29th sunday in ordinary time, Mission sunday

"... give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God"

Matthew 22:21

A wedding ceremony was about to begin.  Members of the bridal procession anxiously awaited for the organ music to accompany them down the aisle.  But there was only silence.  One of the ushers tried to get the organist's attention by snapping his fingers.  Still there was silence.  The usher then tried clapping his hands.  Still no response.  Finally, the now panicking usher called out the organist's name.  "Neil ... Neil," he fairly shouted and all the people in Church obediently dropped to their knees.

"Kurios Christos!" (Christ is Lord!), was the creed of a group in the Roman Empire of the First Century A.D..  The members of this group, called "Christians." lived in a time and place in which all "loyal, patriotic" citizens were required to kneel before the altar of Caesar, so to speak.  Once each year they were required to assert, "Kurios Caesar," which means "Caesar -- the State -- is Lord!"  Thus, when these Christians pronounced their creed, "Kurios Christos!" not only were they saying "Christ is Lord! but also "The State -- Caesar -- is not Lord!"

They were affirming what their Jewish forebearers had said at Mt. Sinai: "We will have no other gods before the one true God

A middle-aged businessman, returning from a business trip was met at the airport gate by his wife.  An extremely attractive flight attendant walked by.  Beaming, the businessman said to the flight attendant, "I hope we can fly together again, Miss Saunders."  "How come you know her name?" his wife immediately demanded.  The man replied smoothly, "You see, dear, her name was posted right up front in the plane, under the names of the pilot and co-pilot."  To which the wife replied, "OK, now give me the names of the pilot and co-pilot."  He had flunked the course.  His hypocrisy was uncovered.

Jesus came down hard on hypocrisy.  And when He did, the condemnation was always against His own people -- the good, Church-going, law-abiding people.  He condemned them for "show-boating" when they gave alms:  "Hyprocrites, looking for applause,"  He called them.  He condemned then for show-boating when they prayed.  They go to Church and pray "in order to be noticed," He said.  He condemned the pillars of the Temple who paid only "lip service" to God and offered Him only empty reverence.

In today's Gospel the Pharisees try to disarm Jesus with smooth talk.  Their true intention is to trap Him into making a political statement that could result in His arrest for treason.  They put to Him the question of whether or not it was proper for Jews to pay the Roman census tax.  

The Parisees imagined that Jesus' position would be against payment of the tax.  This would please the Jewish Zealot Party which favored the use of force to gain independence, but it would probably result in Jesus' arrest by the Romans.  If, on the other hand, Jesus spoke in favor of the tax, He would alienate the Zealots.  Either way He would lose, presumably.  But Jesus' answer merely evades the problem without attempting to solve it.  He does He attempt here to identify precisely what is Caesar's and what is God's.  Jesus sees through the Pharisee's hypocrisy, refuses to play their game, thwarts their plan to entrap Him (outsmarts them), and there is no sound basis for reading more than that into this episode.  

Jesus' answer should not be taken to mean, therefore, that God and Caesar are traveling along parallel courses, that God is God, and secular society is secular society, and never the two shall meet.  It does not mean that our contributions to God's interests and our contributions to worldly interest do not converge.  They do, in fact.  

What is Caesar's?  What is God's?  That is the question!  It was not only the Pharisees problem, but the Apostles' problem too.  And it continues to be the problem of religious men and women through the Ages.  Governments change, forms of government change, national boundaries change, social conditions change, entire cultures and civilizations change, but the problem never changes -- it never goes away.

Jesus laid down the rule when asked for His opinion on which commandment in the Jewish Law was the greatest.  "You must love the Lord your God," He said, "with all your heart/with all your soul/and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and first commandment.  The second resembles it: you must love your neighbor as yourself."(Mt. 22:37-38).

This then, is the general rule for determining when and how the duty of loyalty to State is in conflict with the duty of loyalty to God.  What is at stake here is man's inherent, God-given right to his neighbor's love.  That is the precise meaning of our human "dignity," so-called.  The right to human love and respect is our God-given right.  The State possesses neither the power to confer it nor the power to usurp it.  But it does have the clear duty to protect it and secure it.  When Government carries out this function, the demands on our loyalty to God and country remain  compatible, and we can kneel before God and express allegiance to the State simultaneously.  But when Government policy seeks to institutionalize the denial of basic human rights, we can no longer do the two things at once.  We then are forced into the choice of asserting "The State is Lord," or staying on our knees before the altar of God - "Kurios Caesar" or "Kurios Christos."

