem to be confirmed by Saint Luke himself, for he speaks of seven devils being driven out of the Magdalen; and seven may vary reasonably be considered as a symbolic number, chosen to denote the depth of degradation from which the Saviour rescued this saint-soiled creature.

The Holy Virgin is not named among the women who accompanied her Son; and hence we must presume that she was now living in retirement at Capharnaum.  During His sojourns at different times in that city, it would appear that Jesus did not always take up His abode with her; for after the second mission-journey, we find Him in a dwelling which certainly was not shared by any of His family.

As always happened about this time, the multitude would besiege Him in such numbers that Jesus and His disciples could "not even find time to take food." His kindred, hearing of this, entirely lost all self control.  "He is growing mad," they said, angrily, and thereupon took sides with the party who were abusing Him.  Though indeed there were two of their number chosen by the Christ to be among the Twelve, who were now bearing their share in His toils and His glory, yet the other children of Alpheus, whether from jealousy, or from dread of being involved in some trouble with the vindictive Sanhedrin, shut their eyes to the light, and not satisfied with simply treating Jesus as a madman, they resolved to lay hold upon Him and keep Him confined in their own house.

Healing the blind mute man possessed. J-J Tissot,

"So they started out from their home, and came thither to seize Him;" he adds they could not force their way into His presence, so densely packed were the masses of townsfolk about him!  Just at this moment, too, there was additional cause for excitement; for someone had brought Him a possessed fellow, who was blind and dumb as well, and Jesus cured him, so that the man spoke and saw.  And all the people were amazed and said,

"Is not to this the Son of David?"

But there were some Scribes from Jerusalem present.  Though for instant they were disconcerted by the cries of delight and wonderment, almost immediately they proceeded to whisper sly hints as usual, and began to disparage the miracle.

Why need anyone be surprised, said they, that this man should cast out the devils?  "He is himself possessed by Beelzebub;[1] he therefore commands them in the name of their Prince."
[1] Beelzebub is the name the Jews gave the prince of devils; it signifies "Lord of the Dung heap,"; "Prince of Abomination." We find this word infrequent use among the Talmudists when referring to idols, which in their eyes were veritable devils.  According to some scholars, the word should be taken and the sense of "house;" and in that case Beelzebub would mean " the Master of the Household," that is, of this world, which is his dwelling place.  The Septuagint, four Kings, one, too, and Josephus, translates this word by "Lord of the Flies," and it has been conjectured that this is the demon which was worshipped by the Philistines at Ekron, under the likeness of one of those Beatles which live in heaps of muck. 
Cf: OED: †5.  a. A familiar demon (from the notion that devils were accustomed to assume the form of flies). Obsolete.
1584   R. Scot Discouerie Witchcraft iii. xv. 65   A flie, otherwise called a diuell or familiar.
1612   B. Jonson Alchemist i. ii. sig. C   A riflng Fly: none o' your great Familiars.

Well knowing all their underhand dealings, Jesus summoned them to come nearer, and then said:

"Every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate; every city, every family, so divided shall not endure.  If Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall he endure?"

By this the Lord does not deny that the kingdom of Satan is a state of Anarchy, but He rather insists upon the truth that it is from this single point of agreement, — their hatred of God, — that the divisions of Hell draw the principle of their existence; were this their one Note of unity to be lost, which is impossible, there would at once be an end of the Realm of Darkness.  By the fact of His rescuing the poor victim from the infernal powers Jesus showed that He was no minister of Satan; for "No one can enter a stronger man's dwelling and bear away goods without first having bound the man of might; only then can he pillage his house."

Again the Master retorts upon His enemies that their own disciples exorcised spirits in the name of Jehovah, just as He did, and hence their sons would be their judges, since they could testify that Hell yields obedience to other orders beside those of Beelzebub; wherefore if He, the Christ of the Lord, in His own Name and by the Spirit of God, put the fiends to flight, this indeed is proof that the Kingdom of God has really come."

