In most defenses of the faith, discussions of Christ’s parables are conspicuous by their absence. Yet many of these parables provide a wealth of support for Catholic apologetics. Not only do the parables support truth, they often appear to be directly on-topic for the concept that is being argued. Consider several examples.
The Wedding Feast (Faith and Works)
Since the first days of the Reformation in the 1500s, an issue that divides Catholics and Protestants is whether faith alone is sufficient to bring eternal life. No one disputes that God is the final judge, but can the wrong actions of believers end in eternal destruction? The wedding feast seems to provide an obvious answer: Yes.
The parable of the wedding feast (Matt. 22:1–14) is read at Mass every three years during the latter half of ordinary time. In it, the king sends out servants with invitations to a wedding feast. Many reject the invitation, so additional invitations are sent out to more guests. Many of these reject the invitation also. Of the guests that do show up, a man is rejected because he is not wearing the proper wedding garment.
What is this wedding garment? While Christ minimized the material importance of clothing (Matt. 6:25–33, Luke 12:22–28), he emphasized the importance of the symbolism of the wedding garment. Many other passages in Scripture use clothing as a symbol of virtues and good works. The saint’s good deeds are likened to the white linen garment of the bride (Rev. 19:7–8). Isaiah compares the garments of salvation and justice to the apparel of the wedding party (Is. 61:10).
Other Bible passages combine the aspects of faith and justice as if they are inseparable (Is. 11:5, Jer. 5:1, Bar. 5:2, Sir. 27:8). Zechariah’s two shepherd staffs, Favor and Bonds, present these two elements. Favor represents the breaking off of the covenant because of the people’s unfaithfulness (Zec. 11:10). The other staff, Bonds, represents the breaking off of the brotherhood of Israel and Judah (Zec. 11:14). Once again, the relationship of faith and brotherhood are represented symbolically. The price of the shepherd’s life, thirty pieces of silver, is the same as the ransom for a gored slave (cf. Zec. 11:12, Ex. 21:32, Matt. 26:15–16).
The acceptance of the wedding invitation is a call to faith, while the proper garment is the sign of one’s good works. Both are necessary to partake in the feast; though many are called, few are chosen.
The Sower (Is the Law Absolute or Relative?)
Ask an eight-year-old to explain the parable of the sower and he may look as though you have asked him to explain quantum mechanics. But ask the same child what three characters Dorothy met as she walked down the yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz, and he’ll have the answer immediately.
There is a linkage between the symbolism of these two stories. Christ compares the seed that fell on the footpath, the thorn bush, and the rocky ground to the one who does not understand, care about, or cannot endure the challenges that life dishes out (Matt. 13:1–23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4–15). Dorothy encounters the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion and notices their shortcomings: no mind, no heart, and no courage.
The seed that fell on the footpath represents the one who fails to understand the word of God. Christ warned of false prophets and false teachers. The remedy that Christ offered was the power of the Holy Spirit acting through the Catholic Church. Wisdom begins with the desire to know. Solomon’s request for an understanding heart illustrates how wisdom can only come from God.
We are expected to be certain in our faith but to question our moral judgments. Instead, many people express doubt about their faith, yet they feel certain that their actions are proper. Abortion, euthanasia, and contraception are considered by the Church always to be wrong. Yet even many Catholics think that there is flexibility regarding these issues.
Materialistic issues such as gluttony, avarice and sloth seem more subjective, and yet many people make decisions regarding these issues with a degree of certitude. Only one with fear of the Lord can recognize the certainty of some issues, while seeing that God alone will decide other issues.
The Baltimore Catechism begins by explaining that the purpose of man’s existence is to know God, to love him, and to serve him. It is only when one makes that initial move toward knowledge that he can love God with his whole mind. Christ’s discussion of the last judgment indicates that there will be some surprises (Matt. 25:37, 44).
The Barren Fig Tree (Sex and Money)
It wasn’t long ago that many criticized the Church for never speaking out about anything but sex and money. Both topics are no longer normal fodder for Sunday homily topics. But that doesn’t mean that the topics are not front and center on the agenda of many Catholics. As they try to rationalize birth control, pre-marital sex, and sodomy or active homosexuality, the Church has remained consistent in its viewpoint. And while a hedonistic attitude of “live for today because tomorrow you die” often dominates the culture, the stewardship responsibility regarding material wealth pokes up its head throughout Scripture.
