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Homily for Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

READ: (Isa 45: 1, 4-6; 1 Thes 1: 1-5; Matt 22:15-21)

REFLECT: Giving each one their due – God and  human person is our mission…

Dear friends we are in the Twenty Ninth Sunday in ordinary time. We celebrate along with the Holy Mother the Church, the world mission Sunday, reminding each one of us the mission of Christ entrusted to the Church and consequently our mission as followers of Christ is spreading the gospel near and far. However, today we shall reflect on the reading pertinent to the 29th Sunday in ordinary time. Giving to God is unavoidable for God is our creator and it is from God that we have obtained all things. Above all we are God’s children. Giving to human persons is our due, although it is not necessary but important in order to run the society as those in authority or to help themselves to be healthy and live a dignified state of life. So giving to God and to human persons, what belongs to them is our due and unavoidable. On this world mission Sunday, we need to ask ourselves what’s our mission as children and Christian and seek ways as how we shall promote and contribute towards the spread of the mission of God in our world. So based on the readings of the day, I would like to share with you three points of reflection. 

1. Be God’s instruments:

Pope Francis while giving catechesis on the Acts of the Apostles, urges the faithful to trust in the Lord and act in His name and so he says, “In the Acts of the Apostles”, began Pope Francis, the preaching of the Gospel does not only rely on words, but on concrete actions that bear witness to the truth of the proclamation. These are wonders and signs, which confirm the work of the Apostles, showing that they act in the name of Christ.” yes, we Christians as followers and disciples of Christ act in the name of Christ and not on our own. We all of us are just instruments in the hand of God in his work of redemption. Just because we do the work we cannot take credit of being called as authors and owners of earth that has been given to till and care for by God. Most of us have the tendency to own things, place, persons and time. In actuality we cannot own anything, because we are not owners of anything and we are owned by God himself as we belong to him as his children and God as creator of all things in heaven and on earth. 

Today’s first reading prophet Isaiah is another eye-opener for all of us to understand, how God makes us work as his instrument. We have a Persian king Cyrus, who is chosen by God and is anointed as a king to shepherd the people of Israel. We know the context in which the people Israel were made exiles by the Babylonians as they destroyed Jerusalem and forced the Jewish people to exile in Babylon. However, it is a reminder for us that the world is round, we get back what we do. Something similar happens in the history too, where Babylonians were defeated by Persians and Persian King Cyrus takes over Babylonia. Unlike the Babylonian reign who did not give religious freedom to people in the empire, we see the king Cyrus, the Persian gives religious freedom, allowing them to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.  It is something to be admired and realize how God works in the redemption of his people. It is this situation makes us understand, how God chooses Persian King Cyrus as an instrument of God’s salvation and how he anoints him to shepherd the people of Israel. The reason for choosing and anointing King Cyrus is mentioned in the first reading, the word of the Lord through Prophet Isaiah we hear, “For the sake of my servant Jacob and Israel my Chosen, I call you and name you, although you do not know me. I equip you that people may know that there is no one besides me.” 

Yes, it is very clear that God has chosen and anointed King Cyrus for the sake of his people and make the entire nations know that God is the only one, who owns us, to whom the world and we belong as his creation and children. We cannot deny the fact that Cyrus was a king of the nation but not of the entire universe or world, because God is king of the universe and the entire world, as the world and all in it belongs to God. So we need to understand, being chosen as Christians or religious is our privilege but all credit goes to God. Because, it is God assists in our discerning and choices that we make to be Christians as his children. We are not owners of earth, where we live and move our being rather we are co-workers, partakers of divine work laid on us by God to till and care for creation. When we understand that we are instruments in the hand of God for his mission, the mission of God would spread fast and far. We will have rich and divine experience to inspire others, make others and ourselves as children of God.

2.              Follow the pathways of Christian living:

As Christians, it is important to have faith, love, and hope as they are indispensable pathways to journey towards God and with our neighbor. At times the path may be quite clear but most often we find ourselves in confusion and uncertainties of life, when life becomes tough or when things go wrong or don’t go as we wish or plan. It is there we need the most these pathways to strengthen and sustain us to walk in faith, love and hope in God towards the goal that God has set for each one of us Christians. We can be sure that these pathways really help us to get closer to God, if we follow them sincerely, having trust in God. Something similar we find in the second reading from the letter of St. Paul to Thessalonians. 

