30th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (A)

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"

Mt 22:34-40

EXPLANATION OF THE READING

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees….

Previous to this encounter with the Pharisees, the Sadducees tried to confound Jesus by putting to him a hypothetical problem. A woman married a man. The man died childless. According to the Levirate law, the man’s brother had to marry the widow so that the family lie of the dead man could be continued. In the end, all seven brothers married the widow. At the resurrection, whose wife will she be? Jesus replied by saying that in the resurrection there will be no marriage.

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"

This seems to be genuine question for at the time of Jesus there seemed to have been a concern to systematize the Torah which consisted of 613 precepts. Hillel (a rabbi) reduced them to one: "Do not do what is hateful to you to a fellow human being" (cf. Lev. 19:18) while Simlai (another rabbi) pointed to Amos 5:4, "Seek me and live!"

"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."

The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) uses “with all your heart” instead of “with all you mind”. “Mind” should be understood as referring to thought or to reflection.

The second is like it.

The first and second commandments are similar not identical. They are not identical such that loving one’s neighbour means loving God and vice versa. They are similar because of their nature (both concern love) and of their equal importance (both commandments have to be kept).

An alternative translation would be: “The second is equally important”.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The expression “as yourself” means that we should love our neighbour totally (with all your heart). It is not a recommendation to love ourselves first in order to be able to love our neighbour nor to love them in the same way as we love ourselves.

The originality of the response of Jesus is not in the idea of love of God and of neighbour. For these commandments are found in Lv 19:18 and Dt 6:5, but in the fact that Jesus united them and gave them equal importance and above all in the simplification and concentration of the whole law in these two commandments.

29th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

Mt 22:15-21

EXPLANATION OF THE READING

They (Pharisees) sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians.

The Pharisees saw the occupation of the Romans as punishment from God.
The Herodians were the supporters of Herod Agrippa, tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. They favored Roman rule. The gospel of St. Luke seems to indicate that Herod was hostile to Jesus.

Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God.

The way of God is either the way pointed out by God or the way that leads to God.

Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?"

There were other indirect taxes that the Jew paid such as toll fee and customs tax. The census tax is a tribute paid by all conquered countries to the Roman empire. All Jews paid the same amount. Only children and the elderly did not pay it. It was a shame to pay the tribute because it was a sign of subjugation to Rome. The zealots forbade their followers from paying the census tax.

The question was a trap. If Jesus said that it was lawful, he would lose credibility with the people because it meant that he was accepting Roman rule which the people detested. If he said it was not lawful, then the Herodians would report him to the Romans for being on the side of the zealots.

Show me the coin that pays the census tax. Then they handed him the Roman coin.

The Roman coin in question was the denarius. It was a silver coin and was the standard daily wage of a labourer.

The fact that they had the coin meant that they were using it and implied the acceptance, although unwillingly, of the advantages of Roman rule.

He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?" They replied, "Caesar's."

The inscription read "Tiberius Caesar son of the divine Augustus, great high priest."

At that he said to them, "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."

Jesus seems to say that those who willingly use the coin that is Caesar's should repay him in kind. The answer avoids directly taking sides in the question of the lawfulness of the tax.

Coinage in the ancient world had significant political power. Rulers issued coins with their own image and inscription on them. In a certain sense the coin was regarded as the personal property of the ruler. Where the coin was valid the ruler held political sway over the people. Since the Jews used the Roman currency, Jesus explained that what belonged to Caesar must be given to Caesar.

He also says that the listeners are to be as concerned with how to give to God the things that are God's. They should be more concerned with repaying God with the good deeds that are his due.

27th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.

Mt 21:33-43

EXPLANATION OF THE READING

There was a landowner who planted a vineyard.
The landowner is God; the vineyard, Israel.

When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
These were the prophets God sent to Israel.

But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.
Israel would not accept the message of the Prophets.

They seized him (the son of the landowner), threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
Jesus was put to death outside the walls of Jerusalem, on Calvary.

