Twenty ninth Sunday in Ordinary time – Year A

ENGAGED IN THE WORLD, BUT NOT OF THE WORLD

Introduction

A human being does not live alone. They are part of a civilized society and should establish collaborative relationships with others. From the need to organize for the sake ofcoexistence comes the need to determine what rights and duties to give to institutions and set ways and forms to contribute to the common good. It is not easy to decide on what is right: Diverse interests come into play; various objectives to achieve are envisaged. Some claim favors or demand privileges, and inevitable tensions arise.

There are relations between the state system and religious institutions with their principles, norms, customs, traditions, and indispensable claims to further complicate the problem. Many, feeling they are subjects of two competing powers—which often intrude on each other, exchanging mutual accusations of pitch invasion—have their consciences torn. To resolve the conflict, some choose extreme and fundamentalist positions andattempt to impose their convictions. At the same time, some renounce confrontation asthey fear defeat would only push them further to the margins.

In the famous Letter to Diognetus, composed around the middle of the second centuryA.D., wise and timeless principles are suggested: ‘Christians neither by country, nor language, nor customs are distinguished from other people. Living in Greece and other barbarian cities, as it happened, each one must adapt oneself to the place's customs, in clothing, food, and rest. They witness a way of wonderful and undoubtedly paradoxical social life. They live in their homeland, but as strangers; they participate in everything as citizens and are detached from all things as foreigners. Every foreign country is their fatherland, and every fatherland is foreign. They marry like everyone else and have children but do not throw newborn babies. They share their meals, but not the bed. They dwell in the land, but they have their citizenship in heaven. They obey the established laws, and their way of life surpasses the laws. To put it short, as the soul is in the body, soare Christians in the world’ (Letter to Diognetus, The Manners of the Christians V, VI, 1).

“Christians shine as lights in the world: exemplary citizens,

consistent with their beliefs, respecting those of others.”

First Reading: Isaiah 45:1,4-6

For the previous 30 years, the Israelites had been in Babylon when a prophet arose among them. He remained anonymous but, from the oracles that his disciples have collected and entered in the book of Isaiah, his eminent personality shines through. He was a poet, one of the finest Israel ever had, a sensitive man, educated and attentive to thesocial and political upheavals involving his people. A brilliant theologian, he was able to discern the plan of the salvation of God beyond what others thought were simple events, alliances, diplomatic intrigues, and military campaigns.

In today’s passage, he reveals what the Lord is about to do on behalf of his people: Babylon, the bloody, the damned, is powerful, but would not be for long because a new star arose on the horizon. He is the Persian king Cyrus, the skillful leader, who, with a series of victorious expeditions, conquers and subjects all the kingdoms of Asia Minor andthe Orient, one after the other. He finally directs his attention against Babylon, where he meets no resistance and enters triumphantly. As the undisputed ruler of the world, he issues a proclamation in which he presents himself as the savior of the oppressed, the defender of the weak, and the pious man God uses to accomplish his plans. He orders the release of all the exiled. If they so desire, they can return to the land of their fathers,practice their religion, or otherwise, he wants to contribute to the reconstruction of places of worship destroyed by the soldiers of Babylon (Ezra 1:1-4).

After this historical introduction, it is easy to understand today’s reading, where the Lord, through the mouth of this prophet, presents Cyrus as the Chosen One: “I have taken you by the right hand to subdue nations before you, to open the gateways before you so that they will be closed no more” (v. 1). Then, as it happens in the oracles of the enthronement of a king (Ps 2:10), God speaks directly to the new sovereign: “I have called you by your name, and given you your mission, although you do not know me" (vv. 4-5).

God gave a unique title to Cyrus: anointed. (In Hebrew, mashiah, from which the word ‘Messiah’ is derived; from its Greek translation, Christos, we have the title ‘Christ.’Applied to kings, ‘anointed’ originally referred only to those of Israel, but it is here given to Cyrus because he is the agent of the Lord.) The Lord has given him more: “My shepherd and he goes to fulfill my will” (Is 44:28); “He will rebuild my city. He will send my exiles home.” He whom “I spurred for justice” and before him “I will level all ways” (Is 45:13).These expressions almost suppose that the prophet deems Cyrus as the awaited savior, the Messiah, the king who “reigns from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth”(Ps 72:8).

He was not. He was merely the instrument of the Lord to liberate the people from the bondage of Babylon, and—this is the surprise—he completed this work of salvationwithout knowing it. Note the insistence on this fact: “Although you do not know me ... even if you do not know me” (vv. 4,5). The confirmation comes from the famous Cylinder of Cyrus, where the stunning victories of this king are not attributed to the Lord but the protection of the god Marduk. ‘Marduk casts his eyes on all the countries looking for one who will govern with integrity. He spoke the name of Cyrus so that he may dominate the world. Marduk, the great god, was pleased with him and sat beside him, as a true friend.’ Cyrus was believed to be the elect of the god of the Babylonians. Instead, he was led by the hand of Israel’s God, the one God, the one Lord, "and there is no other" (v. 6).

