Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A. Mission Sunday - Sunday, October 18, 2020
(EPISODE: 256)
Readings for 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
FIRST READING: Isaiah 45:1, 4-6
Psalm 96:1+3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10. "Give the Lord glory and honour."
SECOND READING: 1 Thess 1:1-5b
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Philippians 2:15d-16a). Alleluia, alleluia! Shine on the world like bright stars. You are offering it the word of life.
GOSPEL: Matthew 22:15-21
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A. Mission Sunday - Sunday, October 18, 2020 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ordinary-29a-episode-256 (EPISODE: 256)
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"Render to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." (Matthew 22:21).
*PROLOGUE BY Paul Kelly:-
The first reading from Isaiah is really fascinating. It speaks about God declaring King Cyrus to be a "shepherd;" his "Anointed One"-
King Cyrus might not mean much to us thousands of years after he lived and reigned. But, it was extraordinary in his day. King Cyrus was the founding ruler of the Great Persian Empire, and although he was not Jewish, (and was of another religion), was extremely supportive of the Jewish people and issued an edict that allowed the "Jewish population to return to the Promised Land from Babylon, and he also allowed them to rebuild the temple and gave them back their treasures. . The book of Isaiah honours him as a dignified and righteous king. He is the only Gentile to be designated as an anointed one of God. The word means. "Messiah," or "a Christ" - a divinely-appointed king.
Even those who are not religious, or who do not profess a religious faith or who have faith different from ourselves, may still be enormously instrumental in promoting the values of God's Kingdom. and as such, they may very well be acting as God's servants, friends and instruments of God's will, even if they would not themselves name it as such.
The Pharisees and Herodians, usually fierce opponents, have come together in an uneasy alliance motivated by a common hatred. They are trying to trap Jesus- They attempt a hypocritical ploy where they ask about Our Lord's loyalty to the Roman Emperor, by asking whether he recommends payment of Roman taxes. They are hypocrites: The Pharisees portrayed themselves as fiercely nationalistic. They hated the Herodians, who supported King Herod, who had "sold out" as a puppet of the Roman Empire. And here they, asking after Jesus' loyalty to the Romans. The only ones touching the coin with Caesar's head on it… are the Pharisees and the Herodians. They ought to have seen the coin as unclean and repellant. Jesus likely kept his hands right off these coins. .
Did they really care about government and religious relations?. Very Likely not! They were setting Jesus up in a seemingly "no-win" situation. However, Our Lord answered wisely by affirming that there is a duty to observe civil laws and procedures, but that we also owe ultimate allegiance to God who created all things. There is not a clear-cut Religion vs Government line here. It requires discernment. It is possible that supporting civil projects gives glory to God… it is also possible that serving God can be at the service of civil needs. Our Lord is not trying to build an impenetrable "them and us'' mentality, unlike his opponents.
The true test is how self-serving our actions really end up being.(Or as St Paul says.,… in the second reading; putting faith into action. and not merely words. but as power, as the Holy Spirit and as utter conviction…). Jesus was utterly sure that he owed absolutely EVERYTHING to The Father, and did not make excuses, Instead, he emptied himself entirely in service and love. This humbles us and makes us truly grateful. May we be strengthened to follow his example. in our daily life and actions…
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Homily by Fr Peter Dillon:
29 Sunday Year A : Give to Caesar
In the paper the other day someone wrote about the current economic crash as a 'crisis of faith': we had believed in the money markets as our religion. They suggested if we kept the faith in the banks and financial institutions then we could weather the storm ahead.
For many people who are experiencing great financial difficulty now and predicting worse in the future, they are desperate to cling to any life raft, to hear any supportive news from someone who might present a confident response to a demanding situation.
For a long time, while things have been travelling relatively smoothly, We just thought that money would make money and money would buy happiness, not realising that, sooner or later, the credit would crunch, and the holes in risky, fast-buck investments would be exposed, that what first seemed to be a mild illness in China would turn into something that would forever change the lives of most people of this generation and the next few to come. So now we've lost that faith, people fear to spend, and the banks fear to lend.
