Readings: Isaiah 45:1, 4-6; Psalm 96; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5; Matthew 22:15-21
Grace and peace to you my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. Today is the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time. It is also Mission Sunday.
Our readings today shall be based on the readings of the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time but I will end my reflection by connecting the message of today to our mission as Christians.
We have an awful lot to learn from the Gospel of today.
The malice of conspiracy:
We are told that the Pharisees and the Herodians came together to plot against Jesus, trying to catch Him through what He would say.
Interestingly, the Pharisees and Herodians weren’t even on good terms but they were able to come together to fight a common enemy.
Dear friends, we must be careful of being part of any form of conspiracy and malicious plot against anyone. We are to speak for truth and justice but not be perpetrators of conspiracy. Let us not allow people to use us for their evil agenda.
Mind your words:
Take note, they wanted to catch Jesus in what He would say. One of the greatest virtues that we all need is tongue control. The deadliest sin of many of us is committed through our tongue. This is where the accuser will accuse many of us – the sin of lying, boasting, immodest jokes, imprudent words, backbiting, slander, loose tongues, talking too much, bitter words etc. (Read James 1:26).
Danger of flattery and the gift of indifferentism:
When they came to Jesus, hear what they said: ‘Master, we know that you are an honest man and teach the way of God in an honest way, and that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you.”
They came with false praises (flattery). Many of us are very afraid of criticism but there is something more dangerous than criticism and that’s flattery. Many of us use it to manipulate people and many of us are easily manipulated and distracted by it. One of the lessons I took home from Medjugorje is to pray for the gift of being indifferent to criticism or flattery, to care less about what people say and be focused on pleasing God.
How honest am I?
I would like us to pause here and reflect on how the enemies of Jesus described him. Though they meant it as flattery, it was true of Him.
Is this also true of us?
Am I an honest person?
Do I speak the truth and teach the ways of God with honesty?
Am I afraid of people and “doctor” the truth because of human respect and the desire to be loved and accepted?
The dangerous question and the gift of awareness:
After this, they asked Jesus a subtle question but the question was deeper than it looked. It was not a simple question about payment of tax. It was a question of whether, as God’s people, they should show allegiance to a pagan Emperor. Anyhow, Jesus answered that they would set Him against either His people or the Romans.
We are told that Jesus was aware of their malice. Many of us lack awareness. We don’t have discernment and we take everything at face value. We are quick to believe, yield and trust. We are very vulnerable and easy to deceive and manipulate. Let us pray today for awareness and discernment.
In the same way that Jesus was aware then, He is also aware of who we are and the content of our hearts. We can’t deceive Him or pretend before Him because He is all knowing.
Give to God what belongs to God:
Jesus asked us to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. The immediate message is that as Christians, we are citizens of heaven but we must also be good citizens of our earthly nations.
The deeper message is that we are all bearers of God’s image. Just as the coin belonged to Caesar, we belong to God in all that we have and are, the whole of ourselves – our time, treasures, talents, past, present, future, our success and achievements, our lives in their entirety.
Many of us complain that we do not have time (for God). We act as if our lives belong to us. We proclaim either by words or actions that our life is ours to enjoy, rule and govern. To live this way is to deny the fundamental truth of our very existence. Let us pray that it won’t be too late to discover that we belong to God and that our lives will have no meaning if lived outside of Him.
Mission Sunday.
We pray for all missionaries, all those who have dedicated themselves to God, and all those who have heard the call of God and have responded, like Cyrus in today’s first reading and St Paul in the second reading. We pray for all those who are spreading the faith to wherever God sends them. May they be strengthened, empowered and rewarded for their service to God and humanity.
Let us pray that all of us will also understand that we belong to God and that we have been called by Him to be missionaries wherever we are, that we may be aware that we are called by God to share the Good News to the world, the Good News of God’s mercy and love for everyone, the Good News of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on October 22, 2023.