"Jesus! Sir! pity us!" When Jesus saw them, he said: "Go and show yourselves to the priests." One of And, as they were on their way, they were made clean. them, finding he was cured, came back, praising God loudly, and threw himself on his face at Jesus' feet, thanking him for what he had done; and this man was a Samaritan. "Were not all the ten made clean?" exclaimed Jesus. "But the nine-where are they? Were there none to come back and praise God except this foreigner? Get up," he said to him, and go on your way. Your faith has delivered you." How the Luke 17:20-37 CHAPTER FIFTY Being once asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God was to come, Jesus answered: "The Kingdom of God does not come in a way that admits of observation, nor will people say 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!'; for the Kingdom of God is within you! The day will come," he said to his disciples, "when you will long to see by one of the days of the Son of Man, and will not see it. People will say to you There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go and follow them. For, just as lightning will lighten and flare from one side of the heavens to the other, so will it be with the Son of Man. But first he must undergo much suffering, and he must be rejected by the present generation. As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be again in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being married, up to the very day on which Noah entered the ark, and then the flood came and destroyed them all. So, too, in the days of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; but, on the very day on which Lot came out of Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from the skies and destroyed them all. It will be the same on the day on which the Son of Man reveals himself. On that day, if a man is on his house-top and his goods in the house, he must not go down to get them; nor again must one who is on the farm turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever is eager to get the most out of his life will lose it; but whoever will lose it shall preserve it. On that night, I tell you, of two men upon the same bed, one will be taken and the other left; of two women grinding together, one will be taken and the other left." "Where will it be, Master?" interposed the disciples. "Where there is a body," said Jesus, "there will the vultures flock.'' Parable of the Luke 18:1-9 Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and never despair. "There was," he said, " in a certain town a judge, who had no fear of God nor regard for man. In the same town there was a widow who went to him again and again, and said 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' For a time the judge refused, but afterwards he said to himself' Although I am without fear of God or regard for man, yet, as this widow is so troublesome, I will grant her justice, to stop her from plaguing me with her endless visits.'" Then the Master added: "Listen to what this iniquitous judge says! And God-will not he see that his own People, who cry to him night and day, have justice done them-though he holds his hand? He will, I tell you, have justice done them, and that soon! Yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? " Another time, speaking to people who were satisfied that they were religious, and who regarded every one else with scorn, Jesus told this parable Parable of the and the Tax-gatherer Luke 18:10-14 "Two men went up into the Temple Courts to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee stood forward and began praying to himself in this way 'O God, I thank thee that I am not like other men-thieves, rogues, adulterers or even like this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week, and give a tenth of everything I get to God.' Meanwhile the tax-gatherer stood at a distance, not venturing even to raise his eyes to Heaven'; but he kept striking his breast and saying 'O God, have mercy on me, a sinner. This man, I tell you, went home pardoned, rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, while every one who humbles himself shall be exalted." A Word Matt. 19:3-12 1:27; 2:24 Presently some Pharisees came up to him, and, to test him, said: "Has a man the right to divorce his wife for every cause?" "Have not you read," replied Jesus, "that at the beginning the Creator' made them male and female,' and said— 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and be united to his wife, and the man and his wife shall become one'? So that they are no longer two, but one. What God himself, then, has yoked together man must not separate." "Why, then," they said, "did Moses direct that a man should serve his wife with a notice of separation and divorce her? › ” "Moses, owing to the hardness of your hearts," answered Jesus, permitted you to divorce your wives, but that was not so at the beginning. But I tell you that any one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of her unchastity, and marries another woman, is guilty of adultery." "If that," said the disciples, "is the position of a man with regard to his wife, it is better not to marry." "It is not every one," replied Jesus, "who can accept this teaching, but only those who have been enabled to do so. Some men, it is true, have from birth been disabled for marriage, while others have been disabled by their fellow men, and others again have disabled themselves for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let him accept it who can." Blessing Some of the people were bringing little Little Children children to Jesus, for him to touch them; but the disciples found fault