Roger Baxter

“ Remember that you are sent into a vineyard, and not into a garden of pleasure; to labor, not to enjoy yourself and live at your ease. Encourage yourself to labor hard in this vineyard, for your reward will be very great. "The soul of them that work shall be made fat." ”

“ This good father meets his revolted son on his return, and falling on his neck embraces him. " He put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet." Thus God acts with returning sinners. "He enables their hands to do good works, and prevents their feet from being defiled by the ways of the world." O God, how is it possible that you should love man, who is formed of clay, in such a manner! He has a thousand times preferred the torments of hell to your service. ”

“ The prodigal attempted to satisfy his hunger, by feeding on the husks of swine, but he did not succeed: neither can the sinner succeed in filling the capacity of his immortal soul by earthly gratifications. ”

“ I. "The kingdom of heaven is like to a treasure hidden in a field." (Matt. xiii. 44.) This treasure, says St. Gregory, is the desire of heaven, or the love of virtue and heavenly things, and it is said to be hidden in the field of this world, because all do not know its value. " Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones." (Matt, xi. 25.) Hence most men abhor poverty and humility, and consider them as curses. ”

“ By the sand are represented all earthly things, and he builds on sand who places all his thoughts and affections on the transitory things of this life. A man of this character is tossed to and fro by the winds of vanity, swallowed up by the floods of pleasure, and completely overthrown by the tempests of adversity. ”

“ God does not consider the greatness of the gain," says St. Jerome, " but good will and exertion." Although, therefore, you may imagine that you have received few talents in comparison to others, you may notwithstanding be equal to them in reward, if you equal them in the improvement of your stock.
III. The motive of reward ought to induce us to labor with great diligence and assiduity: "Because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." ”

“ His vineyard is the Church, the vines are all the faithful, the workmen are His pastors, and the faithful themselves; for every one must take care of his own soul. What a happiness it is to labor in such a vineyard, under such a master, and in cultivating such precious vines! Let this reflection induce you to labor seriously in performing your task in this vineyard. ”

“ If pride destroyed all the good works of the Pharisee, so on the other side, did humility, accompanied with penance, blot out the sins of the publican: "Because everyone, that exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." ”

“ Examine your soul accurately, and discover what are your spiritual infirmities, and in what attacks against you your enemy oftenest succeeds. If you do not find that your soul is dead in the sight of God, by mortal sin, perhaps you may find, that it is dying by the lingering consumption of tepidity. ”

“ God, on His part, wishes all men to be virtuous, and, with this good intention, gives His good seed; tout whilst men are asleep, and careless in the affairs of salvation, the devil sows cockle among the good grain; — thus some men become wicked. The cockle grows up with the good grain, and sometimes is hardly distinguishable from it; during this life, the wicked are often scarcely known from the good. Examine whether you ibe wheat or cockle, and do not sleep or be careless in your salvation, for fear of receiving injury from your enemy. ”

“ When the soul of man is dead by sin, he cannot be said to be more than half alive, though he may enjoy perfect corporal health. Examine if you be in this state, and grieve that you have fallen into it so often. Take care that you never fall again into the hands of so cruel a tyrant.
III. Consider the great mercy of our Saviour, who approaches the sinner by His holy inspirations, particularly in the sacrament of the Eucharist, in order to bind up his wounds and cure the infirmities of his soul. " The Lord shall bind up the wound of His people, and shall heal the stroke of their wound." ”

“ II. Having thus arranged his vineyard, "the master of a family," " let it out to husbandmen;" that is, to all mankind, in order that each one might labor in it according to his state and calling. After he had done this, "he went into a strange country." God seems to be absent from us, and to leave us to ourselves, in order that we may act from the impulse of free will. Although He can have whatever good act He wishes from His creatures, whenever He wishes, yet He waits with patience. Who would not admire and love so much goodness and mercy! ”

