“Give not that which is holy to dogs; neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turning upon you, they tear you.”
Jesus uses harsh terms for those that are hostile to the gospel and the proper interpretation of it through Catholic tradition, and this is more for the purpose of showing what vice and error do to human nature rather than insulting the people He loves. While you are called to love and do good to all, giving them a look at the treasures of the faith when they lack understanding is not beneficial: “He that teacheth a fool, is like one that glueth a potsherd together” (Ecclesiasticus 22:7). In Isaias 39, king Ezechias shows the entirety of the treasures of his house to the Babylonians, upon which the prophet tells him that all would be taken away. Now, distinction is necessary, for all thirst for love and wisdom, but it requires a discerning mind to know when to give the milk and honey of divine wisdom to those whose palettes are corrupted. Those that are outright hostile to the gospel are what are called dogs, for in offering them good things, they bite and thrash, attempting to tear it. The swine are those who are too in love with either sin or error to be drawn away from it: “Deliver them that are led to death: and those that are drawn to death forbear not to deliver” (Proverbs 24:11). While this sounds harsh, it is also gives insight into the horror of sin and error. These reduce a human being, created with a dignity near unto an angel: “Thou hast made him a little less than the angels, thou hast crowned him with glory and honour” (Psalm 8:5), to a miserable place, with the one trapped by these evils reduced to what is proper to beasts. Now, love and wisdom go hand in hand, “And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found [Jesus, Love Incarnate] in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions” (Luke 2:46), and when either of these are turned back like bad food, it is repulsive to the heart: “I called, and you refused: I stretched out my hand, and there was none that regarded. You have despised all my counsel, and have neglected my reprehensions” (Proverbs 1:24-25). This is particularly highlighted by the term “pearls,” for just as they are kept enclosed in shells, so is the magnificent love story of God and His people kept in the depth of Sacred Scripture. To bring out a fine dish of this love and the unfathomable depth of God’s merciful love to someone that will slap it out of your hand or simply ignore it keeps you from giving this same love to those who will receive it and thereby fall more in love: “If thou do good, know to whom thou dost it, and there shall be much thanks for thy good deeds” (Ecclesiasticus 12:1). While nothing is lost with God, and all things done in love are done well, you can climb to much greater heights of love and wisdom with those in whom this same love and wisdom are present. It is then more fitting to do temporal good to those whose minds are fixed and turned to matters of the earth, and to give spiritual treasures and love to those who are the very least open to the truth of the gospel. Just as a surgeon must clean the debris from the top of a wound before moving in to properly mend it, so too must someone be softened by love to the message of love that you contain. This is done by the temporal works of mercy, which can pave the way for those that are spiritual. Thus, when Jesus says, “For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink” (Matthew 25:35), this can be taken in two senses: First, by relieving the temporal suffering of others, you console His Sacred Heart, but then by giving the bread of wisdom and the drink of love to those that are starving and parched, you reach into the heart of your neighbor and plant the seeds that may sprout to eternal life. Thus, “My son, attend to my wisdom, and incline thy ear to my prudence” (Proverbs 5:1), that you may know the best and proper act of love in every situation, whether it is to meet someone that has no mind for truth where they are and love them in a more material manner, or whether it is to draw the one that hungers for the truth of love even higher up the mountain to their Beloved.