and humble of heart: and you shall will he not take hold on it and lift find rest to your souls..

30 For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.

CHAP. XII.

Christ reproves the Pharisees.
JESUS

that

went

A through the corn on the sub bath and his disciples being hungry, began to pluck the ears, and

to eat.

2 And the Pharisees seeing them, said to him: Behold thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath-days.

3 But he said to them: Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and they that were with him:

4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the loaves of proposition, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for them that were with him, but for the priests only?

5 Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath-days the priests in the temple break the sabbath, and are without blame ?

6 But 1 tell you that there is here a greater than the temple.

7 And if you knew what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: you would never have condemned the innocent.

8 For the son of man is Lord even of the sabbath.

9 And when he had passed from thence, he came into their synagogue.

10 And behold there was a man who had a withered hand, and they asked him, saying: Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath-days? that they might accuse him.

it up?

12 How much better is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do a good deed on the sabbath-days.

saith

Stretch forth thy h to the man stretched it forth, and it was restored to health even as the other.

14 And the Pharisees going out made a consultation against him, how they might destroy him.

15 But JESUS knowing it, retired from thence and many followed him, and he healed them all.

16 And he charged them that they should not make him known.

17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaias the prophet, saying:

18 Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul hath been well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the gentiles.

19 He shall not contend, nor cry out, neither shall any man hear his` voice in the streets.

20 The bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not extinguish: till he send forth judgment unto victory.

21 And in his name the gentiles shall hope.

22 Then was offered to him one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb: and he healed him, so that he spoke and saw.

23 And all the multitudes were amazed, and said: Is not this the son of David?

24 But the Pharisees hearing it, said: This man casteth not out devils but by Beelzebub the prince of

11 But he said to them: What the devils. man shall there be among you, that 25 And JESUS knowing their hath one sheep and if the same thoughts, said to them: Every fall into a pit on the sabbath-day, kingdom divided against itself shall

Ver. 4. The loaves of proposition. So were called the twelve loaves which were placed before the sanctuary in the temple of God.

or house divided against itself shall treasure

and every city 35 A good man out of a good bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of an 26 And if satan cast out satan, evil treasure bringeth forth evil he is divided against himself: how then shall his kingdom stand?

Ver. 31. The blasphemy of the Spirit. The sin here spoken of is that blasphemy by which the Pharisees attributed the miracles of Christ, wrought by the Spirit of God, to Beelzebub the prince of devils. Now this kind of sin is usually accompanied with such obstinacy&such wilful opposing the Spirit of God, and the known truth, that men who are guilty of it are seldom or never converted. And therefore are never forgiven, because they will not repent. Otherwise there is no sin which God cannot, or will not forgive, to such as sincerely repent, and have recourse to the keys of the church.

Ver. 32, Nor in the world to come. From these words St. Augustine (De Civ. l. xxi. c.13.) and St. Gregory (Dialog. l. iv. c. 39.) gather, that some sins may be remitted in the world to come: and consequently that there is a purgatory, or a middle place.

Ver. 36. Every idle word. This shews there must be a place of temporal punishment hereafter, where these slighter faults shall be punished.

through dry places seeking rest, and findeth none.

44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out. And coming he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

ground, where they had not much earth: and they sprung up immediately, because they had no deepness of earth,

6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched and because they had not root, they withered away.

7 And others fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked

45 Then he goeth, and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last them. state of that man is made worse than the first. So shall it be also to this wicked generation.

46 As he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak to him.

47 And one said unto him, Behold thy mother and thy brethren stand without, seeking thee.

48 But he answering him that told him, said: Who is my mother, and who are my brethren?

49 And stretching forth his hand towards his disciples, he said: Behold my mother and my brethren.

50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father, that is in heaven; he is my brother, and sister, and mother.

CHAP. XIII.

8 And others fell upon good ground: and they brought forth fruit, some an hundred fold, some sixty fold, and some thirty fold.

9 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

10 And his disciples came and said to him: Why speakest thou to them in parables?

11 Who answered and said to them: Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the king

dom of heaven: but to them it is not given.

12 For he that hath, to him shall be given, and he shall abound: but he that hath not, from him shall be taken away that also which he hath.

13 Therefore do I speak to them in parables because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand: fulfilled in them, whecy of Islas the prophecy hearing you shall hear; and shall not understand and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive.

The parable of the sower. Tuth shouse, at by the seaside, is HE same day going out 2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went up into a boat and sat: and all the multitudę stood on the shore;

3 And he spoke to them many things in parables, saying, Behold the sower went forth to sow.

4 And whilst he soweth some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate them up.

5 And other some fell upon stony

15 For the heart of this people is grown gross, and with their ears they have been dull of hearing, and their eyes they have shut: lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes,

Ver. 48. Who is my mother? This was not spoken by way of slighting his mother; but to shew that we are never to suffer ourselves to be taken off from the service of God, by any inordinate affection to our earthly parents: And that what our Lord chiefly regarded in his mother, was her doing the will of his Father in heaven. It may also further allude to the reprobation of the Jews, his carnal kindred, and the election of the Gentiles.

because they see, and your ears, because they hear.

seed in thy field? whence then hath it cockle?

17 For, Amen I say to you, 28 And he said to them: An enemany prophets and just men have my hath done this. And the serdesired to see the things that you vants said to him: Wilt thou that see, and have not seen them: and we go and gather it up?

to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them.

18 Hear you therefore the parable of the sower.

19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, there cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart: this is he that received the seed by the way side.

20 And he that received the seed upon stony ground: this is he that heareth the word, and immediately receiveth it with joy.

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but is only for a time: and when there ariseth tribulation and persecution because of the word, he is presently scandalized.

22 And he that received the seed among thorns, is he that heareth the word, and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choketh up the word, and he becometh fruitless.

29 And he said: No, lest perhaps gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it.

30 Suffer both to grow until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn.

31 Another parable he proposed unto them, saying: The kingdom. of heaven is like to a grain of mustard-seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.

32 Which is the least indeed of all seeds: but when it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come, and dwell in the branches thereof.

33 Another parable he spoke to them: The kingdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened.

23 But he that received the seed 34 All these things JESUS spoke upon good ground: this is he that in parables to the multitudes; and heareth the word, and understand-without parables he did not speak eth, and beareth fruit, and yieldeth to them:

the one an hundred fold, and ano- 35 That it might be fulfilled ther sixty, and another thirty. which was spoken by the prophet 24 Another parable he proposed saying: I will open my mouth in to them, saying: The kingdom of parables, I will utter things hidden heaven is likened to a man that from the foundation of the world. sowed good seed in his field.

25 But while men were asleep, his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the wheat, and went way.

his

26 And when the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle.

27 And the servants of the good man of the house coming, said to nim: Sir, didst thou not sow good

36 Then having sent away the multitudes, he came into the house, and his disciples came to him, saying: Expound to us the parable of the cockle of the field.

37 Who made answer and said to them: He that soweth the good seed, is the son of man.

38 And the field, is the world. And the good seed are the children of the kingdom. And the cockle,

Ver. 55. His brethren. These were the children of Mary the wife of Cleophas, sister to our blessed lady, (St. Matt. xxvii. 56. St. John xix. 25.) and therefore, according to the usual style of the Scripture, were called brethren, that is, near relations to our Saviour