Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Breviaryomancy. . .sort of

I started my doing my taxes today.

And the following reading was appointed for today in Fr Stallaert's Little Breviary:

Extract from the works of Pope Saint Gregory

It may well be asked why Peter, who was a fisherman before his conversion, after his conversion went back to fishing.  Why did he turn again to that which he had forsaken, when he who is Truth itself had said: "No one who looks behind him, when he has once put his hand to the plough, is fitted for the kingdom of God"?
If we examine the question carefully we shall soon see the answer: without any doubt if the business pursued before conversion was honest there was no sin in returning to it after conversion.  We know that Peter was a  fisherman, but Matthew was a tax-gatherer.  After his conversion Peter went back to his fishing.  Matthew, however,  did not resume his work in the customs-house, for it is one thing to gain a living by fishing, quite another to amass riches by drawing profit from tax-collecting.
There are indeed many kinds of business which it is difficult if not impossible to carry on without sin, and, once converted, a man should not return to anything that will involve him in sin.


Yes, yes, I know.  I don't suppose the IRS is quite the same thing.  Still, it made a nice break from form 1040.