It would be very easy for Christians to say, 'See, we told you so. You worshipped money, not God, and this is where it's got you.' But that's not much help to the people who are hit hardest, such as families on small incomes. Yet, as the 'religion' of the market has failed, do we have a different vision of money and the economy to offer? Or is Christianity not concerned with such things?
It rather seems from what Jesus says, that it's not. 'Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar -- and to God what belongs to God.' This has often been cited by Christians who want church and politics to stay apart, and with some good reason. After all, we've seen plenty of totalitarian governments that had a Christian veneer, and even in democratic politics, if a Christian party acts corruptly just once, it wrecks ruins the reputation not just of the party, but of the Christian faith. But is this what Jesus is getting at?
The Pharisees are trying desperately to get rid of Him. If He says you can pay taxes to Caesar, then He's on the side of the hated Romans, whom they hoped the longed-for Messiah would free them from, so they can stir up the people against Him. But if He says not to pay Caesar, then He's guilty of treason and they can hand him straight over to the Romans.
Jesus saw straight through this. And His answer was not just clever: it had a very basic message that we often forget: God is in control, not human beings. We don't need to try to manipulate God or others. If we are faithful to God, and work within our situation, He will do the rest.
So just grin and bear it, then? But if our situation is bad, if people around us are living with injustice and oppression, shouldn't we do something about it?
Let's look at what happened to the exiled people of Israel under Cyrus. This man, whom Isaiah calls God's anointed -- yes, Messiah! -- was a Persian ruler who had conquered the Babylonians, the people who had taken the Israelites into captivity. Wanting to be seen as tolerant and benign, he allows the Jewish people to return home.
And even though Cyrus does not know the God of Israel, God has called him by his name. Our God is a God of surprises. Just as the people and things we expect to help may disappoint, sometimes God acts through the most unlikely channels. 'People unknown to me served me' (Psalm 17.43). That is because He is 'the Lord, unrivalled'.
So by all means let's ask God for what we want. But let's be open to His way, His initiative -- which may well be a prompt to action: St. Paul was an amazingly active and energetic apostle, yet always in response to the guidance he received in prayer. A world away from seizing illusory happiness from a fast car, dream holiday (and pay nothing till Christmas).
In these tougher times, we need to rely on God's providence. This is not a grim fact -- though the bursting of a bubble is never pleasant -- rather, it's an opportunity. If we put our trust in God, and listen to His voice, we can persevere in real hope, working especially to love our neighbour in need, knowing that what we do is faith in action.
This is our opportunity to let go of the money religion, so that money becomes what it should be: a useful tool, not our master.
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References:
Homily by fr peter Dillon
Prologue: Fr Paul W. Kelly
Barclay, W. (1975). The Gospel of Matthew. Part II. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: St. Andrew Press.
"RENDER TO GOD WHAT IS GOD'S"- JOEL SCHORN
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. ID: 1025397541. Hand offering Caesar statue a coin with his image for taxes. Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's (Matthew 22:21). By George Marcel
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A. Mission Sunday (Sunday, October 18, 2020) (EPISODE: 256 )
The Lord be with you.
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{{May God's Spirit of Wisdom and understanding abide in you.}}
my brothers and sisters, to prepare ourselves tocelebrate the sacred mysteries, let us call to mind our sins.
Lord Jesus, you came to reconcile us to the Father and to one another: Lord, have mercy//You heal the wounds of our sin and division: Christ, have mercy// You intercede for us with the Father: Lord, have mercy//
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary IV
Eucharistic Prayer II
Communion side. pwk: RH
(theme variation: 2 )
(pre+post variation: 4)
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{my heartfelt thanks for your participation in this time of reflection, prayer and praise.}
Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
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Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly
Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)
"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.
Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).
Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.
- "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
"Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.
- "Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
[ Production - KER - 2020]
May God bless and keep you.
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