The prophet’s words are an invitation to watch the events and history of the world through new eyes: people and nations are stirred, are driven by interest and passion, haveoutbursts of generosity and selfish withdrawal, but the Lord leads them to enter into hisplan of salvation. Even the atheists and unbelievers often have given and continue toprovide an important contribution to the purification of faith and religion and human liberation, without knowing they were involved in the projects of God.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b

Today and for the next four Sundays, passages of the First Letter to the Thessalonians will be read. Thessalonica was a rich, commercial metropolis that stood in the inner part of the Gulf of Thessaloniki. It was named after the sister of Alexander the Great, wife of general Cassander, founder of the city. It was protected by massive walls which, startingfrom the sea, surrounded the hill on which stood the Acropolis. The geographer Strabodescribes it as ‘populous, carefree and open to all good and bad novelties.’ Like all port cities, it was not a model of morality: prostitutes, vagrants, layabouts, charlatans roamed the street, but honest and hardworking people also inhabited it.

Paul arrived there in 50 A.D. As was his custom, he announced Christ first to the Jewswho gathered in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. The results were somewhatdisappointing; few believed his preaching. He had greater success when he preached to the Gentiles who adhered to faith in considerable numbers and quite a few noblewomen (Acts17:1-9). After a few weeks, the turmoil caused by the Jews forced him to abandon the cityhastily before explaining to his disciples the central themes of faith, hence the belief that he had left behind a somewhat fragile community.

Even the successive stages of his journey were marked by difficulty and failure. At the Areopagus in Athens, he tried the approach with the intellectuals of Greece. Still, theexperience was disappointing: “When they heard Paul speak of a resurrection from death, some made fun of him, while others said, ‘We must hear you on this topic some other time.’But some joined him and became believers” (Acts 17:32-34).

From Athens, he came to Corinth, the city with two harbors known around the worldfor the dissolute life of its inhabitants and, therefore, seemingly less suitable soil for the seed of the Gospel. Paul was discouraged, and he decided to talk about Christ in the synagogue only on Saturdays and spend the rest of the week on his own profession as a manufacturer of tents (Acts 18:1-4).

One day Silas and Timothy, companions of apostolic labors, came to Thessalonica. They brought back amazing and unexpected news. The Thessalonian community had developed, grown lush, and had become a model of faith and practice of fraternal charity. They faced persecution, harassment, and intimidation from non-believers. They enjoyed the esteem of the pagans for the integral life that the baptized were leading. All retained a nostalgic remembrance of Paul. They were immensely grateful to him because they had been introduced to the faith and consigned to Christ through him. They were eagerly awaiting his visit.

Startled, almost in disbelief, Paul had been listening to his friends. He took courageand decided to devote himself again to the proclamation of the Gospel (Acts 18:5) fully. Still excited, he wrote, also in the name of Silas and Timothy, a letter to the Thessalonians. That is how the first book of the New Testament was born. We are in the year 51 A.D. In the first five verses taken from today’s reading, Paul confesses his joy every time he thinks of the Christians in Thessalonica. In fact, he has heard that their community is well-grounded in faith, hope, and charity (v. 3).

These three virtues are characterized and linked. The work of faith, first of all: the Thessalonians didn’t limit themselves to accepting and repeating abstract formulas buthave translated their faith into concrete action, in diligent charity, in a verifiable effort by all. Their hope is unwavering; it is not diminishing in the face of any difficulty and trial, not even before the danger of losing their lives. In the spiritual progress made by the community of Thessalonica, Paul sees the work of God and the power of the Spirit. He was discouraged because he had found his weakness but now rejoices, verifying how Godmanages to carry through his works.

Gospel: Matthew 22:15-21

The passage’s final sentence is one of the most famous but also the most enigmatic. It is not easy to establish the meaning, so it is not always apropos to mention it. Those in power sometimes use it to ask the Church hierarchy not to meddle in political affairs. At other times, they remind civic rulers to assert their right to defend and proclaim the values that flow from the Gospel. However, it was used by those who supported the papalhierocracy against those who advocated the separation of church and state. They also dreamt of subjecting the state to religious power by sacralizing its institutions andjustifying the temporal power of the Church. Some, more simply, use it as an invitation togive everyone what they deserve.

To understand the phrase, there is a need to place it in the context of the dialogue from where it came from. The emperor of Rome demanded of each of his subjects an annualmonetary payment to the treasury. Those who had attained the age of 14 (man), 12 (woman), and up to 65 years were obliged to pay. It was the tributum capitis or testaticofor which the heinous censuses were done, often provoking popular uprisings (Lk 2:1-5; Acts 5:37). Counting the people who belonged to God was equivalent, for the pious Israelite, to shield people from the Lord's authority and enslave them to human power. For this reason, after the census, David felt his heartbeat and said, “I have sinned greatly inwhat I have done; I have acted foolishly” (2 S 24:10).