St. Paul in his letter to First Thessalonians speaks of his favorite trilogies saying, “remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,” (I Thes 1:3). The trilogies of faith, love and hope is written by Paul in many of his letters. It manifests faith, love and hope are held in high esteem to sustain our Christian living, when we are tossed up by ups and downs of life. Apart from the readings of the day, elsewhere we find the trilogies in various letters of St. Paul; first, in (Rom 5: 1-5) faith, hope and love sustain us in times of troubles; secondly, in (Col 1: 3-5) faith is tied to hope and to love in special ways; thirdly, in (Eph 4: 1-6) faith, love and hope are set forth as the basis for a mature Christian life; in (1 Cor 13:13) while speaking about spiritual gifts St. Paul says, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

So the trilogies that St. Paul speaks have to become part of our Christian life. The first trilogy that Paul speaks of is Faith. Faith is a gift that God has given and it is a choice that we make by the power and wisdom of God through Jesus in the Holy Spirit. So we need to make this faith in God as vocation and life-style. Faith as vocation focuses on sustaining and building relationships with God and with others as high priority. So when faith becomes a vocation and life-style, we will not give up faith for the sake of a better profession, finance, selfish gains or personal prestige. Faith as a vocation would give us conviction to live and die for the faith that we profess and confess in God. 

The second trilogy that St. Paul speaks of is the labor of love. The love that St. Paul speaks is not related to emotional aspect of feelings and desire rather intentional aspect that which we deliberately choose to do. Sometimes the love based on emotions can be a hurdle to growth in life as feelings are crucial to health and wholeness. But genuine love is a hard labor, it costs us a lot. We have to give up our selfishness, pride, hatred and anger to deal with others in love. That’s what Jesus said, “ “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:44-45). In addition to this we have St. Paul’s concept of love itself, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself…but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:4-7).

The third trilogy that St. Paul speaks to us is hope. We all of us know that hope is a powerful medicine that bandages our wounds and gives healing. Unfortunately, most of find hard to have such hope because despair and distress in life that we face. Someone has very beautifully said, “hope is where your heart is.” Yes, hope gives us the confidence to move on and journey with God. If we lose hope in God, probably we would lose everything in life. Hope in Jesus puts us into right perspectives and paths of life on earth or towards eternity. The misfortune or lose of hope in life happens when we do not put our hope in Jesus and his words or works or when we try to seek or rely on more with our human assistance for safety and security, consolation and comfort rather than God himself.

That’s what St. Paul very clearly tells us at the end of the reading, “the work of faith, labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ,” and not in anything or anybody. Faith, hope and love in Jesus will make our lives better as Christians and children of God. Therefore the words or message of good news that we proclaim are not our human words rather the words of God in full power and Holy Spirit with conviction. That’s what we find at the end of the reading, “the message or good news of Christ was not just come in word but also in power and the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. So it marks the power of God and his word, the power of the Holy Spirit over us creates a lasting impact on our lives to inspire others and bring others closer to God. Most of us have the tendency to say “it is my work or it is I did.” I think we need to correct ourselves; it is not we who have done or do rather it is God who has done or God who does. We have no power within without the power and wisdom of God invested in us. So let us walk by the pathways of faith, love and hope in Jesus to journey with God and our neighbor on earth and towards eternal life.  

3.              Give each one their due:

Giving each one their due makes one to live in justice and peace. Whether it is God or human persons, giving has a value. It could be money or things or objects or food or any material aid possible. Giving others their due make us respect the dignity of others and to run the human family smoothly. Giving to God is unavoidable because he is our God and creator; it is from him the life of each one of us flow. Giving our total self to God is a must. Therefore, we need to give to God what belongs to God and to human beings what belongs to them. 

In the Gospel of the day, the Pharisees and Herodians ask Jesus: “what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? (Mt 22, 17) To whom shall we pay tax? To God or to Man whom God created as the crown of creation? Is it a must to pay? These are some of the questions that just knock our minds seeking for clarification, “is it permissible to pay tax to Caesar or not? Jesus does not take any sides with anyone, because the basic question was not God or Caesar but God and Caesar. Hence, the answer of Jesus seems to be ironical but fitting to a question that was ironical “give to Caesar what belongs to him and to God what belongs to God.” Perhaps, it is not to avoid arguments that Jesus said the above statement but to make them understand or us to give one’s due to God and to Caesar (referring to Government authorities or those in power). 

Pope Francis while reflecting on today’s gospel passage gives us beautiful pointers to reflect saying, “Jesus acknowledges that the tribute to Caesar must be paid because the image on the coin is his; but above all he recalls that each person carries within him/her another image. We carry it in our heart, in our soul that of God, and therefore it is to him, and to him alone, that each person owes his or her existence, his or her life.” yes, giving each one their due is a must. If Caesar has to be pain because the coin bears his image then we who bear the image of God are called entrust our entire existence and life unto God himself, who is our creator.

Firstly, “give to Caesar what belongs to him.” We know that Caesar was a Roman Emperor. In ancient times, it was regarded that an image on an object showed ownership. Since the Roman emperor viewed himself as a god, some Jews did not accept to regard human beings as God and refused to pay taxes with Roman money, calling it idolatry. Jesus by acknowledging the image of Caesar but not condemning it, Jesus confirms that this perspective was not correct. Further, Caesar’s right to claim taxes was supported by his image appearing on Roman currency. The image was not a demand for worship, just a demonstration of ownership.

