Gospel of Matthew, chapter 76:6

In today’s scripture, Jesus reminds us of the need to be realistic and discriminating when it comes to sharing with others that pearl of great price – the Lord’s word. Why would you waste your time sharing the pearl of good news with people who do not appreciate it; are opposed to it; and would trample all over it because they are threatened by it? It would be like throwing pearls before swine that would only trample them into the ground because they see no meaning in them. You need to choose your company when it comes to sharing the Lord’s word; you need to find people who appreciate it; who practice it in their lives; and are willing to support you in living it. You need to associate with those who will inspire you rather than tear you down.

One day when I was leaving the hospital after visiting some parishioners, I met a man who greeted me cheerily. I got to know this man when he worked with his wife on the sound system of the Church during one of our parish festivals. He had a drinking problem, but he never harmed a soul, only himself. On this particular day, as I was leaving the hospital, I noticed the beautiful change that had come over him:
“You look great,” I said, “what came over you?”
“Fr. Duffy,” he replied confidently, “I have decided to avoid toxic people who have been dragging me down for years.”
“Keep up what you are doing,” I said, laughing, “you are much the better for it.”
This man understood the importance of choosing his company well.

Jesus did not waste His efforts on those who had no appreciation for His good news. He avoided them even among his kinsfolk in his hometown. He did not tone his message down either, nor did he apologize for it even when many of His disciples turned away from Him. (John 6:66) His true disciples were those who continued to follow Him in spite of pressure from those around them (John 6:67-68).

One of the lessons Jesus taught His disciples was to move on whenever people indicated a lack of appreciation in the Gospel. He told them to shake the dust from their feet and move on ‘til they found someone worthy of His message (Matthew 10:11-15).

When you consider how Jesus conducted Himself in the face of those who did not appreciate or were opposed to His message, we should be very careful not to cast our pearls before swine. If we give into this temptation, we run the risk of dragging ourselves down as well.

Fr. Hugh Duffy