HOMILY FOR THE 29TH SUNDAY IN OT—A

THINGS ARE NOT LOOKING GOOD FOR JESUS IN TODAY’S GOSPEL.  TWO GROUPS WHO NORMALLY WOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPILY TEARING EACH OTHER’S THROATS OUT HAVE JOINED FORCES TO PUT JESUS IN A BAD POSITION.  THE PHARISEES WERE THE RELIGIOUS PARTY, DEDICATED TO A STATE FREE FROM PAGAN ROMAN DOMINATION. THE HERODIANS WERE THOSE WHO SUPPORTED KING HEROD.  HEROD WAS A ROMAN PUPPET KING SO TO SUPPORT HIM WAS TO SUPPORT THE ROMAN OCCUPIERS.  THE PHARISEES WERE HOPING JESUS WOULD SAY ‘PAY THE TAX’.  THAT WOULD GET HIM INTO TROUBLE WITH THE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE.  THE HERODIANS WANTED HIM TO SAY ‘DON’T PAY’ SO HE WOULD BE IN TROUBLE WITH THE ROMANS AND KING HEROD.  JESUS IT SEEMS IS BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE.  THE PHARISEES AND HERODIANS WERE PROBABLY VERY PLEASED WITH THEMSELVES.

BUT THEY DIDN’T KNOW WHOM THEY WERE DEALING WITH.  THEY WERE WAY OUT OF THEIR LEAGUE.  JESUS’ ANSWER WAS A MODEL OF PRUDENCE AND WISDOM.  PAY TO CAESAR WHAT IS CAESAR’S AND TO GOD WHAT IS GOD’S.  SINCE CAESAR’S IMAGE IS ON THE COIN SO IT MUST BELONG TO HIM.

WE TEND TO READ THIS EPISODE IN JESUS’ LIFE AND WONDER HOW MUCH WE SHOULD GIVE TO THE GOVERNMENT, WHETHER GOVERNMENTS ARE APPROVED BY GOD, HOW MUCH SHOULD CHURCH AND STATE BE SEPARATED, AND SO ON.  IN SHORT WE FOCUS ON WHAT IT IS WE’RE SUPPOSED TO GIVE TO CAESAR.

  EVIDENTLY THEN MONEY AND MATERIAL POSSESSIONS ARE NOT THE THINGS GOD WANTS BACK FROM US SINCE WE CAN GIVE THEM TO CAESAR.  WE CAN AFFORD TO USE THE DENARIUS TO PAY THE TAX SINCE GOD ISN’T INTERESTED IN THE DENARIUS TO BEGIN WITH.  

BUT JESUS’ WORDS WENT BEYOND WHAT TO GIVE TO CAESAR.  HE CONCLUDED BY SAYING “GIVE TO GOD WHAT IS GOD’S”.  RETURNING A DENARIUS THAT BEARS CAESAR’S IMAGE TO CAESAR IS NOT AS IMPORTANT RETURNING TO GOD’S WHAT IS GOD’S.  THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE LORD’S WORDS THAT DAY--GIVE TO GOD WHAT IS GOD’S.  THAT’S WHAT WE SHOULD REALLY FOCUS ON—MAKING SURE GOD GETS WHAT’S DUE TO HIM.  NOT PAYING A TAX TO A ROMAN EMPEROR IS A DANGEROUS AND FOOLHARDY THING TO DO.  A CAESAR COULD BE A TOUGH PERSON TO CROSS.  BUT NOT RETURNING TO GOD WHAT BEARS HIS IMAGE?  WELL, I THINK I WOULD RATHER CROSS CAESAR THAN CROSS GOD.

WELL, SINCE WE’RE SMART ENOUGH NOT TO CROSS GOD, WHAT IS IT EXACTLY THAT WE SHOULD GIVE TO GOD?  WHAT DO WE HAVE THAT BELONGS TO GOD AND CAN RETURN?

JESUS GAVE US A NEAT LITTLE RULE TO DETERMINE WHAT BELONGS TO WHOM.  AN OBJECT BELONGS TO THE ONE WHOSE LIKENESS IS ON IT.  THE DENARIUS BORE THE LIKENESS OF CAESAR AND SO BELONGED TO HIM.  WHAT THEN BELONGS TO GOD MUST BEAR HIS LIKENESS.

WELL, THAT’S US.  WE ARE CREATED AND STAMPED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD AND IT’S OUR LIVES WHICH MUST BE RETURNED TO GOD.

HOW DO WE RETURN OUR LIVES TO GOD?  IN SHORT, WE ARE TO BECOME HOLY.  THE WORD HOLY LITERALLY MEANS SET APART FOR GOD, GIVEN AND DEDICATED TO GOD.  IN REAL LIFE THAT MEANS WE MUST PUT THE CONCERNS OF OUR WORLDLY WELL-BEING, AS IMPORTANT AS THEY ARE, SECOND TO THE CONCERN FOR OUR SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING.  WE MUST BE IN THE WORLD BUT SET APART FROM IT AND FOCUSED ON GOD.  THE PHRASE THAT’S OFTEN USED IS THAT WE MUST BE IN THE WORLD, BUT NOT OF THE WORLD.  WHO WE ARE MUST NOT BE DEFINED IN TERMS OF THE WORLD BUT IN TERMS OF GOD. (INSERT JOKE ABOUT ME NOT DEFINED AS MAN OF GOD BUT FROM NORTH SIDE OF TOWN  WHOSE WIFE AT LEAST IS NICE.)

WHAT THEN AFTER WE SET OURSELVES APART FOR GOD?  AFTER WE HAVE BECOME HOLY, DEDICATED TO GOD AND SET APART FOR GOD.  IS THAT IT?

WELL, NO.  THE CATECHISM GIVES US MORE SPECIFICS.  FIRST, WHEN WE ARE HOLY AND SET APART FOR GOD, WE WILL BE VERY EFFECTIVE AT SHARING THE MESSAGE OF SALVATION WITH OTHERS.  A HOLY LIFE IS ITS OWN BEST ADVERTISEMENT.  OUR EXAMPLE OF HOLINESS WILL ATTRACT OTHERS TO THAT STATE.  IN SHORT, WE MUST EVANGELIZE AND HELP OTHERS TO ACHIEVE THEIR HOLINESS.

SECOND, OUR PERSONAL HOLINESS WILL GIVE LIFE TO THE CHURCH, THE ENTIRE BODY OF CHRIST.  THE HOLINESS OF ITS MEMBERS ENHANCES THE HOLINESS OF CHRIST’S CHURCH.  THE CHURCH WILL BE STRONGER AND MORE EFFECTIVE IN ITS WITNESS TO CHRIST BECAUSE OF OUR PERSONAL HOLINESS.

THIRD, OUR PERSONAL HOLINESS MUST REACH BEYOND OURSELVES TO THE WORLD.  JESUS CAME TO ESTABLISH THE KINGDOM OF GOD, TO BRING TO THE WORLD A STATE OF JUSTICE, PEACE AND  JOY AS ST. PAUL DESCRIBES IT IN ROMANS.  OUR HOLINESS HAS TO HAVE A COMPONENT THAT IS DIRECTED TO OTHERS’ WELFARE.  OTHERWISE IT’S NOT HOLINESS BUT A KIND OF NARCISSISM, A SELFISHNESS.  IT’S JUST YOU AND ME GOD IS NOT THE WAY JESUS ACTED.  IT’S YOU AND ME AND EVERYONE ELSE WAS HIS APPROACH.  IN OUR HOLINESS, THAT MUST BE OUR APPROACH ALSO.