with those who had brought them. When, however, Jesus saw this, he was indignant. Mark 10:13-16 "Let the little children come to me," he said, "do not hinder them; for it is to the childlike that the Kingdom of God belongs. I tell you, unless a man receives the Kingdom of God like a child, he will not enter it at all." Then he folded the children in his arms, and, placing his hands on them, gave them his blessing. The Rich Matt. 19:16-30 CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE And a man came up to Jesus, and said: Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain Immortal Life?" Jesus. “Why ask me about goodness?" answered "There is but One who is good. If you want to enter the Life, keep the commandments." "What commandments?" asked the man. 66 These," "Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not say what is false about others. Honour thy father and thy mother.' And 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thou dost thyself.'' "I have observed all these," said the young man. is still wanting in me?" "What "If you wish to be perfect," answered Jesus, "go and sell your property, and give to the poor, and you shall have wealth in Heaven; then come and follow me." On hearing these words, the young man went away distressed, for he had great possessions. At this, Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you that a rich man will find it hard to enter the Kingdom of Heaven! I say again, it is easier for a camel to get through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven!" On hearing this, the disciples exclaimed in great astonishment: "Who then can possibly be saved?" But Jesus looked at them, and said: "With men this is impossible, but with God everything is possible." Then Peter turned and said to Jesus: "But we we left everything, and followed you; what, then, shall we have?" "I tell you," answered Jesus, "that at the New Creation, 'when the Son of Man takes his seat on his throne of glory,' you who followed me shall be seated upon twelve thrones, as judges of the twelve tribes of Israel. Every one who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or land, on account of my Name, will receive many times as much, and will 'gain Immortal Life.' But many who are first now will then be last, and those who are last will be first. Parable of the Matt. 20:1-16 For the Kingdom of Heaven is like an employer who went out in the early morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. He agreed with the labourers to pay them two shillings a day, and sent them into his vineyard. On going out again, about nine o'clock, he saw some others standing in the market-place, doing nothing. You also may go into my vineyard,' he said, and I will pay you what is fair.' So the men went. Going out again about mid-day and about three o'clock, he did as before. When he went out about five, he found some other men standing there, and said to them Why have you been standing here all day long, doing nothing?' 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. 'You also may go into my vineyard,' he said. 6 In the evening the owner of the vineyard said to his steward 'Call the labourers, and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, and ending with the first.' Now when those who had been hired about five o'clock went up, they received two shillings each. So, when the first went up, they thought that they would receive more, but they also received two shillings each; on which they began to grumble at their employer. These last,' they said, 'have done only one hour's work, and yet you have put them on the same footing with us, who have borne the brunt of the day's work, and the heat.' 'My friend,' was his reply to one of them, 'I am not treating you unfairly. Did not you agree with me for two shillings? Take what belongs to you, and go. I choose to give to this last man the same as to you. Have not I the right to do as I choose with what is mine? Are you envious because I am liberal?' So those who are last will be first, and the first last." Jesus, a Third Mark 10:32-34 Cm. Matt. 20:1719; Luke 18:31-34 Hos. 6:2 One day, when they were on their way, going up to Jerusalem, Jesus was walking in front of the Apostles, who were filled with misgivings; while those who were following behind were alarmed. Gathering the Twelve round him once more, Jesus began to tell them what was about to happen to him. "Listen!" he said. "We are going up to Jerusalem; and there the Son of Man will be betrayed to the Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law, and they will condemn him to death, and they will give him up to the Gentiles, who will mock him, spit upon him, and scourge him, and put him to death; and after three days he will rise again." The Ambi tious Request of James and John Mark 10:35-40 Cm. Matt. 20:2028 James and John, the two sons of Zebediah, went to Jesus, and said: "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” "What do you want me to do for you? he asked. "Grant us this," they answered, “to sit, one on your right, and the other on your left, when you come in glory." "You do not know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup that I am to drink? or receive the baptism that I am to receive?" "Yes," they answered, "we can." 66 "You shall indeed drink the cup that I am to drink," Jesus said, and receive the baptism that I am to receive, but as to a seat at my right or at my left-that is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." The Dignity of Service Mark 10:41-45 On hearing of this, the ten others were at first very indignant about James and John. But Jesus called the ten to him, and said: |