Then in conclusion, Jesus called His faithful followers about Him.  "Whoever is not with Me," said the Lord, "is against Me, and whoever gathereth not with Me scattereth."

The Scribes had also accused Jesus of having "and unclean spirit." What did they mean by this term?  Was it in allusion to His contempt for Pharisaic ablutions or to His tenderness towards sinners?  It is quite impossible to say; but we know that this calumny aroused His wrath, since it called from him that a dreadful warning of eternal death,

"I say unto you, every scene, every blasphemy, shall be forgiven men; but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven.  And whoever shall have spoken against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven him; but the man who has spoken against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven, either in this world or in the other."[2]

In Saint Matthew's account the reply of the Lord is reported more at length.  He told His slanderers that they ought at least to be consistent with themselves, and should judge the tree by its fruits.  If He did actually drive out devils, why did they not acknowledge the fact?  The tree is good which bears good fruit.  And yet, after all, no one need be amazed at their blasphemies, for the mouth speaks from the fullness of the heart; and assuredly these creatures, this brood of vipers, could not fail to poison their speech with the venom of malice.

[2] Jesus could see into the wicked minds of His enemies had clearly enough; it was not from any ignorance of the Truth that they strove against Him; but they were now boldly blaspheming, recognizing the Presence of God and of His Christ, and face to face with His wondrous works so manifestly Divine, and consequently seeing the enormity of their blasphemy, yet persisting in it notwithstanding.  This then was that dreadful sin against the Holy Ghost which cannot obtain pardon, because of itself it dries up life at the fountain-head, and withstands every movement of the Spirit of Grace which strives to quicken it again to a right feeling.  In order to save the heart so bent upon evil, it would be necessary to force man's freedom of will; but God always stops at the threshold of that inviolable sanctuary of the soul.

Totus tuus ego sum 

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam 

The sinful woman at the banquet given by Simon

Continuing with Fouard's Life of Christ:

IV: The sinful woman at the banquet given by Simon

Luke vii. 36-50.

On that same day at Naïm the divine gift of grace were again bestowed upon mankind.  While still excited by the raising of the dead youth and by the coming of John's messengers, this little city was to be the scene of one of the most touching incidents in the whole Gospel.

A Pharisee, named Simon,1 invited the Saviour to a banquet.  Curiosity, and the pleasure of entertaining an extraordinary personage, — perhaps, too, a secret sense of the majestic character of this Prophet, — left had induced him to tender this courtesy to Jesus.  However, from pride, or from fear of his Sect, he affected an air of contemptuous coldness.  The usual polite ceremonials were omitted: there was no one to bathe the feet of the Stranger, nor did anyone kiss this Guest upon the cheek, nor offer Him perfumes four His hair.

Jesus made no complaint at meeting with so cold a greeting in the house of one who had bidden Him to a formal feast.  He entered the banquet hall and took His place at table.  In the primitive times the Hebrews used to partake of their repast, after the manner common among the Orientals of today, seated upon mats with their legs crossed; but ever since the Captivity, they had dropped this custom in order to follow the prevalent fashion among the Greeks and Romans, slipping off their sandals at the threshold, they reclined upon couches, which were arranged about the board, and helped themselves to the dainties, while leaning on the left arm, the body lying with the feet extended to the outer circle.

When the great banquet hall was thrown open to all comers, as was now the case, it was customary for a crowd of onlookers to surround the feasters with perfect freedom.  In this interested circle of spectators there stood a woman known throughout the whole town for her disorderly life.  Upon hearing a rumour that the Christ was coming to this quarter of the city, she had hurried thither, clad in her usual rich garments, and clasping a vase of perfumes in her hand.  She had pressed forward until she reached the Lord, and there she remained listening to Him in silence.

Mary dries the feet of Jesus. J-J Tissot.

Very soon, indeed, the words of the Son of Mary found their way to her sin-stained soul; she threw herself weeping at the feet of the Master, humbly kissing them, drying them with her hair, and then, breaking the alabaster vase, she covered them with the fragrant incense.

