Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him, and the gates shall not be closed:
“For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me,
so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west,
that there is no one besides me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.”
Second reading 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.
The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”
But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that belong to him, and to God what belongs to God.”
By Theresa Ballo
“Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
This phrase has become pervasive in our times. It seems at first, a support for the separation of “church and state,” and a framework for understanding that we each have civic responsibility and religious responsibility and that those are separate endeavors. We have duty to the state, and duty to our God. There is a repetitive clamour in President Duterte’s administration and in most cases, the issue of separation of church and state has been the center of debate. Everyone has his or her own political opinion especially in social media whenever the leaders of our country express impulsive and tactful remarks against Catholic faith.
Nevertheless, when you discern more carefully, the teachings of the Church include being a good citizen, patriotic and being of service to others. Then Jesus’ answer is a call to give all that we have and all that we are to God. It isn’t about giving a part of what actually belongs to Him from the start. But rather it is to share the goods of His creation and provision as much as we can. To give to God what belongs to Him is to share the goods of His creation and provision.
The Gospel begins with the Pharisees plotting against Jesus. It was a trap so Jesus would say something that they can use to harm and ridicule Him. Have you been this kind of person? A once in your lifetime experience wherein you wanted to prove your own belief at the expense of someone, innocent or guilty. Were you once a Pharisee? On the other hand, have you experienced being in Jesus' shoes? Have you had that intuition when people are interrogating you, pretending a fair chance for you to express yourself but in reality they were convinced of their preconceived notion.
Being a guidance counselor for more than a decade, a parent and a child relationship reminded me of this scene from the Pharisees and Jesus. Most conflict comes from the inability to listen, to understand, and not to be understood. It is really frustrating when you are in a situation of an expected dialogue but the other party has judgement already. In this case, shame and pride is the end feeling. If these feelings linger on, surely, greater problems will arise.
The readings remind us that we are not the master of our lives. We come from God and go to God. He doesn’t want to control us but to love us. More so, belonging to God means belonging to each other. We too, have rights and duties to love, to care, to understand. Give to others what belongs to others. Our work for hunger, poverty, education is not merely a charity, it is justice. May we always have the courage to stand up for what is true and just.
Prayer
Loving Father, we belong to You. May we live each day of our lives to praise You for the wonders You have given us and to share these wonders with others especially those in need. Bless the efforts of all missionaries that all people would know, love, and serve You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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