On this, those at table began to say to one another: "Who is this man who even pardons sins?"

As well as some women who had been cured of wicked spirits and of infirmities. They were Mary, known as Mary of Magdala (from whom seven demons had been expelled),

"The sower went out to sow his seed; and, as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path and was trodden upon; and the wild birds ate it up.

Other seed fell upon rock, and, as soon as it began to grow, having no moisture, withered away.

This is the parable--The seed is God's Message.

By the seed which fell upon the rock are meant those who, as soon as they hear the Message, welcome it joyfully; but they have no root, and believe it only for a time, and, when the time of temptation comes, they draw back.

By that which fell among the brambles are meant those who hear the Message, but who, as they go on their way, are completely choked by this world's cares and wealth and pleasures, and bring nothing to perfection.

Nothing is hidden which will not be brought into the light of day, not ever kept hidden which will not some day become known and come into the light of day.

One day about that time, Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and said to them: "Let us go across the lake."

"Where is your faith?" he exclaimed. But in great awe and amazement they said to one another: "Who can this be, that he commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey him?"

And they reached the country of the Gerasenes, which is on the opposite side to Galilee;

"What is your name?" Jesus asked. "Legion," he answered (for many demons had taken possession of him);

"Go back to your home," he said, "and relate the story of all that God has done for you." So the man went through the whole town and proclaimed, as he went, all that Jesus had done for him.

Because his only daughter, who was about twelve years old, was dying. As Jesus was going, the people were pressing closely round him.

Before he had finished speaking, some one came from the house of the President of the Synagogue and said: "Your daughter is dead! Do not trouble the Teacher further."

And every one was weeping and mourning for her. "Do not weep," Jesus said, "she is not dead; she is asleep."

Jesus called the Twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, as well as to cure diseases.

He sent them out as his Messengers, to proclaim the Kingdom of God, and to work cures.

If people do not welcome you, as you leave that town, shake even the dust off your feet, as a protest against them."

But Herod himself said: "John I beheaded; but who is this of whom I hear such things?" And he endeavored to see him.

But Jesus said: "It is for you to give them something to eat." "We have not more than five loaves and two fishes," they answered; "unless indeed we are to go and buy food for all these people."

Whoever is ashamed of me and of my teaching, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when he comes in his Glory and the Glory of the father and of the holy angels.

As he was praying, the aspect of his face was changed, and his clothing became of a glittering whiteness.

And, as Moses and Elijah were passing away from Jesus, Peter exclaimed: "Sir, it is good to be here; let us make three tents, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what he was saying;

And, while he was speaking, a cloud came down and enveloped them; and they were afraid, as they passed into the cloud;

And from the cloud came a voice which said--"This is my Son, the Chosen One; him you must hear."

And, as the voice ceased, Jesus was found alone. The Apostles kept silence, and told no one about any of the things that they had seen.

And just then a man in the crowd shouted out: "Teacher, I entreat you to look at my son, for he is my only child;

All at once a spirit will seize him, suddenly shriek out, and throw him into convulsions till he foams, and will leave him only when he is utterly exhausted.

"Listen carefully to my words. For the Son of Man is destined to be betrayed into the hands of his fellow men."

But the disciples did not understand the meaning of this; it had been concealed from them so that they did not see it, and they were afraid to question him as to what he meant.

A discussion arose among the disciples as to which of them was the greatest;

And then said to them: "Any one who, for the sake of my Name, welcomes even this little child is welcoming me; and any one who welcomes me is welcoming him who sent me as his Messenger. For whoever is lowliest among you all--that man is great."

Thereupon John said: "Sir, we saw a man driving out demons by using your name, and we tried to prevent him, because he does not follow you with us."

"None of you must prevent him," Jesus said to John; "he who is not against you is for you."

As the days before his being taken up to Heaven were growing few, Jesus set his face resolutely in the direction of Jerusalem; and he sent on messengers in advance.

When James and John saw this, they said: "Master, do you wish us to call for fire to come down from the heavens and consume them?"

But Jesus answered: "No one who looks back, after putting his hand to the plough, is fitted for the Kingdom of God."

After this, the Master appointed seventy-two other disciples, and sent them on as his Messengers, two and two, in advance, to every town and place that he was himself intending to visit.

"The harvest," he said, "is abundant, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray to the Owner of the harvest to send laborers to gather in his harvest.

Now, go. Remember, I am sending you out as my Messengers like lambs among wolves.

Then, if any one there is deserving of a blessing, your blessing will rest upon him; but if not, it will come back upon yourselves.

Remain at that same house, and eat and drink whatever they offer you; for the worker is worth his wages. Do not keep changing from one house to another.

Whatever town you visit, if the people welcome you, eat what is set before you;

Cure the sick there, and tell people 'The Kingdom of God is close at hand.

'We wipe off the very dust of your town which has clung to Our feet; still, be assured that the Kingdom of God is close at Hand.'

He who listens to you is listening to me, and he who rejects you is rejecting me; while he who rejects me is rejecting him who sent me as his Messenger."

