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The 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Added Oct 25, 2017 •

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Dcn. Jim Marschall October 22, 2017

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the gospel passage we here today except between Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem and his death just in the context of the growing conflict with the Jewish leaders who see him as a to their Authority and to the relative, they want to maintain among the people and with their foreign occupiers Caesars Roman Empire the question about the census tax is an effort to trap Jesus as we here these people want to get him in trouble is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not if he answers yes they can accuse him of being a collaborator like the tax collectors who are greatly reviled the answer is no and they can report them to the Romans who would consider this truth treason the Trap is played with flattery the compliment Jesus for his honor Slattery also serves to tighten the wiggle room that some people might look for in a situation like this it's very difficult to avoid the question to rationalize or even flat-out lie when the question has been Kristen such a way is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not Jesus and demonstrates his honesty and integrity as well as his ability to think on his feet he knows these people are not sincere he flat-out calls them hypocrites he responds with an object lesson and was more truth than they bargained for they set up a question with where is with space to escape and Jesus drives a truck through it or perhaps a camel or a chariot who dresses the bigger question of what a good Jews first loyal to use return to God what belongs to God the message Jesus delivers to his listeners and a message that the gospel delivers to us is about priorities and loyalties loyalties we may have in this world they must all have their place whatever other authorities we answer to they must also have their place our loyalty to God's Authority must be our first priority responsible to the authority of my employer is in keeping with my loyalty to God however if I am giving excessive amounts of time and energy to the detriment of safe and other obligations then I have a conflict of loyalties being a loyal Viking or Packer fan does not go against keeping God as my number one however is catching the game each week has me missing Sunday that I have a conflict of loyalties does ordering a priorities comes right from scripture from the heart of the Jewish law and the Book of Deuteronomy next week's gospel we hear Jesus being which commandment is the greatest this is not a trick question this time Jesus answers as any faithful Jew would quotes the scriptures Israel the Lord is our God the Lord alone there for you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength that's from Deuteronomy God's message is clear as stated in the reading from Isaiah and echoed in the song We. I am the lord and there is no other God asks for or rather demands nothing less than all of me other loyalties an obligation you must not only be subordinate to God but loyalty to God must inform the other things that we love family employment Hobbies sports teams celebrities and yes even politics Christians are called to be active in worldly matters and to be critical observers in the world but not of the world as the saying goes what we see and hear we hold up to the light of gospel value Justice mercy and love we must make judgments in light of those values and then act accordingly yes that's right we must make judgments judging has become a nun in our culture a culture which is conveniently forgotten what it really means don't judge me seems to be another way of saying don't hold me accountable or don't be caring enough to challenge my ex judging as in Discerning right from wrong is not the same as condemning another person unless we engaged in this discernment of right and wrong we will find ourselves drifting with the current of whatever cologne October is respect life month it is a time for American Catholics to reflect more deeply on the meaning and value of human life and not how we can promote this by our actions respect for human life is foundational to what we profess about all of the moral and social problems that we face in our time respect life month could easily be called social justice months in light of the Gospel Catholic Social teaching the two terms are basically synonymous there is no social justice issue that at its core is not about the reference that we are to have for every person created in the image and likeness of God there is no life issue that does not carry social and relational dimensions domestic violence elective abortion marriage and family War terrorism capital punishment care for the elderly and persons with disabilities embryonic stem cell research poverty hunger homelessness you name it never mind the political right or left this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ front and center in their document forming consciences for faithful citizenship the Bishops of the United States say this in the Catholic tradition responsible citizenship is a virtue and participation in political life is a moral obligation our Bishops remind us of the importance of bringing gospel values to bear on our choices and our involvement in society triple citizenship is about more than voting think big it is about bringing our Catholic faith in the gospel to bear on our participation in the Public Square every day of every year I caught the Bishops again we seek to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with the truth so they make sound moral choices a Wells formed conscience is an informed conscience disrespect life month here at all since we have given particular attention to the problem of assisted suicide assisted suicide is now legal in five states and the District of Columbia propose see this momentum as being a way of going toward legalization in more States and even Nationwide bill was introduced in committee last year in the Minnesota Legislature you can pack it will keep coming back we cannot ignore the real and dangerous effects of assisted suicide and we cannot pretend it will go away without strong opposition what really got my attention was hearing then insurance warriors were using legal assisted suicide to lower the bar on What treatments they would cover for life-threatening illnesses basically saying this treatment is too expensive too risky not likely to succeed so we're not going to cover it but we will pay for suicide trucks imagine finding yourself or a loved one and that dilemma the truth is religious people cannot separate the religious beliefs and values from the rest of their lives no one can do this if we do we give up who we are we disintegrate ourselves helpful information is available at the service display in the Gathering space this includes an Abridged version of forming consciences for faithful citizenship and an excellent Rocher outlining reasons for opposing assisted suicide engaging in the political process is a and a privilege that we have As Americans it is a Civic obligation and one that is in keeping with our loyalty to God when we turn to the gospel to form our consciences and then act on what we learn we are doing Jesus commands to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God

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The 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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