One day the Pharisees, accompanied by supporters of Herod, presented themselves toJesus. In a profoundly respectful way, having recognized his love for the truth and hisrejection of compromise, they ask him a tricky question: “Master, we know that you are an honest man and truly teach God’s way. You are not influenced by others nor are you afraid of anyone. So tell us what you think: is it against the Law to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”(vv. 16-17).

This alliance between the Pharisees and Herodians is strange. They first thought it impious to support the Roman occupation; the latter were instead supporters of HerodAntipas, the puppet with no personality, dominated by Emperor Tiberius, and they werecollaborators. We find them allied against Jesus because he annoyed both. He was loyaland refused all forms of hypocrisy.

Their question is worded in such a way as to make it impossible for any loophole: Anyone against the payment of taxes could be denounced to the Roman authorities as a subversive. (In fact, according to Luke 23:2, they accused him before Pilate of inciting thepeople not to pay taxes to Caesar). Anyone in favor attracts the antipathy of the peoplewho hate the Roman colonizers.

All taxes are paid reluctantly anywhere, but a religious cause was added in Palestine to make the tribute odious. The coins in use had on one side a representation of the Emperor of Rome and the inscription: ‘Tiberius Caesar, august son of the divine Augustus’ and on the back the title ‘Supreme Pontiff’ with the image of a seated woman, a symbol of peace, perhaps Livia, the mother of Tiberius. In 1960, about 30 of these coins were found on Mount Carmel.

It is known that the Israelites disliked human images, as their law prohibited them.Using the money of Tiberius meant giving consent to a form of idolatry. Jesus is aware of the pitfalls that they have laid for him. He does not avoid the question, but as he usuallydoes, he skillfully leads the interlocutors to the root of the problem. He wants them first toshow him the money. They naively reach under the tunic where they usually hide their money (clothes at that time had no pockets) and present it to him. They do not realize that Jesus is playing with them: first, he asks for the money. It means that he does not possess it(for he does not even have a stone to lay his head; Mt 8:20), and if they produce it quickly, it means that they use it indiscriminately. They receive it for their services, and with it, they shop at the market. What’s more, the dispute takes place in the temple's precincts (Mt 21:23), in the holy place, and they are not bothered about profaning it by showing that image. They have scruples only when they have to pay taxes.

After looking at the money, Jesus asks, “Whose image is this?” “Caesar’s,” they say. “So—he concludes—give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s” (v. 21).

The first message that Jesus wants to give is clear. It is a moral and civic duty to contribute to the common good with the payment of tribute. No reason can justify tax evasion or theft of state assets. Whatever the policy and economical choice of the government, the disciple of Christ is called to be an honest and exemplary citizen. They areactively engaged in building a just society and shun subterfuge. They make political choices that favor the weakest, not those that safeguard their interests.

Writing to the Romans, Paul restates in more explicit terms the directive of the Master.We are at the beginning of Nero’s reign—the Emperor is in his 20s, and he initiallygoverns in a lenient and moderate way for three years. Here is what the apostle recommends to the Christians in the capital: “Let everyone be subject to no authority that does not come from God, and God has established the offices. Whoever, therefore, resists authority goes against a decree of God and those who resist deserve to be condemned. It is necessary to obey not through fear but as a matter of conscience. In the same way, you must pay taxes and the collectors are God's officials. Pay to all what is due them, to whomever you owe contributions, make a contribution; to whom taxes are due, pay taxes; to whom respect is due, give respect” (Rom 13:1-7).

Jesus’ answer, however, is not limited to stating the duty to contribute to the common good with the payment of taxes. He adds: “Give to God what is God’s.” The verb he usesmore precisely means ‘to return.’ Looking to the present, therefore, he says, ‘Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and return to God what is God’s.’ They are not only holding back the money that should be handed over to the emperor, but they have also seizedillegally and unjustly, the property of God. They must return it right away because heclaims it; it is his.

Tertullian had already realized by in 200 A.D. that he was the person that had beenhanded back to God. Creating him, in fact, he had said: “Let us make man in our image, to our likeness. So God created man in his image, in the image of God he created him” (Gen1:26-27). If the coin had to be ‘returned’ to Caesar because it was stamped with the face of his master, the people must be ‘returned’ to God. The human being is the only creature on whom the face of God is imprinted. They are sacred, and no one can take them as their own. Those who make them their own (enslave, oppress, exploit, dominate, and use themas objects) should immediately return them to their Lord.

READ: The hostility between Jesus and the religious authorities built up day-by-day.Because of this, the Pharisees plotted with the Herodians on how to trap Jesus. They tried to trip him with a question that would either implicate Jesus on religious grounds or, if not, on political grounds. Jesus sidestepped the trap with a clever reply.

REFLECT: If one were to settle the question of who our lives belong, one must look at the engraved image in our souls – whose would it be? Caesar’s or God’s who had shaped, known, and called us even before we were born? Let us give to God what belongs to God – our very lives.

PRAY: Let us ask that justice reign in our land, starting with ourselves and our community. Let us pray for a true sense of belongingness to God and his Kingdom.

ACT: To be just, we must perform just actions. Let us start by working for justice, not just advocating it.