Peace and Wisdom

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today alert us to our humanity and challenge our tendency to overemphasize the priorities of the material world.

Give to Caesar 

The reading from the Second Letter of Peter is an exhortation to Preparedness before the Final Exhortation and Doxology.

* [3:13] New heavens and a new earth: cf. Is 65:17; 66:22. The divine promises will be fulfilled after the day of judgment will have passed. The universe will be transformed by the reign of God’s righteousness or justice; cf. Is 65:17–18; Acts 3:21; Rom 8:18–25; Rev 21:1.

* [3:16] These things: the teachings of this letter find parallels in Paul, e.g., God’s will to save (Rom 2:4; 9:22–23; 1 Cor 1:7–8), the coming of Christ (1 Thes 4:16–17; 1 Cor 15:23–52), and preparedness for the judgment (Col 1:22–23; Eph 1:4–14; 4:30; 5:5–14). Other scriptures: used to guide the faith and life of the Christian community. The letters of Paul are thus here placed on the same level as books of the Old Testament. Possibly other New Testament writings could also be included.

* [3:17–18] To avoid the dangers of error and loss of stability Christians are forewarned to be on guard and to grow in grace and knowledge (2 Pt 1:2) of Christ. The doxology (2 Pt 3:18) recalls 1 Pt 4:11. Some manuscripts add Amen. (2 Peter, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 90 praises God’s Eternity and Human Frailty.

* [Psalm 90] A communal lament that describes only in general terms the cause of the community’s distress. After confidently invoking God (Ps 90:1), the Psalm turns to a complaint contrasting God’s eternity with the brevity of human life (Ps 90:2–6) and sees in human suffering the punishment for sin (Ps 90:7–12). The Psalm concludes with a plea for God’s intervention (Ps 90:13–17). (Psalms, PSALM 90 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus addresses the Question about Paying Taxes.

* [12:13–34] In the ensuing conflicts (cf. also Mk 2:1–3:6) Jesus vanquishes his adversaries by his responses to their questions and reduces them to silence (Mk 12:34).

* [12:13–17] See note on Mt 22:15–22. (Mark, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

Ed Morse comments that we are often tempted to compromise that higher principle of living as citizens of God’s kingdom for the sake of our own preferences.  As St. Peter teaches, this undermines our stability.  The rock of our faith is solid.  Those who stand on that rock sometimes are rocked about, and indeed we see it happening around us as those who stand for truth are often ridiculed and condemned.

We are allowed to see glimpses of this in our own lives, when the hand of God leads us and protects us during times of testing and trouble, rescuing us from others and even more so from our own sins and errors.  His gentle hand is unmistakable when we pause to see the bigger picture.  Let us grow in faith and in holiness, responding in love to the miraculous and unmistakable gifts of God. (Morse, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Put off the earthly image and put on the heavenly one,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

"Some people think that the Savior spoke on a single level when he said, 'Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar' - that is, 'pay the tax that you owe.' Who among us disagrees about paying taxes to Caesar? The passage therefore has a mystical and secret meaning. There are two images in humanity. One he received from God when he was made, in the beginning, as Scripture says in the book of Genesis, 'according to the image and likeness of God' (Genesis 1:27). The other image is of the earth (1 Corinthians 15:49). Man received this second image later. He was expelled from Paradise because of disobedience and sin after the 'prince of this world' (John 12:31) had tempted him with his enticements. Just as the coin, or denarius, has an image of the emperor of this world, so he who does the works of 'the ruler of the darkness' (Ephesians 6:12) bears the image of him whose works he does. Jesus commanded that that image should be handed over and thrown away from our face. He wills us to take on that image, according to which we were made from the beginning, according to God's likeness. It then happens that we give 'to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what is God's.' Jesus said, 'Show me a coin.' For 'coin,' Matthew wrote 'denarius' ( Matthew 22:19). When Jesus had taken it, he said, 'Whose inscription does it have?' They answered and said, 'Caesar's.' And he said to them in turn, 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.'" (excerpt from HOMILY ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 39.4-6) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 12:13-17 comments that the world tends to measure a person’s worth by his or her usefulness or by his or her social standing. So a president would be viewed as more valuable than a janitor, and a CEO would be given a higher standing than a prison inmate. But that’s not how God sees us—and it’s not how he wants us to see each other! Every one of us has infinite value because of the way he made us, regardless of our achievements. He loves you, not for what you can offer, but for who you are.

Never doubt your worth. You are immensely significant to the Lord. Never doubt your significance to the people around you, either. Simply by becoming the person God created you to be, you play a central role in revealing his love to everyone you meet.

