SUNDAY OCTOBER 22, 2023
SUNDAY OF THE TWENTY NINETH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR A
WORLD MISSION SUNDAY CELEBRATION
Isaiah 45:1.4-6
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5
Matthew 22:15-21
THE DUAL CITIZENSHIP OF EVERY TRUE AND FAITHFUL CHRISTIAN
The difficulty of the Christian life and mission arises from the dual citizenship of a faithful and true Christian. It is in balancing and being faithful to the call and challenges of this situation that the difficulty lies. How can one be true child of God and true citizen of the world. How can we marry the world and still be in good standing with God. This is May be very difficult for one who understand the things of God.
The gospel readings of today challenges us to this task as Jesus sends us this message in clear terms when he says, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
He had given the indication of what belongs to caesar when he asked them, Show me the money for the tax.” And they brought him a coin. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.”
The inscription in the coin that was used to pay taxes is the head and name of caesar. For Jesus, it belongs to caesar and should be given to him. But at the same time we must not forget that Caeser is only a man who demands loyalty from his subjects, but Caesar has a superior who is far above him, and who owns his life and all. Because Caeser was created in the image and likeness of God too, just as any human being.
So the whole idea of the answer of Jesus to the tricky question of the Pharisees and their cohorts in order to catch him became a great eye opener to the responsibilities of man and indeed every true and faithful Christian towards his God and towards his place of abode in earth.
Jesus therefore uses the antics, the evil intended by the Pharisees to teach us a great lesson on our dual citizenship and how to navigate it.
The indication is even made more explicit in the first reading where the King Cyrus, a Persian king, a pagan ruler who defeated the great King Nebuchadnezzar, and the kingdom of Babylon, and instead of taking the Jews who were captives of Nebuchadnezzar into captivity, and now the slaves of Cyrus who was also a pagan king, but decided to do a totally different thing to the Jews. He freed the entire Jews and even returned their sacred vessels and ornaments. Giving them freedom and allowing them to return to their Father land.
This act of love and generosity of King Cyrus was prophecies by Isaiah the prophet in the first reading. It only points to an indication that God is always in charge of the world. The heart of the King is in the hand of our God. That every king, all authorities, all sovereignty are under God’s authority. He turns the Kings to whatever he desires. He appoints Kings at his pleasure and he makes them what he wants. He can also remove and establish anything at his pleasure. No king is greater than God. He rules, guides and directs the world.
God is supreme over every ruler, every king, and every kingdom. So king Herod and Caesar are only God’s subjects.
The question is what actually belongs to Caesar to be given to him and what is of God to be given to him too. Are the two in competition? Of course not.!!! God and Caeser can never be in competition. God owns Caesar and God is over and above Caesar in everything.
In our relationship with God as his subjects, he owns us, rules us and directs us. Our belonging to God does not run counter to our citizenship in the world. God and our world are not in competition. Rather, we are asked to work with God to better our world.
Our first and greatest allegiance is to God, who created us, owns us, rules us and demands our loyalty. Our time is for God, our resources for God and our lives is for God.
Then our citizenship on earth is also a call to support God’s work on earth. We must be loyal to authorities, serve our Father land, pay taxes, support the work of God in earth and enhance the quality of life through labour and sacrifices. It is another way of working and serving God too. But cannot replace the homage we pay to God as individual and as society.
Our dual citizenship are not in competition. But our service to our earth helps and enhances our worship and allegiance to God. Our negligence of our duty to the world will undermine our worship and allegiance to God.
Saint Paul therefore encourages us in the second reading to keep up with, “our work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” These three things, faith, our labour of love and steadfastness of hope are necessary for salvation in life.
On this day, declared by the Church as Mission Sunday, our Holy Father has written us again on the theme, “Hearts on fire, feet on the move.” Highlighting this theme, Pope Francis takes its leave from the story of the encounter of Jesus’ disciples on the road to Emmaus, where he revealed himself in his word and in the breaking of bread. It is this encounter that quickened the spirit of these disciples to the point that in the words of the Holy Father, “[1] their hearts burned within them as they heard the Scriptures explained by Jesus, [2] their eyes were opened as they recognized him and, ultimately, [3] their feet set out on the way.”
In the same way, our encounter with Jesus in his words and Eucharistic worship should foster in us great enthusiasm for mission and support of missionary endeavours. We are urged to know that the Church is on mission in the world. And all her members are on mission. Meaning that we are called and commissioned as missionaries on earth and assigned the tasks to enliven the world, to better its course, to uphold the human values.
Again, not actively engaged in the missionary endeavours of the Church, we are called to support missionaries in their tasks of spreading the goodnews. We must support especially those in difficult terrain, those being persecuted as Jesus was and those suffering terribly that God will bless the work of our hands.
Heavenly Father, may we as pilgrims on earth never be encumbered by the pleasures of this life and the glories and glamour of our world. On earth, help us to build a just, loving and peaceful society but always intent on living with you in heaven our final destination. Through Christ our Lord
Fr Norbert Uchuno