“ A joy without limit or measure, never to end or be abated.' Be therefore faithful over the little which God has intrusted to your care and conduct; employ everything which He has given you, to His glory, and thus you will deserve to be "placed over many things," and "to enter into the joy of the Lord." ”

“ He does not stand in need of any fruit, which we can yield Him, and yet He condescends by various ways, by preachers, by good books, by holy inspirations, by superiors and directors, and by the influence of good example, to go forth and' sow in our hearts the seed of eternal salvation. Reflect how precious must be that seed whose fruit is everlasting life. ”

“ The second wound is perverseness, by which the will is disorganized in its pursuit of good. The third is infirmity, by which the energies of the soul are weakened in overcoming difficulties. The fourth wound is passion, by which the wishing power of the soul is disordered in the pursuit of happiness and pleasure. ”

“ The punishment of the sinner is manifold. He is perpetually imprisoned in hell, he dwells in horrid darkness, since he is deprived of the sight of God; he is obstinate in evil, his hands are tied, so that he cannot perform a meritorious action, his feet are bound, so that he cannot escape from the place of his confinement. ”

“ The wicked fall into a profound sleep, that is, into a total forgetfulness of God, and a complete spiritual lethargy. Take care not to slumber during the short space of life, lest you fall into a profound sleep. ”

“ III. All mankind scorn the name of "a foolish man," but there are few who do not act consistently with this character. Hence the wisest of men observes that " the number of fools is infinite" (Eccles. i. 15) , because most men build upon sand. Examine if it be not your case; and remember that as both these houses were attacked by storms and tempests, so temptations equally attack the virtuous and the wicked; and if you ever yield to temptation, do not ascribe your fall to the temptation, but to the sandy foundation on which your spiritual edifice is built. ”

“ In our regard, this rock is Christ; the storms, the floods, and the tempests are the temptations by which we are assailed. He builds his house on a rock who grounds his life and actions on the example of Christ and motives drawn from eternity, and by that means overcomes all temptations. ”

“ A mustard seed is small and not remarkable either for its smell or outward appearance, but it contains within itself great natural heat, and manifests, it, particularly when it its bruised. Thus, Christ in outward appearance was " a worm and no man, the reproach of men and the outcast of the people." ”

“ After death every man receives his hire or wages. In the distribution of rewards, not so much regard is paid to the time employed as to fervor in working. Hence, those who come into the vineyard at the last hour, by conversion, receive as much as the first, because they are generally accustomed to labor with greater fervor and humility, and deem themselves undeserving of any reward, whilst on the contrary the others are often too confident and presumptuous. ”

“ Use every exertion therefore to employ those talents well, which God has intrusted to you. You cannot want employment for them, whatever be your state or calling in life. Your own spiritual good, the glory of God, and the advantage of your neighbor ought to be always before your eyes. ”

“ And therefore he imagines, that he has a long time to live; he acts like the unwise man in the Gospel, who said, " I will say to my soul: Soul, thou hast much good laid up for many years." (Luke xii. 19.) He injures and insults his fellow servants, " he shall begin to strike the men-servants and the maidservants." He surrenders himself to sensuality, for he begins " to eat and to drink and be drunk." Resolve to avoid all these vices, and recollect that they draw their existence from the persuasion of enjoying a long life and a forgetfulness of our last end. ”

“ III. This steward acted wisely for himself, though deceitfully in relation to his master, and Christ commends his prudence, though He condemned his fraudulent action. Would to God that we were as prudent in regard to our salvation! Lament that " the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light." Exert yourself for the salvation of your own soul; for "there is a wise man who is wise to his own soul." ”

“ He requires of His servants that they be faithful, prudent, charitable to others, and persevering in good works, in order that when the hour of death comes He may find them "so doing." Examine how you conduct yourself as His steward, and whether you engage yourself in the cause of God with fidelity and perseverance, or whether you seek in it your own interest and satisfaction rather than the glory of God; whether you perform your actions with proper deliberation and circumspection; whether you attempt to render your means and talents conducive to the benefit of others ”

