Homily for 29th Sunday

Jack and Jill have always taken an active role in their children’s education especially sex education. Now that the twins were adolescents and have a very active social life, they were concerned about the local school’s sex education programs. They were not comfortable with the various programs that the local school adopted, especially in the area of gender and sex education. As Catholic parents, they considered it important to talk with the twins, emphasizing chastity, premarital sex, and abstinence leading to altruistic love. One evening as the family was watching television together, Jack noticed that commercials for contraceptives, medications for same sex couples as well as drugs for at-home abortions were directed at young adults who have active sex lives. Jill commented that she noticed very little, if any, attention is given to the morality of modern sexual practices. As parents they questioned the wide-spread acceptance of the gay agenda and gay lifestyle, the federal government’s support of Planned Parenthood and abortion.

So, Jack spoke directly to the kids saying “As Catholics we have choices to make. Do we ignore these problems and say: Live and let live? Or should we take a moral stand and fight for the principles given by Christ and taught by the Church for the past two thousand years?” His son, John, said “Dad, life is tough for us. It’s not easy to always follow the Church’s teachings!” Jill, usually cool and calm about sexual mores, interjected and surprised everyone by asking “John, are you still having sex with Gloria? Yes or No.” John swallowed hard and realized that he was caught in a dilemma. If he says “Yes” then he is having premarital sex; if he says “No” meaning I am no longer having sex with Gloria. He said, “Mom and Dad, I think it’s bedtime!” Jack said, “We will continue this discussion in the morning. Son, sleep well! And Josie, we want to hear from you as well. Before you go to bed, let’s pray.

Lord, God of strength, you gave your Son victory over sin and death. Direct our fight against evil in this world. Clothe us with weapons of light and unite us under the banner of love so that we may receive our eternal reward after the battle of earthly life. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Good night, kids!

After the kids had gone to their bedrooms, Jack and Jill started talking. Jill said, “I hope that we have trained our kids well in making moral decisions guided by Church teachings.” Jack said, “At this point, all we can do now is trust the kids and pray that they can do the right thing. Life is tough!”

In Matthew’s Gospel, the crafty Pharisees wanted to get our Lord in trouble with either the Jews or the Roman authorities. So, they approached Jesus and began by deceptively flattering him, calling him Teacher. They didn’t really believe what they were about to say to Jesus; they wanted to trap him and turn the table on him because he was always going after them accusing them of neither leading nor helping the people properly. So, they asked a simple YES or No question: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? The Pharisees hated paying the tax while the Herodians were in favor as long as it maintained good relations with the emperor and kept them in power. The trick that the Pharisees were attempting to pull off was to force Jesus into taking a position that would alienate him from either the Roman government or the popular nationalists.

Jesus accepted the challenge. He would resolve the dilemma by outmaneuvering them. The tax was to be paid with Roman currency on which the head of Caesar was engraved. The solution is simple and ingenious. He said pay the census tax: give Caesar what belongs to Caesar. However, the Lord furthered the challenge and introduced a wrinkle in their plot. He added: Give to God what belongs to God. By not responding with a simple YES or NO, Jesus acknowledges the rights of Caesar to the tax, but God also has rights and should be given what rightfully belongs to God.

Why should the Jews pay the tax to Caesar even though they resented the oppression and dominance over their lives? The emperor used the money not only to pave roads for safe travel throughout the empire, but also other benefits that would be of economic help to the people. So, the tax money belongs to the emperor who uses it in many ways to benefit the people.

Jesus insisted that God also has rights and should be given what rightfully belongs to Him. God has given us both life and love. Simply put, God has a right to our love. Scripture says that we are to love the Lord our God will all our heart, with all our soul and with all our strength. And we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

Do you give to God the worship and love that belongs to God as Creator? Or do you find excuses that permit yourself to be absent from community worship on Sundays and holy days? Do you find excuses for not seeking pardon and forgiveness through the Sacraments? Do you truly love others who are different?

Pray that you may conform more closely to the teachings of Jesus that have formed the Christian community for thousands of years. As you worship, pray for God’s love and grace to guide you through life because you do live in dangerous times. Pray that you may love God and love neighbor fully thus bringing peace and justice into your home and our cities.

When morning comes, I wonder if Jack and Jill will be surprised and hopeful with their further discussion with the kids and the dilemma of today’s sexual mores! And be careful of the dilemmas of life that can be troublesome for you.