When the seventy-two returned, they exclaimed joyfully: "Master, even the demons submit to us when we use your name."

At that same time, moved to exultation by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said: "I thank thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that, though thou hast hidden these things from the wise and learned, thou hast revealed them to the childlike! Yes, Father, I thank thee that this has seemed good to thee.

Everything has been committed to me by my Father; nor does any one know who the Son is, except the Father, or who the Father is, except the Son and those to whom the Son may choose to reveal him."

"What is said in the Law?" answered Jesus. "What do you read there?"

His reply was--"'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thou dost thyself.'"

But the man, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus: "And who is my neighbor?"

As it chanced, a priest was going down by that road. He saw the man, but passed by on the opposite side.

As they continued their journey, Jesus came to a village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him to her house.

One day Jesus was at a certain place praying, and, when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him: "Master, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."

Give us each day the bread that we shall need;

And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who wrongs us; and take us not into temptation.'"

And suppose that the other should answer from inside 'Do not trouble me; the door is already fastened, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything';

I tell you that, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is a friend, yet because of his persistence he will rouse himself and give him what he wants.

So, too, if Satan is wholly divided against himself, how can his kingdom last? Yet you say that I drive out demons by the help of Baal-zebub.

But, if it is by Baal-zebub's help that I drive out demons, by whose help is it that your own sons drive them out? Therefore they shall themselves be your judges.

But, if it is by the hand of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God must already be upon you.

When a strong man is keeping guard, fully armed, over his own mansion, his property is in safety;

He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not help me to gather is scattering.

No sooner does a foul spirit leave a man, than it passes through places where there is no water, in search of rest; and finding none, it says 'I will go back to the home which I left';

As Jesus was saying this, a woman in the crowd, raising her voice, exclaimed: "Happy was the mother who bore you and nursed you!"

As the crowds increased, Jesus began to speak: "This generation is a wicked generation. It is asking a sign, but no sign shall be given it except the sign of Jonah.

For, as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so shall the Son of Man be to this generation.

At the Judgment the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation, and will condemn them, because she came from the very ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and here is more than a Solomon!

At the Judgment the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation, and will condemn it, because they repented at Jonah's proclamation; and here is more than a Jonah!

The lamp of the body is your eye. When your eye is unclouded, your whole body, also, is lit up; but, as soon as your eye is diseased, your body, also, is darkened.

Take care, therefore, that the inner Light is not darkness.

If, then, your whole body is lit up, and no corner of it darkened, the whole will be lit up, just as when a lamp gives you light by its brilliance."

As Jesus finished speaking, a Pharisee asked him to breakfast with him, and Jesus went in and took his place at table.

But the Master said to him: "You Pharisees do, it is true, clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside you yourselves are filled with greed and wickedness.

Only give away what is in them in charity, and at once you have the whole clean.

Here one of the Students of the Law interrupted him by saying: "Teacher, when you say this, you are insulting us also."

That is why the Wisdom of God said--"I will send to them Prophets and Apostles,

Laying traps for him, so as to seize upon anything that he might say.

Meanwhile the people had gathered in thousands, so that they trod upon one another, when Jesus, addressing himself to his disciples, began by saying to them: "Be on your guard against the leaven--that is, the hypocrisy--of the Pharisees.

There is nothing, however covered up, which will not be uncovered, nor anything kept secret which will not become known.

Whenever they take you before the Synagogue Courts or the magistrates or other authorities, do not be anxious as to how you will defend yourselves, or what your defense will be, or what you will say;

Then Jesus told them this parable-- "There was once a rich man whose land was very fertile;

This is what I will do,' he said; 'I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them;

But God said to the man 'Fool! This very night your life is being demanded; and as for all you have prepared--who will have it?'

So it is with those who lay by wealth for themselves and are not rich to the glory of God."

And Jesus said to his disciples: "That is why I say to you, Do not be anxious about the life here--what you can get to eat; nor yet about your body--what you can get to wear.

For life is more than food, and the body than its clothes.

If, even in the field, God so clothes the grass which is living to-day and to-morrow will be thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith!

For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

Whether it is late at night, or in the early morning that he comes, if he finds all as it should be, then happy are they.

"Master," said Peter, "are you telling this parable with reference to us or to every one?"

"Who, then," replied the Master, "is that trustworthy steward, the careful man, who will be placed by his master over his establishment, to give them their rations at the proper time?

But should that servant say to himself 'My master is a long time coming,' and begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk,

That servant's master will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour of which he is unaware, and will flog him severely and assign him his place among the untrustworthy.

while one who does not know his master's wishes, but acts so as to deserve a flogging, will receive but few. From every one to whom much has been given much will be expected, and from the man to whom much has been entrusted the more will be demanded.

I came to cast fire upon the earth; and what more can I wish, if it is already kindled?

There is a baptism that I must undergo, and how great is my distress until it is over!

And to the people Jesus said: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once 'There is a storm coming,' and come it does.