Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)
From: Proverbs 3:27-34
The way of the wise
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[27] Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. [28] Do not say to your neighbour, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it” – when you have it with you. [29] Do not plan evil against your neighbour who dwells trustingly beside you. [30] Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm. [31] Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways; [32] for the perverse man is an abomination to the Lord. but the upright are in his confidence. [33] The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the abode of the righteous. [34] Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he shows favour.
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Commentary:
3:21-35. In the fourth lesson, the teacher gives his disciple some practical rules of behaviour that he needs to follow if he is to be a wise man. People who take these rules to heart can rest at ease, for the Lord is protective of those who keep to wisdom’s path (vv. 25-26).
One of the most valuable services that wisdom provides is to teach a person how to maintain good relationships with others. That goal is achieved when one sincerely seeks the good of others and is not slow to lend help when asked (vv. 27-31); one needs to have a right intention and be straightforward. Only a person like that can be on close terms with the Lord (v. 32). “The intimate conversation of God consists in the revelation of his secrets to the souls of men, and in elucidating them by his presence. It is said that he holds his intimate conversations with the simple because, by the light of his presence, he reveals the divine mysteries to the souls of those who are not steeped in shadow by their duplicity” (St Gregory the Great, Regula pastoralis, 3, 11).
“To the humble he shows favour” (v. 34). The New Testament twice refers to this in the context of how to make the best use of the Lord’s gifts. In the First Letter of St Peter, after addressing elders and younger people about the need for harmony between them, he says: “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility towards one another, for ‘God opposes the proud, but gives to the humble’.
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you (1 Pet 5:5-7). And the Letter of St James, after recalling those same words, says. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter he turned to mourning and your joy to dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you” (Jas 4:7-10).
Parable of the Sower. The Meaning of the Parables (Continuation)
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(Jesus told the crowd,) [16] "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. [17] For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. [18] Take heed then how you hear; for to him who has will more be given, and from him who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away."
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Commentary:
[There is no commentary available for Luke 8:16-18. The commentary for the same parable found in Mark 4:21-25 states:]
16-17. This parable contains a double teaching. Firstly, it says that Christ's doctrine should not be kept hidden; rather, it must be preached throughout the whole world. We find the same idea elsewhere in the Gospels: "What you hear whispered, proclaim it upon the housetops" (Mt 10:27); "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole of creation..." (Mk 16:15). The other teaching is that the Kingdom which Christ proclaims has such ability to penetrate all hearts that, at the end of time, when Jesus comes again, not a single human action, in favor or against Christ, will not become public or manifest.
24-25. Our Lord never gets tired of asking the Apostles, the seed which will produce the Church, to listen carefully to the teaching he is giving: they are receiving a treasure for which they will be held to account. "To him who has will more be given...": he who responds to grace will be given more grace and will yield more and more fruit; but he who does not will become more and more impoverished (cf. Mt 25:14- 30). Therefore, there is no limit to the development of the theological virtues: "If you say 'Enough,' you are already dead" (St. Augustine, "Sermon" 51). A soul who wants to make progress in the interior life will pray along these lines: "Lord, may I have due measure in everything, except in Love" (St J. Escriva, "The Way", 427).
[The commentary for still another similar parable found in Matthew 13:12 states:]
12. Jesus is addressing his disciples and explaining to them that, precisely because they have faith in him and want to have a good grasp of his teaching, they will be given a deeper understanding of divine truths. But those who do not "follow him" (cf. note on Mt 4:18-22) will later lose interest in the things of God and will grow even blinder: it is as if the little they have is being taken away from them.
This verse also helps us understand the meaning of the parable of the sower, a parable which gives us a wonderful explanation of the supernatural economy of divine grace: God gives grace, and man freely responds to that grace. The result is that those who respond to grace generously receive additional grace and so grow steadily in grace and holiness; whereas those who reject God's gifts become closed up within themselves; through their selfishness and attachment to sin they eventually lose God's grace entirely. In this verse, then, our Lord gives a clear warning: with the full weight of His divine authority He exhorts us--without taking away our freedom--to act responsibly: the gifts God keeps sending us should yield fruit; we should make good use of the opportunities for Christian sanctification which are offered us in the course of our lives.