“Thank you, Father, for stamping me with your image. Lord, help me to live in the dignity of a beloved child of you, my King!” (Meditation on Mark 12:13-17, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the apocalyptic conclusion of 2 Peter and the call of the author to live a righteous life. The religious leaders try to trap Jesus as either a collaborator with the Romans or a rebel. The denarius is used to expose their hypocrisy and teach our response to civil authority. Friar Jude reminds us of the traps of not staying aloof in such dichotomies. 

James Finley focuses on the instructions of St. Symeon the New Theologian (d. 1022) for praying the Jesus Prayer.

St. Symeon also says, “Sit down alone, and in silence.”  

In silence we are learning how to listen. If we’re not silent, we can’t listen, and it’s in listening that we can learn to hear. This ties into a mystical understanding of creation. In God’s “Let it be,” God is speaking all things into being: “Let there be light, let there be stones, and trees, and stars.” It isn’t as if God speaks everything into being and then goes off to leave the universe to run on its own. Rather, creation is absolute and perpetual. Right now, we’re being created by God in this self-donating act by which God is giving God’s very presence to us in our nothingness without God. Our body embodies the presence of God in our nothingness without God. God is speaking all things into being right now, and if God would cease this speaking, we’d all disappear. So we’re trying to become so silent that we can hear God speaking us into being. How can I become so silent that I can hear God speaking the sun into being as it moves across the sky, over the trees and fields rendered sacred in being created by God in their nothingness without God? And so the silence of our prayer embodies the deep, vast silence in which we learn from God how to listen to the living word of God, embodying itself as the reality of all things in their nothingness without God. (Finley, n.d.)

We invoke the wisdom of the Holy Spirit as we ponder the tension between the concerns of the material world concerning wealth and allegiance and the peace offered by Jesus in being what belongs to God.

References

Finley, J. (n.d.). Sitting in Silence. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/sitting-in-silence/ 

Mark, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/12 

Meditation on Mark 12:13-17. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/06/04/989265/ 

Morse, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/060424.html 

Psalms, PSALM 90 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/90?0 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Give to God What Belongs to God. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jun4 

2 Peter, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2peter/3 

Accepting Authority

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today cite the virtues of faith, hope, and charity and challenge us, especially in Isaiah 45, to seek the guidance of the Spirit in our relationship with civil authority.

Discernment and Civil Authority 

The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah identifies Cyrus of Babylon as God’s Instrument.

* [45:1] Anointed: in Hebrew, mashiah, from which the word “Messiah” is derived; from its Greek translation, Christos, we have the title “Christ.” Applied to kings, “anointed” originally referred only to those of Israel, but it is here given to Cyrus because he is the agent of the Lord.

* [45:2] Bronze doors: those defending the city gates of Babylon.

* [45:6] The nations will come to know that Israel’s God is the only God; cf. also vv. 20–25. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 45 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 96 praises God Who Comes in Judgement

* [Psalm 96] A hymn inviting all humanity to praise the glories of Israel’s God (Ps 96:1–3), who is the sole God (Ps 96:4–6). To the just ruler of all belongs worship (Ps 96:7–10); even inanimate creation is to offer praise (Ps 96:11–13). This Psalm has numerous verbal and thematic contacts with Is 40–55, as does Ps 98. Another version of the Psalm is 1 Chr 16:23–33. (Psalms, PSALM 96 | USCCB, n.d.)

The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians describes Faith and Example in the community.

* [1:3] Faith…love…hope: this, along with 1 Thes 5:8, is the earliest mention in Christian literature of the three “theological virtues” (see 1 Cor 13:13). The order here stresses eschatological hope, in line with the letter’s emphasis on the Lord’s second, triumphal coming, or parousia (1 Thes 1:10; 2:12, 19; 3:13; 4:13–5:11; 5:23). (1 Thessalonians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus responds to the question about paying taxes.

* [22:15] The Pharisees: while Matthew retains the Marcan union of Pharisees and Herodians in this account, he clearly emphasizes the Pharisees’ part. They alone are mentioned here, and the Herodians are joined with them only in a prepositional phrase of Mt 22:16. Entrap him in speech: the question that they will pose is intended to force Jesus to take either a position contrary to that held by the majority of the people or one that will bring him into conflict with the Roman authorities.

* [22:16] Herodians: see note on Mk 3:6. They would favor payment of the tax; the Pharisees did not.

* [22:17] Is it lawful: the law to which they refer is the law of God.

* [22:19] They handed him the Roman coin: their readiness in producing the money implies their use of it and their acceptance of the financial advantages of the Roman administration in Palestine.

* [22:21] Caesar’s: the emperor Tiberius (A.D. 14–37). Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar: those who willingly use the coin that is Caesar’s should repay him in kind. The answer avoids taking sides in the question of the lawfulness of the tax. To God what belongs to God: Jesus raises the debate to a new level. Those who have hypocritically asked about tax in respect to its relation to the law of God should be concerned rather with repaying God with the good deeds that are his due; cf. Mt 21:41, 43. (Matthew, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB, n.d.)

