the poor common fishing for the inhabitants of the deep, are all elevated into divine parables.

The first parable regards those who get their faith, as it were, by chance. The second those who work for it and come to it after various vicissitudes. The third those who are caught in a scramble. There must be a sifting in this last.

1Treasure hidden.—In old times, both in the East and West, people who made money were obliged to bury it when conquests changed the aspects and state of the country. Some never came back to dig up their treasures. The new tenants came upon them by chance. Some became enormously rich immediately, and bought out the whole place hoping for more. Those who get religious vocations do the same. They see the value of heavenly things, and sell all they have to buy their religious state of poverty, chastity and obedience.

"The same figure continues. A good pearl is one without flaw. A man works hard for this; and when one of his men found it, and did not know its value, he sold all he had and bought it. The former represents old Catholics; and this, converts.

3All kind of fishes.—We venture a gloss here. Some enter the Church because they want to marry a Catholic, or because they like somebody who has gone in. They shall be sifted.

The Angels. Here comes the final settlement of all claims to beatitude. Our Lord keeps eternity and its status before the minds of his hearers.

53. And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from thence.

54. And coming into his own country, he taught them in their 'synagogues, so that they wondered, and said: How came this man by this wisdom, and these mighty works?

55. Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary; and 'his brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude?

56. And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath he all these things?

57. And they were scandalized in his regard. But Jesus said to them: "A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

58. And he wrought not many miracles there, because of their unbelief.

Our Saviour has sufficiently indoctrinated His disciples in the mysteries which were involved in His parables, and then goes to His own country which was Nazareth. He may have gone there to see His mother, to instruct His obstinate relatives and neighbours, or to give His fellow villagers the same chance of believing in Him which He gave to strangers.

A good many of His cousins had followed Him in the strictest paths of the Gospel; and the others thought Him mad, as appears from a passage in S. Mark. Of the women relatives the Scriptures are rather silent. Two or three of them followed Him occasionally, one of them was at the foot of the cross, and the others prepared the spices to embalm His body. These are the brothers and sisters here spoken of, and not those imagined by rationalists and infidels.

Have ye understood ?-Our Lord explained two of the parables, and wished them to acknowledge what He knew them to possess, the meaning of the others.

2New things and old.—A preacher should be fully posted in new sciences and important branches of knowledge in order to be able to illustrate his teaching. It is not necessary to be always introducing the fall of man and the flood.

3 Synagogues.-Some say Nazareth could only afford one synagogue. How do they know? Can they not let the Scripture alone when it is clear?

His brethren.-The relationship of these to Jesus has been traced by a great many commentators. It seems James the Less and Jude were uncles to James the greater and John; the wife of Zebedee being the sister of the former.

A prophet.-This is a proverb not always verified, but proved by its exceptions.

"Wrought not.-Some say He did this through a motive of charity; He did not like to see them become more guilty than they were by rejecting more graces. He wrought some cures.

CHAPTER XIV.

Herod puts John to death. Christ feeds five thousand in the desert. He walks upon the sea, and heals all the diseased with the touch of his garment.

9. Et contristatus est rex; propter juramentum autem et eos qui pariter recumbebant, jussit dari;

10. Misitque et decollavit Joannem in carcere.

II. Et allatum est caput ejus in disco, et datum est puellæ et attulit matri suæ.

9. And the king was struck sad: yet because of his oath, and for them that sat with him

at table, he commanded it to be given her.

10. And he sent and beheaded John in the prison.

11. And his head was brought in a dish: and it was given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.

The Herod mentioned here was the son of Herod the Great. It was he who mocked Our Lord during His trial before the Crucifixion. S. Matthew digresses in order to give an account of the death of the Baptist. Herod buried in luxury and debauchery had no thoughts for heaven; but, like many more in a similar state, he was superstitious. His suspicion that John had arisen again shows that some vague notions of a speedy resurrec tion from the tomb were prevalent among the Jews.

1Herod the Tetrarch.-Old Herod's kingdom was divided into four parts. Hence the title of Tetrarch.

2Mighty works. We are not told that John performed miracles; but if he had arisen from the dead, he must be endowed with extraordinary powers.

His brother's wife.-She was his niece as well, and when John rebuked him for his adultery and incest he was cast into prison.

*Birthday. The only people who are recorded to have celebrated birthdays in the Scripture are Pharaoh and Herod. It is a Pagan rather than a Christian ceremony.

In a dish. It is said that the wretched woman prodded the Baptist's tongue with a bodkin.

"Beheaded. The prison was attached to the castle in which Herod was holding his revels.