Simon looked across the table with haughty disgust at this woman who had prostrated herself before Jesus.  Neither the woeful shame nor the great wretchedness of a heart torn by repentance could move him to pity; he could see in this sinful woman nothing but a disgraced and odious creature, whose least touch would leave an ugly stain.  His only surprise was that Jesus did not repulse her, as he or any other Pharisee would have done, in scorn and horror.

"If this man were really a Prophet," he mused, "he would know what sort of a woman this is who is touching him; he would know that she is a sinner." These words were not uttered aloud; but the Pharisee, if only by his silence and his contemptuous manner, let his disdain be plainly seen by all.

Jesus answered his thoughts.

"Simon," he said, "I have somewhat to say to you."

"Well, Master, say on!" replied the host.

"A creditor had two debtors; one owed him 500 denarii and the other fifty.  As they had not wherewithal to pay him, he remitted each one's debt.  Which of the two now loves him most?"

Simon replied, without seeing what the Lords desired to prove from this, " Undoubtedly it would be he to whom he remitted the greater amount."

"You judged rightly," answered Jesus; and then He turned His eyes fall upon the sinner before Him.  Huddled at His feet, she was shedding bitter, burning tears, tears which Saint Augustine has called the heart's blood.  But because she was humble, and was therefore more enlightened than Simon, at the very mention of debt she knew that He was alluding to Her.  The Master pointed to this penitent figure, continuing still had to address the astonished Pharisee.

" Simon, do you see this woman?
"I entered your dwelling; you gave Me no water for My feet, while she indeed has washed My feet with her tears, and has wiped them with her hair.
"You gave Me no kiss; while she indeed, ever since I entered here, has not ceased to kiss My feet.
"You have not anointed My head with oil, where she indeed has bathed My feet with ointments.
"And so, for this reason, I say to you, many sins shall be remitted unto her, because she has loved much.  But he to whom less is remitted loves the less."

The Heart of the divine Master overflowed in this forgiveness which he now granted to one who was looked upon as the vilest object in all humanity, the very symbol of lost and depraved womankind.  Not like Paganism, which would have devoted her to a life of shame beyond the slightest hope of escape, Jesus cast upon her the look of such deep and pure tenderness that the Pharisees themselves dared not wrong Him by evil thought.  He raised her from the earth, and though He did not lay upon her brow that flower of innocence which once blighted never looms again, He crowned her with a glory far more austere, — the halo of repentance, and a great lover of a pardoned soul.

And this divine fire blazed so brightly and so strong within this poor sinner’s heart that it was purified at once of every ugly stain; "so much of sinfulness was forgiven her, because she had loved so much." And therefore Jesus had only to make manifest the miracle which grace had worked within her by saying to the sobbing woman, —
"Your sins are remitted unto you."

Language like this, which had once were roused the members of the Sanhedrin to a fury of indignation, here, among the Pharisees of Naïm, only excited mingled emotions of fear and awe.
"Who is this man," they said among themselves, "who even remits sins?"

But as for Jesus, all intent upon comforting the penitent, His a new thought was to complete her conversion by making her know His infinite compassion, and so reviving her courage.

"Your faith has saved you," He said; and then He added, "Go in peace!"

Forthwith, in the peace of the Lord, the pardoned sinner went away, never again to seek happiness in carnal pleasures, destined rather to amaze the world by the unflinching rigour of her expiation.

This woman, whose name Saint Luke does not mention, is no other than Mary Magdalen.  Although there is nothing in Scripture distinctly to settle this fact,2 there are very venerable traditions of the Church which assert it; and Jewish writers add their testimony in confirmation.  According to all these authorities the pardoned sinner of Naïm, Mary of Magdala, and Mary the sister of Lazarus and Martha, are one and the same person.