These issues were certainly not overlooked in Christ’s time. The misuse of money and sex was the downfall of the prodigal son, who squandered his inheritance on prostitutes and wasteful spending (Luke 15:13, 30). Christ often referred to the harlots and the publicans, or the tax collectors. The Jews perceived these people as the lowest on the moral spectrum. The harlots were judged by the people to be sexually promiscuous, and the tax collectors represented the greedy misers who loved money. The harlot wasted her sexual powers in pursuit of money, while her customers wasted their money in pursuit of unproductive and illicit sexual pleasure.
The barren fig tree (Luke 13:6–9) illustrates the mandate to produce. This order can apply to many concepts, but the fruit of sexuality is children, and the fruit of money is social justice. One can look to God’s first command to Adam (and later Noah and Jacob) to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28, 9:1, 35:11). This command preceded even the command to avoid Eden’s forbidden fruit. The Old Testament also was not silent regarding one’s physical possessions. God commands Moses to remember the alien, the widow, and the orphan (Deut. 10:18–19, 14:28–29, 26:12–13).
In the Old Testament, the Israelites annually celebrated three major feasts, Passover, Pentecost, and the feast of the fruit harvest (Ex. 34:18–24). Passover was the predecessor of the Pascal celebration, which concludes with Easter and the beginning of eternal life. Pentecost in the New Testament represents the birth of the Church. It does not seem coincidental that, like Christmas, the feast of the fruit harvest was held at the end of the year. Or in the words of Elizabeth to Mary, “blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:42).
The creation of life originates with sexual intercourse and bears fruit when one brings a son or daughter of God into the world, a brother or sister of Jesus Christ, and a temple of the Holy Spirit. Thus anyone who hears the word of God and follows it is likened not only to Christ’s brother and sister but also to his mother (Luke 8:21, Matt. 12:46–50, Mark 3:31–35).
The responsibility of stewardship of money is also developed throughout Scripture. Jacob’s son Joseph demonstrated the concept of stewardship. He showed his loyalty as a steward to his Egyptian master, Potiphar (Gen. 39:1–6), his chief jailer in prison (Gen. 39:21–23), and finally to Pharaoh himself (Gen. 41:39–57).
Christ was not silent on this issue either. The parables of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31), the rich fool (Luke 12:16–21), and the talents (Mark 25:14–30, Luke 19:11–27) address issues of money, wealth, and abilities. They are readily compared to three of the seven deadly sins—gluttony, avarice, and sloth.
What is the cure for these ills? Give alms and everything becomes clean (Luke 11:41). Like the poor woman who gave her last bread to Elijah (1 Kgs. 17:7–16) or the poor widow who gave her last coins to the temple treasury (Mark 12:41–44, Luke 21:1–4), one must trust in God, not mammon. But remember, John Paul II said, “Almsgiving is often regarded as a cold act, with no love in it. But almsgiving in the proper sense means realizing the needs of others and letting them share in one’s own goods” (in an address to young people, March 28, 1979). It is important to note that a real internal conversion must take place that motivates the almsgiving.
The Prodigal Son (Is There Really Mortal Sin? Is Confession Necessary?)
Want to start up a stormy discussion among Catholics? Bring up the distinction between mortal and venial sins. Then suggest some examples. It is rare that a consensus will be found. The necessity of confession is also a topic that sometimes divides Catholics. Some background information regarding these topics is first in order.
The Old Testament uses the physical death sentence to emphasize the seriousness of certain sins. Adam and Eve brought on death by their pride and disobedience. The people at the time of Noah and during Abraham’s time in Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their evil actions (Gen. 19:1–22). God took the life of Onan for wasting his seed (Gen. 38:8–10). God killed the sons of Aaron (Lev. 10:1–2) and the sons of Eli (1 Sam. 2:12–17, 22–36, 4:11) because they disrespected the rules of the priesthood. Similarly, Mosaic Law imposed the death penalty for sins such as b.asphemy, murder as well as many various sexual sins.
