Sermon 60A

SERMON 60/A

Here begins the sermon on the gospel where the Lord says:
"Do not give what is holy to the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine"
"That which is holy to the dogs and your pearls before the swine " and other matters which follow

He who seeks and knocks is no longer a dog and a pig.

Your Charity knows, since you are children of the Church of Christ, rooted and founded in the Catholic faith, that the mysteries of God are not hidden to begrudge those learning, but so that they are not revealed except to those who seek. For this reason, they are recited as if enclosed from the Holy Scriptures, to elevate the spirit to seek. Just now, the evangelical reading was recited to us, where the Lord commands not to throw pearls before swine. When the Lord advised His servants and disciples saying: "Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor throw your pearls before swine," indeed he warned them of this; but because they could not easily recognize who were the dogs and swine to be avoided, so that the pearls would not be thrown before them, nor what is holy be given to such, and much less to exclude the deserving, he immediately added and said: "Ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you; for everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." Therefore, "Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor throw your pearls before swine," he commands to the stewards, his disciples, whom he was making preachers of the Gospel. What he added: "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you," he commanded the people; so that when one asks, seeks, and knocks, then it may be understood that he is no longer a dog or swine, to whom pearls should not be thrown.

The example of the Canaanite woman is demonstrated.

This is clearly evident in another place of the gospel when the Lord went into the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from those territories began to plead for the healing of her daughter. The Lord did not listen to her: He seemed to ignore her so that her faith might become evident. See how he delays: He pretends not to give what he intends to give, in order to draw forth from her heart the voice by which she would be worthy to receive it. For when even the disciples said to the Lord, "Send her away, for she cries after us," the Lord replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." Look, it is similar to that command, "Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine." "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." For she was from the gentiles. The time was coming when the Gospel would also be preached to the gentiles: the Apostle Paul was especially sent to the gentiles, he himself was mainly sent; but after the passion and resurrection of the Lord, the Gospel had to be preached among the gentiles. However, the Lord came in bodily presence to those sheep of the house of Israel who were lost, because many of them also believed. For from that number were the Apostles; from that number were those one hundred and twenty upon whom the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost, whom the Lord promised in the Gospel when He said, "I will send you the Spirit of truth"; and whatever He promised about that Spirit, He fulfilled after His passion and ascension on the day of Pentecost. There were about one hundred and twenty there, upon whom the Holy Spirit came, and they were filled, to be sure, from the number of the Jews. I thus point out to your Holiness how the sheep of the house of Israel who were lost are chosen. The apostle Paul also says that the risen Lord was seen by more than five hundred brothers at one time: they were from that number. When the Lord was preached after His ascension, many thousands of Jews also believed. Likewise, to those who crucified the Lord was given the blood of the Lord; in raging they poured out their price: for by that very blood they were redeemed, which they shed. And because the voice of the one hanging on the cross was not in vain, when He said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," they first shed the blood that was their price, and afterward drank. Therefore, He said He was sent to these sheep. But still, He foretold that the gentiles would believe. For nothing was happening as if it were new, which had not been foretold before. For the prophets also announced the faith of the gentiles; and He Himself, while He was still here before His passion, said, "I have other sheep that are not of this fold: I must bring them also, and there will be one flock and one shepherd." Therefore, He was also called the cornerstone: for in the corner, two walls are joined together, nor do they form a corner unless they come from different directions. For if both come from one direction, they do not form a corner. Therefore, the people coming from the Jews, that is, from the circumcised; coming from different directions, that is, from idols and the uncircumcised, the gentiles indeed came from different backgrounds, but were united on one stone. "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." Therefore, the gentiles had not yet come, and yet already that Canaanite woman from the gentiles prefigured the Church of the gentiles.

The Canaanite woman considers herself a dog and the Jews her masters.

He therefore asked, and it was said: It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. When she asked strongly, she was called a dog. If she, upon hearing the word that seemed like an insult, which had come from the mouth of truth, had gotten angry and departed with indignation, saying in her heart: I came to seek a favor; if it is given, let it be given; if it is not given, why am I a dog? What wrong have I done, because I asked, because I came to receive a favor? She knew from whom she sought the favor; she accepted what had proceeded from His mouth, did not reject it, and insisted more strongly in asking, confessing herself to be what she had heard. For she said: Yes, Lord; that is, you have spoken the truth, because I am a dog. And since he had said the children's bread, it is not enough that she confessed herself to be a dog; she also confessed her masters, whom He had called children. For it is not right, he said, to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. And she replied: Yes, Lord; for even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table. What do you see, brothers? She asked eagerly, sought eagerly, knocked intensely. Now therefore, because she asked, sought, and knocked, she is no longer a dog. Therefore, now the Lord does not give the holy thing to the dog. For He showed that she was not a dog, because she sought eagerly, knocked intensely: to confirm what He had said. For when he commanded His stewards: Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor throw your pearls before swine, he condemned those who wanted to receive so that they would not be dogs, if they were dogs before: Ask, he said, seek, knock. This he thus showed in the Canaanite woman, whom he first called a dog; who, upon hearing the insult, did not get angry, but upon receiving the insult, confessed her humility, and now the Lord Himself removed the insult from her. He himself had called her a dog; he Himself had commanded: Do not give what is holy to the dogs. Why did He remove the insult, which He had said Himself, except that she, upon receiving the insult, was changed by humility, and moreover, because she confessed what she had heard, ceased to be what she had heard?

Just as the publican ceased to be a sinner by declaring himself a sinner.

What is it that I said, because she confessed what she heard, she ceased to be what she heard? Just like the publican who was in the temple; however, the Pharisee, who boasted of his merits, and insulted as if to a sinner standing afar. That one, with eyes cast down to the ground, did not dare to lift his face to heaven, because he did not dare to lift his conscience to God; but he struck his breast saying: Be merciful to me, a sinner. And what did the Lord say? Amen I say to you, this publican went down justified more than that Pharisee: because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and who humbles himself will be exalted. By saying he is a sinner he is justified, by saying he is a sinner he ceased to be already a sinner. Why? Because the publican descended justified more than the Pharisee. How then did this one, admitting himself a sinner, cease to be what he was, so that woman, admitting herself a dog, ceased to be what she was. What does she hear from the Lord? No longer, dog; but what? O woman, great is your faith: let it be done for you as you wish. He cast forth bread: rather he gave, he did not cast away; because now he was giving not to a dog, but to a human. For he gave to the faith of the one asking, the faith of the one seeking, the faith of the one knocking; and therefore he praised the faith, because she did not reject humility. Let your Holiness heed the words of the Lord saying: Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine. And what dogs does he mean to understand? Dogs are calumnious barkers; however, swine are those stained with the mire of carnal pleasures. Therefore let us not be dogs and swine, that we may merit to be called sons by the Lord; just as that Canaanite woman merited to be called a woman from a dog by the Lord saying: O woman, great is your faith: let it be done for you as you wish.

[Explicit speech where he says to his disciples: "Do not give holy things to dogs," and so forth].