Of her sinful past we have no knowledge beyond a few legends in the Talmud, which speak of the beauty of Mary, the fame of her lovely hair, her wealth, and her intrigues.  Her husband was a Doctor of the Law, Pappus, son of Juda, whose jealousy was so great that he was wont to keep her closely imprisoned whenever he left their home.  The highly spirited Jewess soon broke away from this hateful restraint, joined fortunes with a gay officer of Mandela, and accompanied him to that town, where she led a life of such brilliant but unbridled indulgence that she has always kept the name of "The Magdalene."

And doubtless it was there that Jesus saw her, and so awakened in her stained and blighted heart the first seeds of a passionate regret for a lost soul.  The few words at the banquet hall in Naïm were all that was needed to bring her weeping to the Saviour’s feet; and ever after that day the Fathers, whose opinion we are following now, delight in discovering tokens of her presence, and she follows the footsteps of the Master.  She is among the Galilean ladies who went with Him and waited upon their Lord.  At Bethany she is seated at His feet, in deep, speechless contemplation; then too, close by the tomb of Lazarus, and afterwards at the feast given by Simon the leper, everywhere whither she could tread in the pathway of Him Who had saved her.

These are the broad lines in the Magdalen's portrait, as she is depicted by Tradition, which has thus filled out the shadowy sketch left us by the Gospel.  Modern critics remark very truly that there is nothing in the sacred text to necessitate such a reconstruction of the events; but surely they make a twofold mistake when they disregard Tradition, which supplies facts omitted by Scripture, while without any sufficient proofs of their own, they contend that these three women were of different dispositions, whose like could never be combined in one person.  Such writers feel sure that the noble ladies of Galilee, among whom Saint Luke mentions the Magdalen, would never have associated with an infamous character; and that Mary, the Contemplative of Bethany, has nothing allied to that impetuous ardour which Saint John attributes to the Magdalen upon Mount Calvary.  These difficulties will not be stumbling blocks to those who know what changes repentance can work in the soul.  Conversion does, in truth, bestow a title of nobility which no companions of Jesus ever fail to recognise; it turns the thirst for pleasures into such passionate longing for heavenly delight that the most illustrious penitents have buried themselves in a life of contemplation.  And therefore we feel no more surprise at finding the brilliant courtesan sitting silent and subdued at the Master's feet, then when we see her still clinging to her dying Lord, or disputing with the tomb for the body of the Incarnate God.  And so we are still constant to ancient beliefs, when we prefer to think of the three Marys of the Gospel as the one Magdalen, ever venerated throughout the church.

Totus tuus ego sum 

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam 

The message sent by John the Baptist

Continuing with Fouard's Life of Christ:

III: The message sent by John the Baptist

Luke vii. 18-35; Matt. xi. 2-19.

For more than six months now John Baptist had been held as a captive by Herod, but from his frontier prison he still followed the course of Him for Whom he had made ready the road; and this he could do the more easily since his disciples were permitted to visit him, and could thus keep him informed of all the doings of the Christ.  So, just at this juncture, he selected to from their number, and dispatch them to the Saviour with this message:

"Are you He who should come, or are we to await some other?"

What is the meaning of these words?  Amidst the weariness and dejection of his confinement, did John feel his courage sinking?  Did he begin to lose faith in the Christ?  For us to harbour such a supposition would be to misjudge his character entirely.  The Precursor’s only design was to direct his disciples’ minds by this means straight to the only Teacher Who could fully instruct them in the way of life.  The Saviour, who at once fathomed John's motive, made answer by letting them witness certain deeds in which His almighty powers were manifested most strikingly.  "In that same hour He healed all those who came to him, curing them of all their diseases and wounds, and of evil spirits; and to a blind man he restored his sight."

Then turning to these envoys He said, "Go, and report to John that which you have both heard and witnessed, the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers our cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, and to the poor the Good News is announced."

Isaias, whose words Jesus borrows here, had foretold that such marvels would mark the coming of the Messiah.  He indeed had not spoken of any resurrection of the dead, but the Lord could not be silent concerning that which all Naïm was now publishing abroad, and therefore He alludes also to that sovereign might wherewith He holds the powers of death at His will, adding yet another sign of which the Prophet had spoken: "the Gospel delivered on to the poor."