Cynthia Schmersal notes that we bear the image of God and so petitions that God deepen in us an embodied embrace of our identity as Your beloved, the work of Your hands. Keen our awareness to recognize that our lives are entirely of You, Our time, Our talents, Our treasure – All is of You.

May we, in union with one another, with St. Ignatius and with all of the saints, ever more sincerely pray in word and in lived witness:

Take, Lord,
and receive all my liberty,
my memory,
my understanding,
and my entire will.

All I own and all I have,
You gave to me,
to you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours,
dispose of it according to your will.

Give me your love and grace,
this is enough for me.
Amen. (Schmersal, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “Put off the earthly image and put on the heavenly one,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

"Some people think that the Savior spoke on a single level when he said, 'Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar' - that is, 'pay the tax that you owe.' Who among us disagrees about paying taxes to Caesar? The passage therefore has a mystical and secret meaning. There are two images in humanity. One he received from God when he was made, in the beginning, as Scripture says in the book of Genesis, 'according to the image and likeness of God' (Genesis 1:27). The other image is of the earth (1 Corinthians 15:49). Man received this second image later. He was expelled from Paradise because of disobedience and sin after the 'prince of this world' (John 12:31) had tempted him with his enticements. Just as the coin, or denarius, has an image of the emperor of this world, so he who does the works of 'the ruler of the darkness' (Ephesians 6:12) bears the image of him whose works he does. Jesus commanded that that image should be handed over and thrown away from our face. He wills us to take on that image, according to which we were made from the beginning, according to God's likeness. It then happens that we give 'to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what is God's.' Jesus said, 'Show me a coin.' For 'coin,' Matthew wrote 'denarius' ( Matthew 22:19). When Jesus had taken it, he said, 'Whose inscription does it have?' They answered and said, 'Caesar's.' And he said to them in turn, 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.'" (excerpt from HOMILY ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 39.4-6) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 22:15-21 comments that Jesus’ reply makes an important point for both first-century Jews and for us today: we can, and should, meet both our civic and religious obligations. Regardless of nationality or citizenship, we are all made in the image of the living God (Genesis 1:26-27). So while we pay our taxes and cast our vote to fulfill our political obligations, we give to God what belongs to him—and that involves the surrender of our entire lives.

Participating wholeheartedly at Mass is a wonderful way to offer to God what belongs to him. Today, as you set aside other activities to listen to the word of God and receive Jesus in the Eucharist, reflect on what he has given you. Then invite him to show you how to surrender to him even more—of your time, treasure, dreams, and of all the people you hold dear.

“Lord, I entrust my whole life to you.” (Meditation on Matthew 22:15-21, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler reviews the history of the Exile in Babylon and the position of Cyrus as the “anointed one” releasing the captives to return home. This passage in Deutero Isaiah begins to express a radical monotheism. In the Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians, the theological virtues including the “work of faith” are presented. Friar Jude advises that our relationship with civil authority should include prayer, respect, and discernment.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, writes about God’s desire for loving intimacy with us. The inner knowledge of God’s love is itself the Indwelling Presence, and it is also described as joy (John 15:11). Which comes first? Does feeling safe and held by God allow us to deal with others in the same way? Or does human tenderness allow us to imagine that God must be the same, but infinitely so? Fr. Richard supposes it does not really matter where we start; the important thing is that we get in on the big secret from one side or the other.

Yes, “secret,” or even “hidden secret,” is what writers like David (Psalm 25:14), Paul, Rumi, Hafiz, Bonaventure, Julian of Norwich, and many mystics called it. And for some sad reason, it seems to be a well-kept secret. Jesus praises God for “hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them only to the little ones” (Matthew 11:25). Well, what is it that the learned and the clever often cannot see?

The big and hidden secret is this: an infinite God seeks and desires intimacy with the human soul. Once we experience such intimacy, only the intimate language of lovers describes the experience for us: mystery, tenderness, singularity, specialness, changing the rules “for me,” nakedness, risk, ecstasy, incessant longing, and also, of course, necessary suffering. This is the mystical vocabulary of the saints. [3] (Rohr, 2023)

We seek the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit in our acceptance and response to civil authority even as we witness confusion over the role of “45” and the connection to Isaiah 45 in our current political environment.

References

Isaiah, CHAPTER 45 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 22, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/45?1 

Matthew, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 22, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22?15 

Meditation on Matthew 22:15-21. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved October 22, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/10/22/809925/ 

1 Thessalonians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 22, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1thessalonians/1?1 

Psalms, PSALM 96 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 22, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/96?1 

Rohr, R. (2023, October 22). God's Passionate Love — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 22, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/gods-passionate-love/ 

Schmersal, C. (2023, October 22). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved October 22, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/102223.html 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Give to God What Belongs to God. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 22, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=oct22