The New Testament deemphasized these physical judgments, but it stressed the spiritual death that one would face for certain evil actions or non-actions. The serious crimes of the Old Testament were not trivialized but rather the consequences became even more terrifying. Christ alludes to this fatal outcome in many of his parables such as the wheat and the weeds, the sower, the wedding feast, the rich man and Lazarus, the rich fool, the talents, and others. In Christ’s discussion about the final judgment (Matt. 25:31–46) he emphasizes how the inaction of many will lead to their ultimate destruction.
As the final judge of our actions, will Christ show mercy or justice? The deadly sins of pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth all seem to hinge on the concept of moderation. No one knows exactly where the line will be drawn between pride and courage, avarice and self-preservation, envy and rightful desire, anger and justice, lust and love, gluttony and nourishment, or sloth and rest. While the line may be obscure, the cause and effect can often be more obvious. Pride blinds, anger devours, avarice overwhelms, gluttony consumes, sloth reduces, and lust and envy betray.
The sacrament of confession can be likened to its Old Testament predecessor, the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur (Lev. 16:1–34, 23:26–32). This annual, one-day ritual was the most solemn of the Israelite holy days. The Israelite people were required to fast and do no work and to provide an offering of two goats. The high priest offered up one goat in sacrifice and then laid both hands on the second goat’s head (the scapegoat) and confessed the sins of the people of Israel. The goat was then led out into the desert carrying the sins of the Israelites (Lev. 16:20–22). Only a successor to Aaron, a high priest, could make the atonement (Lev. 16:32–33). It was the only day of the year that the high priest could enter the holy of holies, inside the veil of the sanctuary (Lev. 16:2–5).
The life of Jesus Christ reflects the Israelite Day of Atonement in reverse order. At the beginning of his ministry, Christ is physically driven out into the desert (like the scapegoat) where he confronts Satan. At the end of his ministry, Christ is offered up in the divine sacrifice on the cross.
Through Christ’s death and by his resurrection, the victory of salvation springs forth from the Spirit of his own baptism. Christ commissioned his disciples to baptize all nations (Matt. 28:19) and to forgive sins through the sacrament of penance (John 20:23). Although similar to the Old Testament in requiring confession (Lev. 16:21) and a priest’s intervention (Lev. 16:32), this new sacrament was unique in that the priests were delegated the power to forgive or retain sins.
Often linked, the physical and spiritual works were similar, and they were brought about through the intervention of a holy person. The physical feeding and healing were symbolic of God’s authority over both the physical and the spiritual. Since authority was delegated through the prophets of the Old Testament and the priests of the New Testament, signs appear in both. The poor widow is fed when she encounters Elijah, and Naaman is cured after he obeys Elisha’s command (1 Kgs. 17:7–16, 2 Kgs. 5:1–15, Luke 4:25–27).
However, both of these Gentiles first had to show that they placed their trust in not only God but also in the person acting in God’s behalf. In the beginning of Mark’s Gospel, Christ continues this human and divine interplay. After curing the leper, he orders the man to show himself to a priest with the prescribed offering for cleansing (Mark 1:40–44). Next, the paralytic is healed both spiritually and physically by Christ to demonstrate this authority over both the spiritual and the physical (Mark 2:1–12, Matt. 9;1–8, Luke 5:17–26). Then Christ discusses how only the sick require a physician, implying that the spiritually sick are in most need of ministry (Mark 2:17). Likewise, the sacraments that nourish and heal (Communion and confession) must be administered through a consecrated priest.
Like the sower parable, the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32) covers those three essential requirements: knowledge, love, and courage. He recognizes the seriousness of his mistake, he has a change in heart, and he returns to his father and confesses his wrongdoing. Like the prodigal son and the Israelites in the desert, sin affects both God and man (Luke 15:21, Num. 21:7). The priest acts in place of God, and like the father in the Prodigal Son parable, he looks only to whether the penitent understands the nature of the sin, desires to mend his ways and acknowledges the wrong actions.