In making this humble duty the culminating note in an enumeration of His most striking miracles, Jesus designed to set the true character of His Mission in highest relief; because He had come, not so much to do glorious deeds, as to teach and to comfort all such as the world despises.  And yet this marvellous blending of grandeur and meekness shocked the disciples of the Baptist.

The Lord, seeing them draw away from Him, uttered that solemn warning, before their withdrawal:

"Blessed is he who is not scandalised in Me!"

In their astonishment at this unceremonious departure, it would appear that the people conceived an unfavourable idea of these messengers, and were even fain to suspect the fidelity of him who had sent them, for at once Jesus spoke out in his defence.

He reminded the Jews of those reeds which they had seen waving in the way and along the banks of the streams where John was baptising, and with easy contrasted the stronger, unshaken faith of the Precursor, taking the thin and tremulous stalks as the symbol of inconstancy.  Then, as His gaze fell upon certain men among them who were clothed in splendid garments, He compared the lazy luxury of the gay courtiers with the austerity of the Prophet, saying:

"What went you're into the desert for to see?  A reed shaken by the winter?
"What, then, went you out for to see?  A man clothed in soft raiment?
"Nay, those who have rich robes and live in luxury do dwell in kings' houses.
"What, then, went you're out for to see?  A Prophet?  Yea, I say to you, and more than a Prophet.
"And this is He of whom it is written: Behold I send Mine Angel before Thy face, to prepare Thy ways before The."

Was it not enough to have exalted the holiness of His Forerunner so strikingly?  Yet Jesus went on to say that under the ancient Law" No one among those born of women has everrisen who is greater than John."

Still, such is the superiority of the Church over the Synagogue, that Jesus adds: "And, notwithstanding, the least of all in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John the Baptist;" whereby He would teach us that the lowest place by His side is to be preferred before the highest among the disciples of Moses.

It is this new reign of the Christ on earth "that all the Prophets had foretold, until John," and for which John himself, "the new Elias," had made ready all things with such a lofty zeal.  His toils and trouble had not been in vain, for at this very hour all Judea was flocking to Jesus.  "Already men were taking this His Kingdom by storm, and in dense throngs were hastening to the assault."

This declaration surprised the listeners and was quite differently received.  "The people and the publicans, baptised by John, acknowledged the justice and the wisdom of these divine counsels; but the Pharisees and the Doctors of the Law, who had disdained the baptism of the Precursor, now gave token of their contempt for the designs of God in their regard." Whereupon Jesus addressed to them these reproachful words:

"To what shall I compare the men of this generation?  To what, indeed, can they be likened?" He added.
"They are like children seated in the market-place, who cry to their companions, ‘We have played for you on the flute, we have sung and you have not danced.  We have chanted sorrowful hymns, and you have not wept, you have not even beat your breasts.’
" John has come among you neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He is possessed by the devil; the Son of Man comes eating and drinking, and you say, This is a fellow who loves good cheer and wine, a friend of publicans and sinners.’"

These words of the Master must have made the Pharisees and the Scribes wince and writhe under the justice of the mortifying rebuke; for it was in the presence of all the people that He thus charged them with cherishing childish caprices and of insisting pettishly that everything must bend to suit their humours, at one time complaining of John because, in their hours of pleasure and happiness, his life seemed too stern and austere; and then again, displeased with Jesus, Whose condescension and charity was a scandal in their eyes.

After this severe censure, the Lord proclaimed that although such was the state of this unbelieving generation, yet a time would come, and he was even now upon them, when "Wisdom would find her children, who would both defend and justify her."

He might indeed have pointed out such sons of the Eternal Wisdom, as they stood there in the presence of His enemies.  They were the Apostles, those lonely and humble men who surrounded Him, and to were yet to become the triumphant apologists of the New Reign.

Totus tuus ego sum 

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam 

The Son of the Widow of Naïm

Continuing with Fouard's Life of Christ:

II: The Son of the Widow of Naïm

Luke vii. 11-17.