“ He stands at a distance, and does not deem himself worthy of appearing in the sight of God, or even of the Pharisee. He does not dare to lift up his eyes to Heaven, from confusion for his sins. He strikes his breast with a contrite and humble heart, and wishes to make satisfaction for his transgressions. ”

“ Those who go from Jerusalem to Jericho, that is, who turn their thoughts and affections from heavenly things to those of this world, do certainly fall among thieves. Ponder how like this world is to Jericho ”

“ The Lord is become a refuge for the poor." (Ps. ix. 10.) O how ought you to wish for the coming of your great and good creditor!
III. From this parable we learn what preparations are necessary for His coming — " I forgave thee all the debt, because thou besoughtest Me." Therefore, He is to be entreated by earnest prayer. You must approach Him with the most profound humility; for " the servant falling down, besought Him." You are to make a firm resolution of amendment. " Have patience with Me, and I will repay thee all." ”

“ Instead of the rich and voluptuous, who excuse themselves, He calls the poor and the feeble, that is, those who are free from earthly cares and impediments. He even compels them to enter, making use of afflictions and tribulations as so many scourges, by which He drives them into His banquet. ”

“ Those that keep their faith without charity, which is the life of faith, are like the foolish virgins who had no oil in their lamps, What can be more unwise than to expect the coming of a judge who sees all things, and not to prepare against His coming? Examine whether you be guilty of this folly.
II. " And while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept." The time during which the bridegroom tarried represents life, during which even the good sometimes slumber through venial carelessness. ”

“ II. The strayed sheep is a sinner, who leaving the society of the just, and disobeying the commands of the Shepherd, wanders wherever he pleases. He is a most foolish and wretched man, he does not understand the happiness, which he enjoyed under the Good Pastor; he is indifferent to the spiritual food which he once received; he prefers such as is pleasing to flesh and blood; he does not hear nor follow the call of the Shepherd ”

“ Ponder the torments of this once rich man; instead of purple and silk, he is invested with flames; instead of delicious fare, he is tormented with intolerable thirst; he who contemned the poor man is now, in his turn, contemned by him ”

“ Ponder how easy it is, even among virtuous persons, to be touched with a spirit of envy, when another is commended or preferred to them. Learn, hence, to be particularly on your guard against this bad spirit. ”

“ Thus our bad example infects those, with whom we live and converse; hence we ought to be very cautious, lest we make the sins of others our own; for this is the case when our bad example is followed. Examine yourself, therefore, most seriously, and see whether you are accustomed to give bad example of any kind ”

“ In this parable the fall of mankind in Adam is represented. Man in his first creation was ordained to take the course of this life from Jericho; that is, from this sublunary world (for Jericho means the Moon) to the heavenly Jerusalem. He, however, has turned his affections from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fallen among thieves; that is, his spiritual enemies, who have robbed him of original justice; "and having wounded him, went away, leaving him half dead."
II. The Angelical Doctor enumerates four wounds, which human nature received in the fall of Adam. ”

“ We are all merchants so long as we live in this world; hence, Christ in the parable of the talents said, " Trade till I come." (Luke xix. 13.} All men are in quest of pearls; that is, of the means of happiness; some place their happiness in temporal enjoyments, others in learning and science, and others in honors. They are, however, all mistaken; all these are false pearls; they have nothing to recommend them but their outward show. Hence the Apostle addresses the rich: "Your riches are putrefied, your gold and silver are rusted." (James v. 2.) ”

“ Observe also that good men display their virtue most, when they are under the pressure of afflictions. Hence the Apostle writes, " When I am weak, I am powerful." (2 Cor. xii. 10.)
III. When the mustard seed is sown, it grows into a large tree, " so that the birds of the air come and dwell in the branches thereof." Thus, Christ was perfectly mortified and dead on the cross, and in His branches. that is, in His doctrine and example, devout souls dwell by holy contemplation. " I sat down," says the spouse in the Canticle, " under His shadow whom I desired and His fruit was sweet to my palate." ”