pearls and pigs
“Do not give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before swine. They will trample them under foot, at best, and perhaps even tear you to shreds.” —Matthew 7:6
Have you ever been tempted to toss your pearls before swine? Even if we take this command to mean: “Don’t share the pearls of the Gospel with the swine-eating Gentiles,” the first Jewish Christians did not initially evangelize the Gentiles. In fact, the Lord did call the Jewish Christians to evangelize the Gentiles, but only after they had first devoted themselves to evangelizing the Jews.
Are we saying that God both commands us to toss our pearls before swine and not to toss our pearls before swine? The point is not the pearls or the swine but the timing. Could it be that you’re working at the church when you should be working at home? Maybe you’re sharing the Gospel with strangers but not with your wife.
What if you’re not tossing the pearls of the Gospel before swine? What if your timing’s off because you’re not obeying God? We should be evangelizing whether we want to or not. We should be evangelizing first those closest to us, especially those the hardest to talk to. We should be evangelizing those that the Lord assigns to us and not those we have chosen. We toss our pearls before swine when we do the “right” thing at the wrong time, to the wrong people, or in the wrong place.
Prayer: Father, may I do it Your way, all the way and all the time.
Promise: “I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth; if anyone could count the dust of the earth, your descendants too might be counted.” —Gn 13:16
Praise: St. John Fisher was not only a bishop and cardinal, but also a leading intellectual in England. He courageously defended the validity of King Henry VIII’s marriage, winning a martyr’s crown.
Reference:
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the period from June 1, 2021 through July 31, 2021. Reverend Steve J Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 20, 2021"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.