29TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME OF YEAR A (ALSO, 100th Anniversary of MISSION SUNDAY Celebration) – 18/10/26.

WE ARE IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER; MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY. PLEASE, PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY AND ASK THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY TO PRESENT YOUR INTENTIONS TO HER SON FOR REDRESS.

COLLECT: “ALMIGHTY EVER-LIVING GOD, GRANT THAT WE MAY ALWAYS CONFORM OUR WILL TO YOURS AND SERVE YOUR MAJESTY IN SINCERITY OF HEART. THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOUR SON, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.

Is 45:1,4-6; 1Thes 1:1-5b; Mt 22:15-21

”ONE IN CHRIST, UNITED IN MISSION".

Something short about the 100th Anniversary of MISSION Sunday.

Mission Sunday was celebrated or instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1926. So, it is exactly 100 years this year with the Theme: "ONE IN CHRIST, UNITED IN MISSION".

"The missionary Church: The Church, according to Vatican Council II, is “missionary” in her very nature because her founder, Jesus Christ, was the first missionary. God the Father sent God the Son, Incarnate in Jesus, His Christ, into the world with a message of God’s love and salvation. Thus, the evangelizing mission of the Church is essentially the announcement of God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation, as these are revealed to mankind through the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. How should we evangelize? By living an exemplary and transparent Christian life, by prayer and by financial support. The most powerful means of preaching Christ is by living a truly Christian life".

A story is told about a cat and a mouse living in the same house with a dog. Historically the cat and the mouse are natural great enemies which do not see eye to eye. It happens that the cat and mouse observed that their landlord loved the dog more than them.

Dog, as they observed, was a constant companion of the landlord, lying by the landlord as he ate and sometimes it received some pieces of the food from him and sometimes lying by man as he rested and so on and so forth. Cat and dog observed that the dog was actually having a good time in the house with the landlord than they.

Therefore, the two (cat and mouse) decided to suspend or “put on hold” their differences in order to team up against their common enemy-dog. They therefore concocted a lie against the dog and told the landlord that the dog was always “stealing his back”, and that the dog was causing a lot of harm in the house during his absence.

We have a similar picture in scripture today, particularly from the gospel. We have a picture of two great enemies (the Pharisees and the Herodians) teaming up to entrap Jesus in speech. Historically, these two groups during the time of Jesus were bitter or arch-enemies; the reason being that the Pharisees, a Jewish religious group, opposed the Roman occupation of Palestine. Supremely orthodox that they were, the Pharisees resented foreign rule as they believed that only God was their King.

As such they also resented any policies like the payment of taxes to any foreign king imposed on them by the Roman authority. The Herodians, a political party on the other hand, were the supporters of Herod (Herod Antipas at the time of Jesus) who was imposed on the Jews by the Romans and they also supported the policies instituted by Rome. The differences between the Pharisees and the Herodians were for a moment forgotten or put on hold in a common hatred for Jesus so as to execute their common desire to eliminate Jesus.

In a sense, the Pharisees and the Herodias were United Negatively in their Mission to eradicate Jesus like the cat and mouse did to the dog. This all boiled down to acute jealousy. Have you ever fallen into this kind of thing? Reflect deeply upon it.

The question of payment of taxes was not of historical interest to the Pharisees and the Herodians, because, since after the destruction of the Temple, the Pharisees or Jews for that matter had been paying taxes. Anyway, the text puts it very clear to us that they “went off and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech”. The two groups were not motivated by love for God’s law (the Pharisees) or by love for Roman justice (the Herodians). They therefore had ulterior motives but failed as Jesus’ answer exposed their evil and hidden motives and embarrassed them both. Please, never allow hidden or ulterior motives influence you in your actions.

Jesus indeed knows each one of us true “inside-out”. He knows our inner selves and he sees our hearts and whatever is hidden there. We can pretend and behave in whatever way before fellow men and women, but the Lord, who is all knowing, knows every individual heart. He also knows all the politics of this world and he is above them all and the politics of this world can never entrap him.

If Jesus agreed that it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, the Pharisees would say he was opposing God, the only King they recognized. If he said they should not pay taxes to Caesar, the supporters of Herod would have handed Jesus over to Herod on the charge of rebellion or treason. The answer Jesus gave: “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” offered him an opportunity to teach all believers great lessons.

