Matthew 7:6,12-14 NRSVue

⁶“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.

¹²“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

¹³“Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. ¹⁴For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

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Reflection on Matthew 7:6,12-14

Inspiration from 2026-06-23 Daily Prayer

Anthony de Mello, an Indian Jesuit and a brilliant teacher on how to pray competently, sometimes used a phrase he had picked up in his youth. ‘Don’t try to teach a pig to sing – it frustrates you, and irritates the pig.’ Advice in a similar vein is hinted at in today’s reading. Do what you can to make situations better in whatever circumstances you find yourself in, but if others engaged in the affair are bull-headed, don’t waste time with them.