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Our Sunday Reflection - October 22, 2023
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Give the Lord glory and honor.
Psalm 96
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Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day
The words from today’s Gospel, “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God,” are a reminder of our struggle to integrate our lives as faithful citizens with our lives as faithful Catholics. We are obligated to do both: to bring our faith and our values to all
our responsibilities, including our civic ones. May the Eucharist
we receive and share today strengthen us in fulfilling our mission in every respect.Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word
Cyrus, the great Persian king, did not know God. But Isaiah maintains that God called him by name. The people of Thessalonica did not know Christ. But Paul asserts that the Holy Spirit brought him and the gospel to them. Jesus proposes that we should repay to God what belongs to God. Whether we are conscious of it or not, all we have been given—including our very life—comes ultimately from God. May God’s word remind us that we too belong to God.Reflections
- The ancient proverb, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” applies perfectly to Cyrus the Great, king of Persia. He had set his sights on building an enormous empire that would extend from central Asia to the Mediterranean. But the Babylonians, who had destroyed Jerusalem and driven much of the Jewish population from Judah, stood in the way. Cyrus was well known for respecting the religions and traditions of the people living in the regions he conquered, so the Jewish people greeted him as a liberator, not another oppressor. Therefore, Isaiah has the audacity to say that Cyrus must have been called by God, anointed by God, in his mission to defeat the Jewish nation’s greatest enemy, the Babylonians.
- Isaiah goes on to say that God called Cyrus by name, anointed him, armed him, and gave him his title, even though Cyrus does not even know who God is. It doesn’t matter. We ourselves may feel inadequate when it comes to knowing God or understanding God, but this should not worry us. The important thing is that God knows us. From the leader of the largest empire in history at the time to the tiniest sparrow who falls to earth, God knows every living being in creation.
- Some of the Pharisees seek to entrap Jesus, asking him a question designed to get him in trouble with either the religious or government authorities. But Jesus finds a clever way to answer sensibly and safely. Had Caesar heard his answer, he would have been pleased that Jesus’ followers could be counted on to continue to pay the census tax. But maybe we should ask: What did Caesar have that did not first come from God? All creation has its source in God, and so truly all creation belongs to God. Neither Cyrus nor Caesar likely realized it, but despite all their power and all their wealth, they stood in God’s debt. Even more do we owe God for all we have been given, from what we have here in this world to our eventual destiny in the next.
Question of the Week
What can I do concretely to repay to God what belongs to God? How does giving back to God make me feel richer?
-from Pastoral Patterns
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readings of the mass
LISTEN HERE to the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, October 22, 2023
SELECT HERE for the Readings of Sunday, October 22, 2023
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Offerings
The Sunday offerings are a portion of our blessings that we give to God (Church) in gratitude to what God has done for us...ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS -
Reflections on the readings
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News from the Vatican
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