A great lesson we learn from Jesus’ answer is the fact that we (believers/Christians) have dual citizenship-the State and the Church (cf. 1 Peter 2:17) “Have respect for everyone and love for your fellow-believers; fear God and honour the emperor”* (King). *We have civic rights and of course civic obligations/responsibilities toward the State as well as ecclesiastical rights and obligations/responsibilities toward the Church*.

Christians who together with other people, live in the State enjoy lots of facilities provided by the State. For instance, infrastructure like roads, water, healthcare delivery, education, electricity and many more other facilities. As we enjoy these facilities, we in turn should be responsible for the State and for these facilities.

I dare to say that we are urged and encouraged to be 'Practically Missionary' in our homes, offices, communities, and in the world. We are obliged and responsible for them*. We have to maintain the things we enjoy and we should take care of them. One major source of funding for the provision and maintenance of these facilities is taxation. Therefore, once we have the right to enjoy state facilities, we are also obliged to maintain them. It is therefore culpable to evade taxes and those of us who have been caught in this web should learn from Jesus today and reform.

As dual citizens, Christians also have some rights to enjoy from the Church as well as obligations and responsibilities toward the Church. We have the right to be nourished spiritually by the Church through the liturgy and the celebration of the sacraments. As a partner of the state, the Church, when able, goes into quality healthcare delivery, education, water and sanitation, agriculture and so on, for not only her members but for all citizens to enjoy.

If we enjoy these spiritual as well as earthly material facilities from the Church, we also have obligations or responsibilities toward the Church. We are required to pledge to God through the Church ultimate obedience and commitment. We also need to support the Church materially through payment of tithes, dues, offerings, collections, etc. We are obliged to defend the Church (patriotism), maintain, protect and take care of Church’s facilities as well as engage in evangelization.

Christians or believers for that matter, can also discharge their responsibilities through whatever we do in the state. In that case, the spirit that should always be behind whatever we do in the world should be that we are mindful of the fact that we are chosen and called by God into that office or job to work in faith and labour in love (love of God and love of neighbor)-St. Paul’s ideas in his letter to the Thessalonians. This therefore implies that as State and Church citizens and employees, we have to work with all dedication and commitment.

There should be no idling about in offices or at work places. This also calls for honesty and transparency in whatever we do. ‘What belongs to Caesar should be given to Caesar and what belongs to ‘Mr. Stone’ should be given to him as well’. Where can we categorize the ‘all mighty canker’- of BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION? What about EMBEZZLEMENT, misappropriation of funds? We also have the situation where unqualified or “wrong” people are put in offices or they are given jobs that they cannot discharge-“round pegs in square holes”. Are we giving to Caesar what is his due and to ‘Mr. Yam’ what belongs to him?

We can also apply Jesus’ answer of giving “to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” to our vocations and relationships with fellow human beings. In the divine call into priesthood and religious life, those who are called into this life pledged to God to do or will not do certain things. When as a Priest I later on do not do what I pledged to God on the day of my call, then I am not giving to “Caesar what is Caesar’s due and to God what is God’s”. Similarly, in the marriage life partners exchange consent to one another particularly, on the day that they solemnize their marriage. When marriage partners no longer keep to this consent, if they no longer do what they promised to do to one another and rather do that to someone else, then we are going against what Jesus tells us today.

We indeed, need to give to Caesar what belongs to him and to God, what belongs to God. The Prophet Isaiah tells of the Persian King Cyrus, who will allow the Israelites to again worship God in their homeland, something that belongs to God but had been denied him because of the exile. May each of us reflect seriously on both our civic and spiritual responsibilities and see where to place ourselves.

Where I am found wanting the all-merciful Lord is waiting for me to come and make amends before my day of accountability arrives. While I keep on praying for you, also do for me. Stay blessed and happy Sunday.

WE MEDITATE TODAY, SUNDAY, ON THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES: ‘THE RESURRECTION, THE ASCENSION, THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE ASSUMPTION, AND THE CORRONATION’. (WE PRAY FAITH, HOPE, LOVE OF GOD, GRACE OF A HAPPY DEATH AND TRUST IN MARY’S INTERCESSION) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and the hour of our death, Amen”.

PRAYER: “GRANT, O LORD, WE PRAY, THAT, BENEFITING FROM PARTICIPATION IN HEAVENLY THINGS, WE MAY BE HELPED BY WHAT YOU GIVE IN THIS PRESENT AGE AND PREPARED FOR THE GIFTS THAT ARE ETERNAL. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN”.

Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com.

29TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME OF YEAR A (ALSO, 100th Anniversary of MISSION SUNDAY Celebration) – 18/10/26.