A little boy was riding his bicycle furiously around the block, over-and-over again.  Finally, a policeman who had been observing the boy's frenzied activity, stopped and asked him why he was going around and around at such a furious pace.  The boy said that he was running away from home.  "But why do you just keep going around the block?" the policeman asked.  "Because," the little fellow replied, "my mom said that I'm not allowed to cross the street." The point is clear: the boy's obedience was keeping him close to home, close to those who loved him most.

God is not "out of this world," as the saying goes.  God is in this world.  This is where we give to God what belongs to God.  This is where we exercise obedience to God.  This is where we stop going around in circles trying to run away from God.  This is where we drop to our knees and come home to God -- the One who loves us most!

26th Sunday on Ordinary time

Now is the time to repent; there isn't a moment to spare

"... you did not afterward repent and believe him"

Matthew 21:32

A Sunday-school teacher had been telling her class of youngsters about "heavenly rewards" and "crowns of glory" for people who believed and lived good lives. "Now tell me," she said at the close of the lesson, "Who will get the biggest crown?" There was silence for a moment, then one bright youngster piped out, "The one who has the biggest head."

Another Sunday-school teacher asked one of her students this question: "Johnny, can you tell me what we must do before we can expect forgiveness of sin?" "Yes sir," Johnny replied. "We must sin."

Still another Sunday-school teacher asked, "What do you think a land flowing with milk and honey would be like?" "Sticky," came the answer.

In this 26^th Sunday Gospel, Jesus makes things a bit sticky for some sinners who have big heads: the pious, Church-going, self-righteous religious leaders of His time. Throughout the Gospels, the language Jesus uses to condemn their hypocrisy is always harsh and uncompromising. He says:

They preach but they do not practice.

They bind up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders.

They do all their deeds to be seen by men.

They love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues.

They pay tithes while neglecting the weightier matters of justice, mercy and faith.

They are frauds, blind fools, blind guides; they are like white-washed tombs, beautiful to look at on the outside but on the inside full of filth and dead men's bones.

They display a holy exterior, but inside they are filled with evil.

Fools! Frauds! Blind guides! White-washed tombs! Notice again that these very strong words of Jesus are not directed toward atheists or agnostics or criminal-types or public sinners. They are directed at respected Churchmen--men who publicly profess faith in God, who publicly adhere to religious law, who publicly participate in sacred ceremonies. Thus far that sounds like most of us, does it not? We believe in God; we try to obey the Commandments; we keep holy the Sabbath. Yet Jesus indicts these men as sinners of the worst sort. Why? Because they used religion as a showcase for their own virtue. They practiced a religion of the "letter" but not of the "spirit," of the "head" but not of the "heart." They acknowledged God but closed themselves off to the Spirit of God. They used God to attain public esteem and, worse still, to confirm their own self-esteem. They emphasized the manner in which the sacred rites were conducted rather than the meaning they were intended to convey. Displaying a virtuous image was more important to them than being virtuous. They were always busy adjusting their haloes to their big heads. And, because of their self-centeredness, egoism and pride, they were unwilling to conform their lives to the Will of God.

He is telling you to conform your value system to the Will of God. He is telling you to acknowledge your human frailty, your ongoing sinfulness, your need for forgiveness. He is telling you to abandon all traces of the holier-than-thou, know- it-all attitude of self-righteousness.

During a Sunday sermon, a baby began to cry at the top of his voice. The child's mother immediately left her pew and carried the baby toward the Church door. "Stop!" said the preacher. "Your baby isn't disturbing me." The mother turned around and said, "But you're disturbing him."

Jesus has a disturbing word for us in today's Gospel. There are, He assures us, harlots and gangsters in this world who are closer to salvation than some of us pillars of the Church. He says to the Pharisees: "Let me make it clear that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you" (Mt. 21:31). Does this surprise you? What on earth does Jesus mean? He means that the prostitutes and gangsters (tax collectors) to whom He refers are public sinners who know they are sinners. The self-righteous Pharisees, on the other hand, will not acknowledge their own sinfulness. The self-accused sinner at least knows he or she is in need of forgiveness; the self-righteous hypocrite admits nothing, including the need for forgiveness.

