Tuesday of the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/062612.cfm

"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.

Proverbs, sayings, adages and riddles were the stock-in-trade of sages who kept the wisdom of the ancient world. They didn’t earn doctorates by doing original research; rather, they learned how to apply the right proverb to the right situation. For everything there is a season, and the wise know which proverb applies to which season.

Among the thousands of proverbs in the Bible we find many that are contradictory. Simple-minded people may think there is only one way of thinking about things, and that one will apply the same adage to every situation. He will earn the title of fool.

Today we hear Jesus tell us not to give to dogs what is holy; or to swine, your pearls. But we have also seen him assuring us that the farmer who broadcast his seed in every which direction gathered a bountiful harvest. Which should we do?

Should we baptize children when we know their parents will never bring them back to Mass? Should we witness the marriage of a couple who have never darkened the door of the church? Isn’t that throwing pearls to swine?

But perhaps our hospitality will make a difference. Perhaps those few minutes in the sanctuary will soften their hearts. Perhaps we’re planting seeds that will need a long time to germinate in the dry, stony dirt. Perhaps the rain of some future sorrow will rouse those slumbering seeds into faith.

Ministers in the church struggle over questions like this. Optimists might be too generous; pessimists might be too severe. Sometimes we can only act by the lights we are given and trust the Holy Spirit to work things out for the best.