29th Sunday Year A

29th Sunday Year A – Give to God what belongs to God

What do we understand from this answer from Jesus, “Give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God? I always took this as a warning to steer clear of things temporal or at the very least things monetary or financial. That Jesus was saying  to me that I needed to have a focus on what really matters in this world which is His Father and His love of and for me and how I should show this in my everyday life and living.

But I now think that it means so much more than this. Jesus was not offering a simple throwaway response to knock the Pharisees and Herodians back and put them in their place. No – He was saying that they, and we, need to think longer and harder about what is going on in the world around us.

We have to pay respect to our governing bodies be they local or national and follow the rules, regulations and laws that they set for our community to help it to grow and to flourish and become able to withstand challenge and turmoil.

But what do we do when these rules and regulations are counter to our faith and beliefs?

Where do we place our loyalty to, and love of, God, in this great scheme of things? How do we give back to God, the love that he gave to us in such a huge abundance?

I think that it is too easy to become overwhelmed by laws and regulations. It may be  perhaps even preferable to be ruled by every dictat that is laid down because this stops us having to think for ourselves. It takes away our choices to make hard and active considerations about what is being stated and to then do something about our realisations.

It isn’t easy being a Christian. It isn’t easy being a Catholic. It isn’t easy being, or trying to be, a church-going, faith-practising, devotee of Christ: but then again, no-one ever promised or offered that it would be.

Our faith demands that we put our trust in God and follow the example of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who was faced with countless challenges to his faith and His faith-practice. We never hear about Him folding up, collapsing and running away from challenges. On the contrary, we hear regularly about him challenging those who would challenge Him. We read about Him speaking up for those with no voice; for those who have been ostracised by their communities; for those who were on the edges of their society or simply foreign to the Jewish people.

Jesus was active in His faith. He was demonstrative in his love of His Father and in His love of all those around Him. Jesus could and did show this love by how He spoke with people and with how He treated them. He gave back to God His love of all around and His willingness to check and challenge those who spoke out against these messages of love and concern.

And this is where we need to be looking today. What are the challenges that we are facing in our faith, our faith-practice that we need to rail against? Where do we need to make and take a stand for ourselves and for others? What injustices do we see in our world that shout out loud against the love that God has for humanity?

How do we give back to God the love which He gave to us? How do we give to God what is God’s?

We can rail against the destruction of human life in Israel and in Palestine without being cast as haters of one or the other. We can promote the love of men and women, children living in harmony, as being the best way forward without being ridiculed as dreamers. We can support life, love and living together, without care for boundaries and lines on maps. We can show our love for God in how we love each other and in how we reach out to each other, especially in times of test and torment.

We can show our love by checking other people’s assumptions and cries of hate and disparagement. We can challenge what they say and do when it goes so clearly against God and his love for mankind. And we can change what we say, what we do and what we think, so readily, so easily and so lazily.

We continue to meet together; we continue to pray together; we continue to seek ways and means to offer and provide support for others less fortunate than us. We are a people united in our love of Christ and God our heavenly Father and willing, able and determined to display this in all that we do, think and pray.

Give to our earthly kings, queens and governments what it is that is demanded of us but give to God everything that we are in complete totality, our hearts, our minds, our bodies and our spirits. Give back to God that which is God’s – His infinite love.

God is love: his the care, tending each everywhere. God is love, all is there. Jesus came to show him, that we all might know him, Sing aloud, loud, loud. Amen

Bidding Prayers

1.      That there is an increase in love, peace and harmony across Israel and Palestine and across all other countries torn apart by war and conflict. Lord in your mercy

2.      That world and church leaders come together to work positively, productively and humanely to find solutions to these wars and conflicts. Lord in your mercy

3.      That our local parish communities work steadfastly to identify those in most need and to support each other however and wherever they can. Lord in your mercy

4.      That those preparing for Confirmation recognise God’s love in all around and pay this back in how they love their brothers and sisters in Christ. Lord in your mercy

5.      That those who are sick in any way, housebound or feeling lost and alone, forgotten and unloved may feel the love of God through our loving actions. Lord in your mercy

6.      That those who have died recently might find eternal rest with the Lord and enjoy his unending love. Lord in your mercy

7.      That Mary joins her prayers with ours as we now say together, Hail Mary. . . .