He will put those wretched men to a wretched death.
In fact, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in the year 70AD and scattered the Jews throughout the world. In fact, it was only after the Second World War when they were able to return to Palestine and re-establish themselves as a nation.

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
Wikipedia: The cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.

Some translations use keystone instead of cornerstone. Wikipedia: A keystone is the architectural piece at the crown of a vault or arch and marks its apex, locking the other pieces into position.

Either term underlines the importance of Jesus.

Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.
Christians are now the New People of God in place of Israel.

THE POINT OF THE PARABLE

It is not enough to be baptized a Catholic. One must live as a Catholic. It is not enough to belong to the Catholic Church. One must behave as a good member of the Catholic Church.

Deeds are important. In fact, Jesus said: “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven (Mt 7:21-22).”

THE FRUITS THAT GOD MAY EXPECT FROM OFW'S

STEVE RAY'S OPEN LETTER TO THE FILIPINO CATHOLICS:

We stepped into the church and it was old and a bit dark. Mass had just begun and we sat toward the front. We didn't know what to expect here in Istanbul , Tur-key. I guess we expected it to be a sombre Mass but quiet and sombre it was not - I thought I heard angels joyously singing behind me.

The voices were rich, melodic and beautiful. What I discovered as I spun around to look did not surprise me because I had seen and heard the same thing in other churches around the world. It was not a choir of angels with feathered wings and halos but a group of delightful Filipino Catholics with smiles of delight and joy on their faces as they worshiped God and sang His praises. I had seen this many times before in Rome , in Israel ,in the United States and other countries.

Filipinos have special traits and they are beautifully expressed as I gazed at the happy throng giving thanks to God. What are the special traits which charac-terize these happy people? I will share a few that I have noticed- personal obser-vations- as I have travelled around the world, including visits to the Philippines

FIRST, there is a sense of community, of family. These Filipino Christians did not sit apart from each other in different isles. They sat together, closely. They didn't just sing quietly, mumbling, or simply mouthing the words. No, they raised their voices in harmony together as though they enjoyed the sense of unity and communion among them. They are family even if they are not related.

SECOND, they have an inner peace and joy which is rare in the world today. When most of the world's citizens are worried and fretful, I have found Filipinos to have joy and peace - a deep sense of God's love that over shadows them. They have problems too, and many in the Philippines have less material goods than oth-ers in the world, yet there is still a sense of happy trust in God and love of neighbour.

THIRD, there is a love for God and for his Son Jesus that is almost synony-mous with the word Filipino. There is also something that Filipinos are famous for around the world - their love for the Blessed Mother. Among the many Filipinos I have met, the affectionate title for Mary I always hear from their lips is "Mama Mary." For these gentle folks Mary is not just a theological idea, a historical per-son, or a statue in a church - Mary is the mother of their Lord and their mother as well, their "mama."

The Philippines is a Catholic nation-the only such nation in Asia -and this wonderful country exports missionaries around the world. They are not hired to be missionaries, not official workers of the church. No, they are workers and educa-tors, doctors, nurses and housekeepers that go to other lands and travel to the far reaches of the earth, and everywhere they go they take the joyous gospel of Jesus with them.

They make a sombre Mass joyful when they burst into song. They convict the pagan of sin as they always keep the love of Jesus and the Eucharist central in their lives.

My hope and prayer, while I am here in the Philippines sharing my conver-sion story from Baptist Protestant to Roman Catholic, is that the Filipino people will continue to keep these precious qualities. I pray that they will continue loving their families, loving the Catholic Church, reading the Bible, loving Jesus, His Mother and the Eucharist.

As many other religions and sects try to persuade them to leave the Church, may God give the wisdom to defend the Catholic faith. As the world tempts them to sin and seek only money and fame and power, may God grant them the serenity to always remember that obedience to Christ and love for God is far more impor-tant than all the riches the world can offer.

May the wonderful Filipino people continue to be a light of the Gospel to the whole world!