Sunday - October 18, 2020
“In trial or difficulty I have recourse to Mother Mary,
whose glance alone is enough to dissipate every fear.”
- Saint Therese of Lisieux
October 18, 2020
Twenty-ninth Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 145
Thus says the LORD to his anointed, Cyrus,
whose right hand I grasp,
subduing nations before him,
and making kings run in his service,
opening doors before him
and leaving the gates unbarred:
For the sake of Jacob, my servant,
of Israel, my chosen one,
I have called you by your name,
giving you a title, though you knew me not.
I am the LORD and there is no other,
there is no God besides me.
It is I who arm you, though you know me not,
so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun
people may know that there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, there is no other.
Responsorial Psalm PS 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10
R. (7b) Give the Lord glory and honor.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
Bring gifts, and enter his courts.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
Worship the LORD, in holy attire;
tremble before him, all the earth;
say among the nations: The LORD is king,
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
Reading 2 1 THES 1:1-5B
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 give thanks to God always for all of you,
remembering you in our prayers,
unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love
and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ,
before our God and Father,
knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God,
how you were chosen.
For our gospel did not come to you in word alone,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.
Alleluia PHIL 2:15D, 16A
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights
in the world
as you hold on to
the word of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MT 22:15-21
The Pharisees went off
and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech.
They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying,
"Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion,
for you do not regard a person's status.
Tell us, then, what is your opinion:
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?"
Knowing their malice, Jesus said,
"Why are you testing me, you hypocrites?
Show me the coin that pays the census tax."
Then they handed him the Roman coin.
He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?"
They replied, "Caesar's."
At that he said to them,
"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Giving What Is Owed and Beyond
Opening Prayer: Holy Spirit, visit my soul in this moment of prayer. Widen my heart and sharpen my mind so that I can find what you have prepared for me.
Encountering Christ:
1. What “Belongs to God?”: The Pharisees, we’re told, were trying to trap Jesus with this question about paying taxes. In general, their opposition to Our Lord was mounting. Jesus did not humiliate them with his answer. He simply invited them to give to God what belongs to God. The last line of this anecdote, which was not included in today’s reading, tells us, “When they heard this they were amazed, and leaving him they went away” (Matthew 22:22). Were they amazed because they wondered what belongs to God? We can ask the same question today, “What belongs to God?” Specific things belong to God for what they are: Sundays, for example; or an object consecrated for sacred use only; or things that are owed to God by pure justice, like gratitude, praise, obedience, etc. There are also things that belong to God because we freely choose to give them to him, like our time, our energies, and our sacrifices.
2. Things I Want to Give to God: Let’s stop here for a moment, and consider and specify what kinds of things we have chosen to give to God. To make a free gift not rooted in justice or duty is an act of generosity and love. If you have given some of your belongings to God, call them to mind now. Talk to Jesus about it. Maybe you have given your talent to Jesus. Once more, reaffirm that gift. Or have you contributed your time? Conversely, are there things you have given over to God that you keep retracting? Look at these also, ponder them, and talk to Jesus about it. Ask for the grace to once again place them in Jesus’s loving, open hands.
3. More Than Generosity: Loving God by giving to him our thoughts, words, actions, time, talents, and sufferings is an act more beautiful than we realize. It might feel like mere renunciation. But when we bring those treasures into the light of God, he lets them shine and sparkle. Handing them to God makes them even more precious. Hence, giving God what belongs to him warrants a celebration, because we don't lose out; rather, we receive it back in greater splendor, even one-hundred fold. As Jesus told St. Catherine of Siena,“...here they receive the fire of divine charity figured by the number of a hundred... And because they have received this hundredfold from Me, they possess a wonderful and hearty joy, for there is no sadness in charity, but the joy of it makes the heart large and generous, not narrow or double” (Dialogue of St. Catherine).
Conversing with Christ: Lord, I recognize that everything I have you have given me. Giving over what belongs to you means that you ask me to deeply acknowledge this fact. When I’m tempted to covet something–anything–remind me, Lord, of this truth. “My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from you. My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to you. My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to give my all to you” (St. Nicholas of Flüe).
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will consciously give of my time, talent, or treasure in a particular moment or situation.
God Bless You.....
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