Naïm (Nain) and other places referred to in the text.

Jesus lingered only a little while at Capharnaum; on the next day, — so runs the record of Saint Luke, —  He had travelled some nine leagues thence, and had come to the town of Naïm.  There was nothing unusual about this rapid journey; four, by starting in the evening, a boat could soon bring Him over to the southern shore of the lake, and leaving there about sunrise He would reach the place for which He was bound easily before nightfall.

Naïm of today, a poor little village, has preserved no tokens of her past, except her girdle of tombs; there is nothing now to justify her name, "The Beautiful," beside her site, upon the slope of a high hill, from which, in a glance, one can sweep the plain of Esdralon, and far away to Mount Tabor.

But in the days of the Lord she was glowing with life, and by her faith was made worthy of receiving the Good News, and beholding His wondrous works.

At that time, the most glorious period of His Ministry, the Master walked always attended by an eager array of faithful souls.  In this manner He was making the ascent of the steep pathway which still leads up to Naïm, when, from out the gates of the city, there came a funeral procession; it was advancing directly in the path of Jesus, moving toward a tomb which had been made without the walls.

There is no sadder sight than a burial train in the Orient; certain of the kindred bear the body, resting on a litter and swathed in perfumes and linen bands; at their head march the flute-players, who draw shrill, plaintive notes from their pipes; the mourners send up a chorus of cries and wails, now beating their breasts, now tossing their hands to heaven, or tearing their dishevelled hair.  And on this day their demonstration of woe must have been more wild and clamorous than ever, for they were seeking to give utterance to sorrows such as no tears can wash away.  The Gospel with one word makes us feel how great was that grief: "He was his mother's only son, and she was a widow." This weeping woman followed the body with a large company of the townsfolk.

Jesus could not look upon this piteous sight without being moved.

"Do not weep," He said to her; and forthwith, coming closer, He touched the bier.

"Young man, I say unto you, ‘Arise!’" J-J Tissot.

The bearers understood His gesture, and stood still.  The throng waited in suspense for what was about to happen; the flute-players and the wailing women were hushed and still; through this expectant silence they heard the voice of the Saviour,

"Young man, I say unto you, ‘Arise!’"

Instantly the dead sat up and began to speak.  And Jesus restored him to his mother.

In this deed, who could help recognizing the Prince of Life, handling at His sovereign pleasure the keys of the tomb?  Elias bringing back to life the son of the widow of Sarepta, Eliseus restoring her child to the weeping Sunamite woman, were evidently in everyone's mind.  But what a difference between Jesus, breaking the bonds of death by a word, and these Prophets, who must needs throw themselves upon the corpse again and again, while they revived it with their breath.  Here, instead of the prolonged and laborious efforts of a restricted power, there is the simple Authority of the mighty Master!  "They all were seized with fear, and glorified God, as they said, ;A great Prophet has visited His people!’"

As for the child thus called back to life, and his widowed mother, assuredly it was not fear that moved them, but indeed a living faith which well-nigh overwhelmed their hearts; for it was not Jesus’ custom to cure the body without renewing the soul; nor can we believe that He would have awaked the dead youth from his funeral coach, that so He might restore in him the life of the senses, without, at one and the same time, inspiring the breath of Immortality within his soul.

Totus tuus ego sum 

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam 

The Centurion of Capharnaum

Continuing Fouard's Life of Christ:

Chapter IV: Capharnaum and Naïm

I: The Centurion of Capharnaum

Luke vii. 1-10; Matt. Viii. 1, 5-13.

