The Parable of the Pearl also signifies the great happiness of possessing the true faith and being in a state of grace. He who really and laboriously strives after truth and salvation will obtain them. “There exists, however, only one pearl without price, for there exists only one Truth. And even as the wise merchant who bought this pearl at the cost of all that he possessed, alone knew how rich he had become by the possession of it, so only those who belong to the Church and possess grace know how rich they are. Those who have not the faith are ignorant of its value, and have no conception how rich those are who possess it!” (St. Irenaeus.)
The separation at the Last Judgment. The parable of the net full of good and bad fish conveys the same lesson as the parable of the wheat and the cockle. We became members of the Church when we were baptized; but our Baptism by no means ensured our reception into heaven. If we do not keep our baptismal vows and remain in a state of God’s grace, we shall be finally rejected, and cast out of the net like the bad fish.
Application. The grace of God is the greatest of all treasures, and a pearl indeed without price. Have you ever lost it by mortal sin?
You can now understand better than you did before the meaning of the petition: “Thy kingdom come.” May the kingdom of God, His holy Church, ever grow, ever put forth boughs and branches, and ever bring unbelievers and heathen into her fold! May the kingdom of God’s grace and truth also continually sink into your heart, enlightening, purifying, and sanctifying you, so that you may be able to attain to God’s everlasting kingdom in heaven! Say often and devoutly, and in this sense, the prayer: “Thy kingdom come”, both for yourself, and for all those dear to you.
Chapter XXIX.
CHRIST STILLS THE TEMPEST.
[Mat. 8, 23 — 27. Mark 4, 35—40. Luke 8, 22— 25.]
ONE evening Jesus entered into a boat (Fig. 76) [1], and His disciples followed Him[2]. A great tempest arose in the sea[3], so that the boat was covered with waves, and
- ↑ Boat. Being fatigued and wishing to avoid the crowd, and to retire into solitude.
- ↑ Him. They went towards Gadara, a town lying to the south-east of the lake. They must therefore have traversed almost the whole length of the lake.
- ↑ Sea. St. Luke says (8, 23): “There came down a storm of wind upon the lake (that is from the mountains which surround it), and they were filled and were in danger.” Violent and sudden storms like the one thus described frequently occur on the Sea of Galilee. The wind blowing from the mountains on one side of the lake is beaten back on to the water from those on the other side, being, as it were, imprisoned in the hollow, and expends all its fury on the surface of the water. As fast as the disciples baled out the water, fresh volumes poured in. At one moment the little ship was raised on the crest of the waves, and the next buried in their depths, till the planks of the boat creaked and threatened to fall asunder.