Jesus is not asking us to come together in order to proclaim our virtues to the world. He is asking us to acknowledge our sinfulness to the world. He is asking us to admit that we do not know it all. He is asking us to hear the Word of God, always, in an attitude of expectancy. He is asking us to remember that the Word of God is filled with surprises.

God's forgiveness and love and mercy (they all mean the same thing) are available to us to the extent that our hearts are open to forgiveness and love and mercy toward all our brothers and sisters. There is no possible way for you to divide your Christian commitment into separate compartments. There is no possible way for you to love God today and love your neighbor tomorrow. There is no possible way for you to love God "over here" and your neighbor "over there." It's all one piece. It's all inextricably bound up in your one heart and soul and mind and body. Genuine repentance demands total, simultaneous commitment.

Now is the time to repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is here. You haven't got almost an hour. There isn't a moment to spare!

24th sunday

24th Sunday in ordinary time 

"Lord how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?"

Matthew 18:21

Johnbert and Ronie, both in their seventies, had been friends since their seminary days. They held strong opinions and both were on the stubborn side. Consequently, they argued frequently and, as a result, they often went for weeks without speaking to each other. It got to the point where, after a heated argument on some trivial matter, Johnbert and Ronie hadn't spoken to each other for several months. Then Ronie became critically ill. He summoned Johnbert to his hospital bed and said that he wanted to heal their relationship before he died. He took Johnbert's hand in his and whispered, "Johnbert, I forgive you. Will you forgive me?" Johnbert was deeply moved by his friend's final gesture, but before he could reply, Ronie bellowed, "But remember, if I don't die, if I get well again, this doesn't count!"

When we place conditions on our willingness to forgive, of course, it doesn't count. Limited forgiveness is a contradiction in terms.

Forgiveness counts when it acknowledges that only unconditional love can overcome the evil that divides and separates; that only unconditional love can heal our wounded relationships; that only unconditional love can clear away the debris from the past that continues to estrange us from God and neighbor.

The awesome reality of God's forgiveness is that it always counts. You don't have to plead or beg for it. You don't have to ask Him even once for it. God's love and mercy are always being offered, always present to you, never withdrawn. His forgiveness doesn't depend on whether or not you ask for it. There is nothing you can do to change who God is or God's attitude toward you. Any change that takes place in your relationship with God necessarily takes place in you. Your plea for mercy and forgiveness, therefore, represents your acknowledgment of God's mercy and your acceptance of His forgiveness.

An Irish humorist tells the story of a mean, intemperate selfish, unbelieving man named Pat, who died. At the wake, the pastor of the Church Pat's family attended took on the tough task of eulogizing Pat. Having done the best he could, the priest asked if anyone would like to add a word or two. After a brief silence, a voice from the rear of the funeral parlor said, "His brother was worse!"

That is a story to remember when you get to wondering about the limits of God's mercy. God not only loved that miserable Pat, He even loved Pat's brother!

A mature Christian Faith means more than accepting the reality of the higher order of Being we call "God." To say "I believe in God" in a mature Christian way means to say, "I trust God and I will live according to His Rule. God's Will be done!

In today's Gospel, for example, Jesus reveals God's Will for your life and mine in the matter of forgiveness. This is Jesus' way of saying that no limit whatsoever is to be placed on our need to practice mercy and forgiveness. The Kingdom of God, Jesus explains to Peter, is built on a foundation of endless mercy and forgiveness.

Our knowledge of God is but a mere human glimpse. No one can fully understand the creative process of love and mercy and forgiveness. It all comes down to a matter of trust. God comes to us in Person in the Lord Jesus asking us to trust Him; telling us that in order to grow into the uniquely beautiful, fulfilled persons He wants us to become, we must learn to forgive the brother or sister who has wronged us, unconditionally.

 

In order to position yourself under God's Rule. "Trust Me," God is saying. "Trust Me with your life. It will not always be easy.

We acknowledge our sinfulness, Lord . . .

