Comments for The Key That Fits the Lock, Part Thirteen at http://www.thecatholicthing.org , comment 1 to 5 out of 5 comments http://www.thecatholicthing.org Fri, 24 May 2013 02:44:42 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2013/the-key-that-fits-the-lock-part-thirteen.html#comment-15405 I had meant in my post above to also comment on this line from Mr. Esolen's column: "Jesus told the disciples of John to report to their master that “the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up.” This is perhaps a bit off topic, but I was always fascinated by the "physical enactment," if you will, of the verse, "Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached." What I mean is that the things Jesus tells them to say to John are the very things he, in effect, has them "do." So for instance, "Go your way" means they need to physically walk to John -- as the lame in Jesus' message do, "tell John" means that that they are preaching the Gospel as the poor receive, and that upon hearing the news John's spirit will be "raised" as the dead are, "what things ye have seen and heard" means that they see and hear as the deaf and blind do in Jesus' message. Admittedly, "the lepers are cleansed" doesn't have a clear "counterpart" in their actions, though the whole "Go your way and tell John..." is very reminiscent of what the 10 lepers were supposed to do after being healed. I like to think of Jesus' instructions to them as being very "sacramental" in that he had them "do" in physical act the very things that he wanted conveyed to John in words. - Stanley Anderson Thu, 17 Jan 2013 09:06:54 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2013/the-key-that-fits-the-lock-part-thirteen.html#comment-15403 i know i have posted this before: this is MY FAVORITE SERIES ever posted at TCT. i printed all the articles and mailed them to an 88 year old aunt. (protestant.) after she read them we had a lovely conversation circling around TOB and this series. her comment: "debby, i am so humbled that you would take the time to be interested in me as a woman, giving me food for hours of thought, things i have never considered but make such perfect sense. it is as if i understand what i had thought to be unknowable.and i have never felt so loved and loveable before....." thank you, Professor. you have used well the talents deposited into your nature, and in doing so, have given much to the Body of Christ. an old woman will die with the knowledge of being truly loved by Love and a middle-aged woman will keep going, encouraged! my favorite line is the same as Mr. Anderson has quoted: "Abraham was, we may say, small enough to be filled with infinity." small enough to be FILLED WITH INFINITY. LOVE THAT!!!!!! (Mr. Anderson's comments are most worthy of pondering as well.- thank you kind sir.) Many continued blessings upon your humble efforts. - debby Thu, 17 Jan 2013 06:42:04 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2013/the-key-that-fits-the-lock-part-thirteen.html#comment-15402 What connections there are in all of this to our Sacramental system, where water, oil, bread and wine can bring us grace, forgiveness and the very presence of Jesus. The pattern of God acting in the "smallest" prefigures his inhabiting the most common of material things. As the weak and poor may carry out God's plan, so does the "finite carry the infinite" in the Sacraments. - beriggs Thu, 17 Jan 2013 06:06:33 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2013/the-key-that-fits-the-lock-part-thirteen.html#comment-15401 You wrote, "Jesus saves the 'smallest' for last: 'The poor have the gospel preached to them.'" It reminds me of something I have written elsewhere: The parable of the sower and the seeds uses the phrase “good ground” to describe the place where the seed grows plentifully. But from a worldly point of view, this “good ground” would almost certainly be classified as “poor.” All the other types of ground in the parable have “things” in and around them, from pathways creating convenient access for the world to come stealing, to root-drying stones and choking thorns. These worldly “riches” and “concerns” inhibit the growth of the seed, but it is precisely the “good soil” that has none of these “worldly” things around to be distracted by or choked out – it is “poor” by worldly standards. You also wrote, "Abraham was, we may say, small enough to be filled with infinity." It suddenly strikes me, in connection with your title for this series, that a key that fits a lock is also generally a very small thing in comparison to the treasure that the lock is presumably protecting. - Stanley Anderson Thu, 17 Jan 2013 05:00:39 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2013/the-key-that-fits-the-lock-part-thirteen.html#comment-15400 Sublime! Thank you! - Augustine Thu, 17 Jan 2013 04:41:52 +0100