Accompanied by great concourse, Jesus descended the mountain and returned to Capharnaum.  He went thither to experience the joy of welcoming the first Pagan who was to come to Him, one of the noblest souls of whom the Gospel makes any mention.  He was a Roman Centurion, commanding the detachment of legionaries stationed upon the borders of the lake.  Galilee, though it was under Herod's rule, remained nevertheless under the overlordship of vigilant Roman governors; and Capharnaum was too important a position for the masters of the world to neglect to occupy it.  The officer charged with representing the Empire here was worthy of that trust, resolute in his biddings, keeping his soldiers under perfect discipline, at the same time he was not so much the overseer as he was the protector of Capharnaum.  We know that he had been more than a little drawn toward the worship of Jehovah; for this Pagan, who had remained upright and clean of heart in the midst of Roman corruption, could not have known the religion of the Jews without being touched by its pure morality, and to this he had himself been borne witness publicly, by having a synagogue built in the town.  With this high turn of mind he combined certain feelings of humanity, which was certainly rare enough at that period.  There is no one who does not know what sort of a position the slave held in ancient days; he was a machine with a human voice, a beast of burden, taken care of only in order to obtain a few years longer services.  Should he grow old and sick, it were the wisest course, according to certain most illustrious philosophers, "to sell him along with the old cattle and rusty scrap iron." Yet this Centurion, when we see him first, is leaning over the pillow of his old servant, watching and weeping; "for he loved him much."

His grief, being known throughout Capharnaum, had moved his numerous friends to come to him, and they were gathered about the sick man, who was now racked with fierce agonies; death was drawing near.  In this extremity the Centurion learned of Jesus return, and recalled all he has heard said of Him; yet, not daring to hope that Israel's And benefactor would listen to a Pagan, he turned toward the Ancients of Capharnaum, and asked them to intercede for him.

The latter, remembering only their debt of gratitude, set out in search of the Saviour, and besought His aid.

"This man deserves that you should assist him," they said, "for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue."

Jesus acceded immediately to their request.

"I will go," He replied, "and I will heal him."

He followed after them, and has He was nearing the house they informed the Centurion of His approach.  The Roman’s surprise was great, for he had never expected to receive Him in his home, knowing that in the eyes of the Pharisees one who enter the heathens dwelling was defiled.  Desiring to spare the youthful Prophet such disgrace, he dispatched some of his friends, bearing this message:

" Lord, do not give yourself so much trouble, for I am not worthy that you should enter into my house.  It was for this reason I dared not go to you; but say only one word and my servant shall be healed."

Lord I am not worthy... J-J Tissot.

Then he himself, if we follow the text of Saint Matthew, came forward to meet the divine Master, and upon the threshold of his mansion besought Him, as his only gift, to vouchsafe one single word from His mouth.  Accustomed to command, he knew the power of a word.

"I, who obey another," he said, "have nevertheless soldiers under me, and I say to one, ‘Go!’  And he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’  And he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it."

Hearing him speak, Jesus was filled with admiration, and turning to the company who had followed Him, He said:

"Of a truth I have not found any so great faith, even in Israel."

Praise like this, which exulted a Heathen above the sons of Abraham, probably gave rise to some bitter murmurings of disapproval; it may even be that the Lord had discerned some of the Sanhedrin’s spies mingling with the crowd, for all at once His language grew threatening.  The Jews had pictured for themselves the reign of the Messiah as it were a banqueting-board spread before them, and them alone; and they were fond of representing the confusion of the Gentiles, doomed only to gaze from afar upon their sumptuous repast.

The divine Master recalled this haughty dream in order to destroy it, and declared that Pagans coming from the East and from the West would sit down to table by the side of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the heavens; while the Jews, though children of the Kingdom of heaven, would be cast without the festal hall into the blackness of night.  "There shall be weeping and grinding of teeth."

Turning then to the Centurion, "Go," He said, "and may it be done unto you even as you have believed." And the servant was healed.

 The Centurion of Capharnaum remains unto this day as the consummate copy set before every soul that seeks God.  By praising his humility and faith the Lord has shown us that thus it behoves us to come unto Him.  Of this the Church has been ever mindful; and since that time no one draws near the Table where Jesus gives us Himself to be our Bread of Life without first rekindling in his heart the feelings of this great Captain, murmuring with reverent lips:

"Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof, but speak only one word and my soul shall be healed."

Totus tuus ego sum 

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam