Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 354
Reading 1
2 Peter 3:12-15a, 17-18
Beloved:
Wait for and hasten the coming of the day of God,
because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames
and the elements melted by fire.
But according to his promise
we await new heavens and a new earth
in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, since you await these things,
be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.
And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation.
Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned,
be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled
and to fall from your own stability.
But grow in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
To him be glory now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Responsorial
90:2, 3-4, 10, 14 and 16
R. (1) In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Before the mountains were begotten
and the earth and the world were brought forth,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Seventy is the sum of our years,
or eighty, if we are strong,
And most of them are fruitless toil,
for they pass quickly and we drift away.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Let your work be seen by your servants
and your glory by their children.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Alleluia
Ephesians 1:17-18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to his call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mark 12:13-17
Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent
to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech.
They came and said to him,
“Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion.
You do not regard a person’s status
but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?
Should we pay or should we not pay?”
Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them,
“Why are you testing me?
Bring me a denarius to look at.”
They brought one to him and he said to them,
“Whose image and inscription is this?”
They replied to him, “Caesar’s.”
So Jesus said to them,
“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God.”
They were utterly amazed at him.
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Combating the Deceptions of the World
“Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.” Mark 12:14–15
These Pharisees and Herodians were sent to trap Jesus in His speech. These men were very politically minded and loved to pick sides and find fault with others. They were self-righteous and cared little about the salvation of souls. So they came to Jesus with what appeared to be an innocent question. They appear to presume that Jesus would voice opposition to paying the census tax to Caesar, and, if He did, they were ready to report Him to the civil authorities. They didn’t care about the truth; they only cared about trapping our divine Lord. When they brought the Roman coin to Jesus with the image of Caesar on it, Jesus spoke that profoundly wise line, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
Clearly, if these hypocritical religious leaders would have come to Jesus with humility and sincerity, Jesus would have responded to them much differently. But because they came only to trap, twist and destroy our Lord, Jesus puts them in their place with an act of divine wisdom. He doesn’t show support for paying the census tax, nor does He speak against it. Therefore, this Gospel passage ends with the line: “They were utterly amazed at him.” “Amazement” is the right response. Therefore, in a sense, we can learn from these hypocritical religious leaders. Whenever we come face-to-face with the profound wisdom of God, we should experience awe and holy amazement.
Of course, the amazement they experienced was on account of Jesus thwarting their evil trap. But even though that is the case, we can learn from this that the wisdom of God can never be outdone. God’s wisdom silences the foolishness of the age and reveals the hidden malice behind that evil.
Have you ever been confronted by the trickery of the secular “know-it-alls” of our age. Have you ever been challenged by another, had your faith directly attacked, or your moral convictions called into question? Most likely, if you have chosen to live your faith openly and with confidence, you may have felt the attack of another. For those who lack a deep faith and a clear gift of divine wisdom, such trickery can cause confusion and anxiety. You may find you do not know how to respond and feel trapped by the erroneous “wisdom” of the age. In that case, what do you do? The only answer to the false doctrines and deceptions we will all encounter within the growingly secular and atheist world is the answer that comes from divine wisdom. By ourselves, none of us is wise enough to combat these errors. Therefore, our only recourse is to continually turn to the wisdom of God.
We turn to the wisdom of God through prayer and sacred study. Our prayer opens our minds to the clear voice of God Who speaks pure truth. And sacred study, especially of the Scripture, the teachings of the Church and the lives of the saints, will help to clarify God’s voice and dispel the confusion the world tries to throw at us. In the end, if we are not immersing our minds in the true wisdom of God, we will be unprepared for that which we encounter within the world.
Reflect, today, upon your need to be filled with divine wisdom so as to navigate the trickery and foolishness of the world. Acknowledge that you are not wise enough on your own to cut through the confusion of life. Pray for the gift of wisdom and allow our Lord to bestow it upon you.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
GROW
“Grow.” —2 Peter 3:18
Many of you have received the Holy Spirit in new and greater ways this Pentecost. Now the question is: “Will you quench the Spirit (see 1 Thes 5:19) or grow in the Spirit?” The Lord commands us: “Grow rather in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pt 3:18). “Grow to the full maturity of Christ the Head” (Eph 4:15). “You, beloved, grow strong in your holy faith through prayer in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20).
The incarnate Jesus Himself grew “in wisdom and age and grace before God and men” (Lk 2:52; see also Lk 2:40). We must imitate Jesus and grow in the Spirit. If we do not, we will lose the growth we have previously had and we will die, for a living organism cannot stay the same (cf Mt 13:12). We grow or die.
Although devastating consequences threaten those who don’t grow, these are not the main reasons we wish to grow. We grow to please our Father, Who created us to grow. He even sent Jesus to die that we may grow. He sent the Holy Spirit to live in us that we may grow in holiness (see 1 Cor 6:19). Our Father, Abba, is pleased when His children grow. Let us grow in and for Him.
Prayer: Father, smile at my growth.
Promise: “Their amazement at Him knew no bounds.” —Mk 12:17
Praise: After an absence of thirty-six years, Penny confessed her sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. She now rejoices to be alive in her Catholic faith.
Reflection 3
The Servants of the Word
Give to God What Belongs to God
What do we owe God and what's our obligation towards others? Paul the Apostle tells us that we must give each what is their due (Romans 13:6-8). The Jewish authorities sought to trap Jesus in a religious-state dispute over the issue of taxes. The Jews resented their foreign rulers and despised paying taxes to Caesar. They posed a dilemma to test Jesus to see if he would make a statement they could use against him. If Jesus answered that it was lawful to pay taxes to a pagan ruler, then he would lose credibility with the Jewish populace who would regard him as a coward and a friend of Caesar. If he said it was not lawful, then the Pharisees would have grounds to report him to the Roman authorities as a political trouble-maker and have him arrested.
Jesus avoided their trap by confronting them with the image of a coin. Coinage in the ancient world had significant political power. Rulers issued coins with their own image and inscription on them. In a certain sense the coin was regarded as the personal property of the ruler. Where the coin was valid the ruler held political sway over the people. Since the Jews used the Roman currency, Jesus explained that what belonged to Caesar must be given to Caesar.
We belong to God and not to ourselves
This story has another deeper meaning as well. We, too, have been stamped with God's image since we are created in his own likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). We rightfully belong, not to ourselves, but to God who created us and redeemed us in the precious blood of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Paul the Apostle says that we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1). Do you acknowledge that your life belongs to God and not to yourself? And do you give to God what rightfully belongs to Him?
Prayers
Lord of all Truth, You are wise beyond all worldly wisdom, and You thwart the trickery of the evil one. Open my mind, dear Lord, to Your holy Truth so that I may be able to navigate through the challenges of life. Bestow Your wisdom upon me, dear Lord, so that I may follow You wherever You lead. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord, because you have made me, I owe you the whole of my love; because you have redeemed me, I owe you the whole of myself; because you have promised so much, I owe you all my being. Moreover, I owe you as much more love than myself as you are greater than I, for whom you gave yourself and to whom you promised yourself. I pray you, Lord, make me taste by love what I taste by knowledge; let me know by love what I know by understanding. I owe you more than my whole self, but I have no more, and by myself I cannot render the whole of it to you. Draw me to you, Lord, in the fullness of love. I am wholly yours by creation; make me all yours, too, in love. (prayer of Anselm, 1033-1109)
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 155: Facing Judgment with Grace
One painful experience you may face is that of the rash judgement by another. At times, others will look at you with judgement and disdain for reasons out of your control. Perhaps they will identify some small fault and magnify it in such a way that they use it as the lens through which they see your whole life. This can be quite painful and can evoke much disordered emotion. But it doesn’t have to. The only thing you can do in the face of rash judgement is to forgive and seek to offer Mercy. But how do you do this? It is only possible if you are first hidden within the Mercy of the Lord. If you allow your eyes and heart to gaze continually upon His Mercy, and if you allow Him to cover you with that Mercy, then one effect will be that the harshness of others will not enter into your soul. Instead, when pierced with this lance, your heart will pour forth the Mercy that our Lord has poured upon you in abundance (see Diary #791).
Reflect, today, upon two things: 1) Are your eyes fixed, intently, upon the Mercy of God? Does His Mercy cover you, shield you and hide you from the cruelty of the world? 2) If so, when you are an object of scorn or ridicule, do you allow the Lord to open your heart so as to pour forth His Divine Mercy? He wants to use your heart to be an instrument of His own sacred and pierced Heart. You allow Him to use you only when you first allow Him to consume you with His Mercy.
Lord, consume me with Your Mercy. May I find in You my dwelling place and may my heart become fully united with Yours. As my heart becomes one with Yours, dear Lord, use it as a source of Mercy for others. When pierced, allow it to pour forth Your grace in abundance. I give my heart to You for Your perfect purpose and Will. Jesus, I trust in You.
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