Therefore, we see here three aspects brought out by the name ‘Caesar’ referring to material, secular and political aspect. We need to pay tax to the Government for we are the citizens of our mother earth and our nation. Therefore, to safe-guard the dignity and identity of our nation we are obliged and duty-bound to pay tax for the benefit, growth and welfare of the country. That’s what we hear in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity and freedom. The love and service of one’s country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity. Submission to legitimate authorities and service of the common good require citizens to fulfill their roles in the life of the political community” (CCC 2239).

But what’s happening in today’s scenario is pathetic and pitiful, disheartening and terrifying. For the money paid as tax is enjoyed by few wealthy persons and politicians etc. They may not even pay their own taxes at times but demand from the poor, who cannot even afford to have their own daily bread. We know that it cannot be justified, because it is unjust and dehumanizing. So we need to change and challenge these sorts of acts, bring them in facts and figures to obtain justice and dignity for people on humanitarian basis. The corrupt, self-centered, crooked, false and perverse attitude of people must be changed. In this way, we can get away the unjust structures and systems of the society to a just and an authentic society, where poor in different parts of our world enjoy their due share and live in peace and harmony.  

Today, among all the leaders of the world, Jesus stands out to be a simple and humble master, dynamic and enthusiastic, treating all equally and lovingly. It can be said from the view point of His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on donkey’s back without having any security or during His temptation, where Satan placed Him over the mountain and asked Him to worship and promised to give as an incentive the whole world. But Jesus did not wish nor was he ready for it. This shows that He had no craving for power, position and wealth. Generally if we look, today many cars just buzz around like bees or the form of security in different ways, protecting the leaders of different departments in our world? How many of us consider leaders as God forgetting that they too belong to the common flock or fold which we hold? When we reconsider our views about leadership and our regards for leadership in our world or in the church, we would bring about a change in the society and in the church. 

Secondly, “Give to God what belongs to God.” It refers to spiritual and sacred aspects. We need to pay tax to God for He is the creator and author of whole creation. We need to honor Him by our way of living. In a fast moving and fast approaching end of the world, there are manifold events of our life, wherein we don’t pay due tax reserved to God. We can take an example from today’s Gospel reading itself. The words of Pharisees and Sadducees are ironical in saying that, “Jesus was an honest man and teaches the way of God in all honesty.” It is absolutely words of flattery and not trust worthy statements. For it is said in the above lines of the gospel reading that they intended to set a trap for Jesus. We need to look into our lives now. Do we in all authenticity appreciate and admire a person’s caliber and potency? Or do we just pass comments sarcastically and ironically and do the back-bite, spoiling the reputation of our brothers and sisters like Pharisees and Sadducees? So, we need to unveil the mask of pretence that does not become part of a true and genuine follower of Christ.

Further, it was customary in the Jewish tradition to pay tax to Caesar as there was the imprint of the image of Caesar in the coins. The Pharisees and Sadducees were collecting the taxes in his name and were enjoying. That’s why people had an aversion towards them. What about us? We too have the imprint of God in us as we are created in the image and likeness of God. So, this image places a responsibility of paying taxes of sincerity, honesty, simplicity and cheerful availability to God. Our life is a gift and a belonging of God and because of this we long to belong to God. If so, why do we hesitate to offer ourselves into the hands of God? It is because our hearts are set on material reality than spiritual reality, a secular world than a sacred sphere.

Today, the humanity lost its identity in the ocean of passion for fashion. There is immense decrease in the passion for Christ and passion for humanity. Today, the humanity has lost its dignity in the phase of enchantment and entertainment. We have forgotten that people are created to love and things are made to use. As a result, people are being used and things are being loved. Today, humanity lost its sanctity due to impurity based on caste, gender-discrimination, color prejudice, biased ideas and ideals of human life. Therefore, we need to restore this human identity, dignity and sanctity. It is possible only by seeing God in everyone. It is by recognizing the image and likeness of God imprinted in all people like rich and poor, weak and strong without any discrimination. I am sure, when we give each one’s due that belongs to them justly and fairly, we will be able to say that we have imprinted the image of God and we walk by the commands of God. Otherwise, we will be doing injustice to God’s image imprinted on us as his children. So let our prayer be to become responsible persons, holding the image of God and living by the image of God as God’s children. May God bless, guide and lead us in the process of spiritual maturation.  

RESPOND:

Do we consider ourselves as instruments in the hand of God for his mission or do we consider ourselves as semi-gods on earth?

Do we follow the pathways of faith, love and hope in Jesus or do we get caught up by suspicion, hatred and despair in life by our own selfishness?

Do we give each one their due as children of God or do we try to get even what’s not ours from others?

Let us become the instruments of God, follow the pathways of Christian living and give each one their due as children of God and fulfill the mission entrusted to us by God. Amen. 

God bless us all! Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968