Homily Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Homily Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time
During the past week we have had lots of political theater. One of the events that has happened is the Supreme Court confirmation hearings. The end result of the hearings aren’t in doubt. What was interesting was the questioning that took place. The senators who questioned the nominee didn’t ask questions, but they made speeches that the hoped would benefit them in their reelection campaigns. The questions were not questions, but they either meant to entrap the nominee or to simply announce the conclusion the questioner had already drawn. Unfortunately, that is the way confirmation hearings play out right now.
The Gospel today reflects a parallel experience in the life of Christ. The passage we read begins with a description of various groups who were plotting against Jesus. We might be under the impression that Jesus just had religious arguments with people. But the religion and politics were wrapped together in the time of Jesus just as they are wrapped together today.
The Pharisees were a political party as well as a religious movement. What did they believe in? The Pharisees believed that Israel should be an independent country. The Pharisees didn’t like the Romans, who occupied their land. To cooperate with the Romans was considered a betrayal of the Nation of Israel. The Herodians (who were a political party and religious movement) were the supporters of King Herod who was one of the government leaders put in place by the Romans. His government benefited from the Romans who supported him. The Herodians wanted to maintain the status quo.
Both groups disliked Jesus. He was a threat. He was advocating change. He could become leader of the opposition. He was an upstart. The two groups came to Jesus with a malicious intent. Neither group wanted to learn anything from our Lord. No, they wanted discredit him in the eyes of his disciples.
The two parties ask him a question. Is it appropriate to pay Roman taxes or not? What they wanted was a yes or no answer. But what does Jesus say? He was evasive. Jesus liked to answer hard questions by asking a question. We could also say he made a statement. He said, said the answer was not apparent. Living an ethical life is not easy because choices are not always clear.
Certain subjects do have well defined answers, but even with exact answers it is important to consider how we get to a certain choice. When many of us took our first math class in college, we were probably surprised that the answers for all the problems were in the back of the book. But if we only turned in the answers, we didn’t get any credit. We had to know the methodology for getting the answers.
Adult Christian living is a matter of discernment. But what does that mean? Often it means that we know in our heart what is right. We sense that our choice is going to lead us to cooperate with God which leads to a sense of peace. Our spirits are uplifted by our choice. We let go of guilt, anger, fear and a host of other negative emotions. At other times when the discernment is tougher, we may need to list the ramifications of our different choices. If it is a big enough decision, then we might even want to make a list on a piece of paper. We pray over these competing arguments. If we do this, we might be enlightened by God. If we haven’t made the perfect choice, at least we have made an inspired choice.
No one must tell us that we are in the middle of election. We, like Jesus, usually have two competing parties approaching us. In a way, we feel like both parties are trying to trip us up. Maybe some of our friends or relatives are trying to make their decision our decision. Are those who ask us about our decision-making process really interested in what we have to say? Many are looking for justification for their own decisions.
If those asking us about our political leanings react with anger when they hear that our opinions are not theirs then they are probably not asking about our choices with any sense of respect for us as moral agents. We must ask ourselves if we operate that way. Do we call those we disagree with naïve or stupid? Are we mad that others are making an alternative choice? If we are, we need to think again about our own insecurities.
Jesus did not give the Pharisees and Herodians a straight answer. He asked them to take a Roman coin out of their pocket. On it, was a graven image of an emperor who considered himself God. The Jews were supposed to avoid such coins. Jesus pointed that out. And the people who approached him with malicious intent walked away embarrassed because they violated religious law. Jesus avoided giving a clear answer. He, in effect, said, “You have to make a choice and then own it. If you make that choice with a sense of humility and openness to where the Spirit is guiding you, the Lord will be satisfied.”
Reflection Questions:
- Am I feeling attacked right now concerning the choices I am making as election day approaches? How can I process these feelings?
- Am I mad about how others are voting? What does that say about me? Is it righteous anger or just anger?
Dear Parishioners,
Sr. Kathleen Mullin has been a staff member at Sacred Heart for many years. She loves to be among us and offer her gifts and talents. A fulltime position is a heavy responsibility. Sister Kathleen and I have been talking for the last few years about the fact, that at some point, she was going to have to lessen her workload so she can enjoy life a little more.
We have agreed that the time is right. Sr. Kathleen will begin a part time position here at the beginning of November. I am pleased that she will still be on our staff. She is a wonderful influence on our parish. She will still be working with the RCIA program and with funeral planning. She will offer whatever other assistance her time allows. Sister would like to try some new programs. I have encouraged her to do so.
Hopefully, Sister can enjoy some leisure time and if the COVID pandemic lessons in intensity she can do some travelling. I am glad that she will still be a presence at Sacred Heart.
Also, I mentioned the election in my homily this week. Maybe we are searching for answers as our time for voting approaches. The Bishops wrote a document called, “Faithful Citizenship” several years ago. The document has been revised for this election year. If you Google Faithful Citizenship you can find a copy of this pamphlet.
Most of us want to vote our conscience and that means we want to take our faith into account. To decide in faith, means to have an informed conscience. This takes work. It is not just about feelings but is also about adhering to moral principles. The document mentioned above lists some of the big ethical issues of this election.
Our church does not normally tell us who to vote for. The church just wants us to vote responsibly. Our church is not affiliated with a political part. We minister to all parties.
Let’s all pray that this election season will not lead to more division in our country, but in some sense of unity as we mover forward. Division and polarization are never the Christian ideal.
Blessings,
Fr. Mark