Tuesday in the 12th Week of Ordinary Time, June 25, 2024

Matthew 7, 6; 12-14

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces. Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets. Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”

Omission of verses 7-11 in this Gospel Reading is made because those verses treat of different subject, prayer.

Those who would accuse our Lord of the social sin of “exclusion” might find grist for their mill here.  But this exclusion is not a matter of forcing people out but of recognizing the fact that some people reject their own inclusion.  “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine.”  The Jews of the Lord’s time referred to the Gentiles as “dogs” and “swine”, that is, those who dwelt “outside the camp” of the Jews.  But the deeper meaning here is of those who have rejected God.  Jesus, then, cautions his disciples not to spend their time with those who adamantly refuse to listen and who may be angered by the very mention of the name of God.  We cannot force God down anyone’s throats, that is to say.  Otherwise, if we try, they may “trample” your words underfoot, and “turn and tear you to pieces”.  As the Lord says in another place, “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words: going forth out of that house or city shake off the dust from your feet” (Matthew 10, 14).

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets.”  The Golden Rule seems not to fit here, but it can throw light on anything around it.  Thus, it comments on the preceding verse that as we would not want others to try and force us to believe other than we do, we should not do so with others.  Now, we ought to attempt to persuade people to believe in the Gospel, but we do this with charity.  

“Enter through the narrow gate.”  We might wonder why a gate would be narrow.  It would be narrow to allow only certain animals in a given space and to keep certain animals out.  Even the animals that the gate was designed for would have to struggle to pass through it: “How narrow the gate and constricted the road.”  It is not easy to find, either.  The Lord speaks of the Faith here.  It is “narrow” in that only those who have prayed, fasted, and given alms may pass through it, but once entered, we can say with the Psalmist, “He has set me in a place of pasture. He has brought me to the waters of refreshment” (Psalm 23, 2).  The Lord also warns, “The gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction.”  That is, those who have indulged themselves throughout their lives enter through this wide gate.  While the narrow gate leads to fine pastures, the wide gate leads to the slaughterhouse.  The Lord advises us that “few” find the gate that leads to life, but “many” enter the gate that leads to destruction.  Why is this?  Because few people look for the narrow gate.  That is, many more people choose self-indulgence over the self-sacrifice required for Christian service.  Why does the Lord want us to know that few will be saved in comparison with the many who will not?  To incite us to work harder, to persevere in good works, to not take salvation for granted.