Forgive our self-righteousness;

Forgive our self-centeredness;

Forgive our half-hearted efforts to understand the problems of others;

Forgive us for all those times when we were "too busy to listen";

Forgive our unkindness to other human beings;

Forgive us for using and exploiting other human beings;

Forgive us for failing to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel effectively, both in word and deed;

Forgive us for our disobedience to your command to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world;

"Why do you keep talking about my past mistakes?" said the husband. "I thought you had forgiven and forgotten." "I have, indeed, forgiven and forgotten," said the wife. "But I want to make sure you don't forget that I have forgiven and forgotten."

Sinner: "Remember not my sins, O Lord!"

LORD: "What sins? I forgot them long ago."

"If any man would come after Me, let Him deny himself and take up, his cross and follow Me"

Matthew 16:24

One Sunday morning, a preacher delivered a beautiful sermon on Jesus' love for little children. The next day, he caught a little boy in the act of pressing his foot into the Church's spanking-new, still-wet sidewalk. He grabbed the lad by the arm, jerked him away from the freshly-paved concrete, gave him a severe tongue-lashing, and sent him home. Minutes later, he received an irate telephone call from the child's mother. "My little boy just came home in tears," she said angrily. "When I heard your sermon yesterday I thought you loved little children." "Indeed I do love little children," the preacher replied, "but I love them in the abstract, not the concrete."

"If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up, his cross and follow Me." In today's Gospel Lesson, Jesus is saying that His genuine followers love Him not in the abstract, but in the concrete.

The ultimate test of our Christian discipleship, is not what we think about Jesus, not what we say about Jesus, but what we do about Jesus. In concrete terms, how does our relationship with Jesus affect the way we conduct our lives? How does our relationship with Jesus affect our relationships with others? How do we demonstrate our love for Jesus in the specific, nitty-gritty, down-to-earth events of our lives? In Luke's Gospel, Jesus says, "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross" (Lk. 9:23). This is a Christian imperative. If you want to follow Jesus, pick up your cross -- pick it up daily. Concretely, what does this mean?

"Follow Me ... pick up, your cross daily" is the "bottom line" of our response to the Good News of a gracious God who loves us infinitely. It is the sum total of our response to all Jesus said and did. It is the answer to our every prayer for the abundant life we crave at the deepest level of our being. We come together and we listen to the Word of God as it is revealed in Jesus. In Jesus, we discover God's promise never to abandon us. In Jesus, we discover God's promise of forgiveness. In Jesus, we discover God's promise of eternal life. In Jesus, we discover God's power of healing. In Jesus, we discover God's Holy Spirit of compassion. In Jesus we discover that death does not have the last word. In Jesus, we discover the immensity of God's Love. Praise the Lord! In Jesus, we discover how to harmonize our life with God's Will.

While strolling through the park, a clergyman struck up a conversation with a soap salesman. They soon began to talk religion. Said the soap, salesman: "The Gospel you preach, doesn't seem to have done much good after two thousand years. There is still a lot of evil and wickedness in the world." The clergyman pointed to a little boy making mud pies. The child was exceedingly dirty. "I can see that soap hasn't done much good either. It's been around for a long time but there are still a lot of dirty hands and faces." "That's true," said the soap salesman, "but soap, is effective only when it's applied." To which the clergyman replied, "So it is with the Gospel we proclaim."

We are so incredibly valuable to God that He chooses to remain present to us always. Jesus described this awesome reality as the "Kingdom of God within." It is the Source of the strength we need to take up our cross daily. It is the Source of the love we need to make the Gospel we preach effective in the world.

The Divine Goodness -- the Source of all beauty and harmony and order and peace -- is in our heart. But there is no way to experience it, no way to demonstrate it, no way to share it except to establish a working, living, growing relationship with it. "Daily, take up your cross and follow Me."

There is nothing grim about the command "Take up, your cross daily." It is not intended to make us wince or clench our teeth. It is an invitation to experience the joy of a living, working, growing relationship with the Divine Power of Love that is with us always. It is an invitation to experience the joy of realizing our true human potential moment-by-moment, day-by-day. It is an invitation to experience the joy of demonstrating our love for God through our love for one another.

Jesus hanging from His Cross is God's way of saying to us: "Now do you see how much I love you?" And that is precisely what it means to accept Jesus' invitation to take up our own cross. As Jesus' disciples, as doers of the Word, moment-by-moment and day-by-day we ask our children and our spouses and our parents and our brothers and sisters everywhere: "Now do you see how much I love you?"