Observation - November 8th, 2023, Wednesday

The back door to the building closes

sharply at 5:30 in the morning, now

there is a new tenant in the building

A Homily – The Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading – Malachi 1:14-2:2,8-10 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 130(131)

Second Reading – 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9,13 ©

Gospel Acclamation - 1saiah 3:9, John 6:68

Alternative Acclamation – Matthew 23:9, 10

The Gospel According to Matthew 23:1-12 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 The admonishment the prophet issues is well-meant, do not allow yourself or your teaching and preaching to cause others to stumble; Malachi is also right to remind us that God, the creator of the universe, is the parent of us all.

 But know this:

 God does not curse anyone, curses are the province of human beings, of those with hard-hearts.

 Remember that God is not a Lord; God does not come at the head of a great host, God is not a general leading an army…rather God comes as a brother, like Jesus. God loves us like a parent loves a child. God loves us all without qualification.

 And know this:

 Adherence to the cult of animal sacrifice, even metaphorically, but also symbolically and ideologically, represents a deviation from the way. It is contemptible, though forgivable, to insist on its relevance.

 Be mindful.

 Everyone come to salvation, we all come as children of God; we are delivered by grace to the source of all being. We are called to have faith in this, to trust God, like an infant trusts their mother.

 Consider the words of the apostle.

 Treat those in your care like a mother looking after her children, for a mother’s love is boundless, and so is God’s for you.

 If you are a leader in your community then thank God for the faith of the people, for the faith that compels them to action; for trust they have placed in you to establish justice and sustain it in a spirit of humility, in the interest of mercy, and as an instrument of peace.

 Be mindful.

 If you are a servant of the way, the only reward you may expect for your service is peace, peace in this life, peace in the knowledge that you have lived, and done good for the sake of the good.

 God has prepared you for eternity, as God has prepared everyone.

 Eternal life is not a reward, it is a gift that God bestows on everyone.

 Do not chase after salvation, you are saved already. Allow yourself to experience that grace, and share it for the good news that it is.

 Consider the Gospel reading for today.

 Let us highlight these truths

 The way is one of humility.

 To follow he way is an act of love.

 We may have an obligation to follow social norms, and it costs us nothing to be polite in doing so, or in rejecting the if those norms are unjust.

 There may be a leader in your community who has earned a certain title, if that title facilitates the work of the community they should have it. It is unwise to shirk or eschew such offices, especially if good work may be done by maintaining such institutions. But do not seek those titles for yourself, or display them ostentatiously with badges, with the flourish of robes or costumes that encourage you to take on airs. In all tings be humble, walk humbly and perform a humble service.

 This is the way of God.

 First Reading – Malachi 1:14-2:2,8-10 ©

You Have Strayed From the Way; You Have Caused Many to Stumble by Your Teaching

I am a great king, says the Lord of Hosts, and my name is feared throughout the nations. And now, priests, this warning is for you. If you do not listen, if you do not find it in your heart to glorify my name, says the Lord of Hosts, I will send the curse on you and curse your very blessing. But you, you have strayed from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your teaching. You have destroyed the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of Hosts. And so I in my turn have made you contemptible and vile in the eyes of the whole people in repayment for the way you have not kept to my paths but have shown partiality in your administration.

  Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why, then, do we break faith with one another, profaning the covenant of our ancestors?

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 130(131)

Childlike trust in God

Unless you become like little children you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Lord, I do not puff myself up or stare about,   or walk among the great or seek wonders beyond me.

Truly calm and quiet I have made my spirit:

Quiet as a weaned child in its mother’s arms – like an infant is my soul.

Let Israel hope in the Lord, now and for all time.

Unless you become like little children you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Childlike trust in God

 

Second Reading – 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9,13 ©

We Were Eager to Hand Over to You Not Only the Good News but Our Whole Lives

Like a mother feeding and looking after her own children, we felt so devoted and protective towards you, and had come to love you so much, that we were eager to hand over to you not only the Good News but our whole lives as well. Let me remind you, brothers, how hard we used to work, slaving night and day so as not to be a burden on any one of you while we were proclaiming God’s Good News to you.

  Another reason why we constantly thank God for you is that as soon as you heard the message that we brought you as God’s message, you accepted it for what it really is, God’s message and not some human thinking; and it is still a living power among you who believe it.

 

Gospel Acclamation - 1saiah 3:9, John 6:68

Alleluia, alleluia!

Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:

You have the message of eternal life.

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – Matthew 23:9, 10

Alleluia, alleluia!

You have only one Father, and he is in heaven; you have only one Teacher, the Christ.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 23:1-12 ©

They Do Not Practise What They Preach

Addressing the people and his disciples Jesus said, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen to what they say; but do not be guided by what they do: since they do not practise what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them? Not they! Everything they do is done to attract attention, like wearing broader phylacteries and longer tassels, like wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues, being greeted obsequiously in the market squares and having people call them Rabbi.

  ‘You, however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.’

 

A Homily – The Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Homily – The Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) All Saints Day, A Holy Day of Obligation

First Reading – Apocalypse 7:2-4, 9-14 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 23(24):1-6 ©

Second Reading – 1 John 3:1-3 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Matthew 11:28

The Gospel According to Matthew 5:1 – 12a ©

 

(NJB)

Listen!

God is not a king; the divine does not occupy a throne.

Be mindful.

The multitude John witnessed in his vision was numberless, without measure and without end.

This was a vision of the eternal and infinite God, and all of God’s children, all of those who have experienced the persecution of the living, all who have come to God, the creator of the universe having endured the long sojourn through time and space.

The multitude is all of us, gathered together as one people…with no-one left behind, not one of us lost.

Have faith in this vision, trust in it; believe in it, hope for it, pray for it.

Know this!

We do not arrive in this place by the blood of the lamb; the cult of animal sacrifice is inefficacious…and always has been. We are not saved by the blood of Jesus, his death on the cross was not needed to make remuneration for our sins, the economy of salvation is not based on debt and redemption. These tropes are metaphors (and poor ones at that).  

Grace is not distributed through blood-magic.

Understand.

We are sanctified through the way, by fulfilling God’s will for us, as we are led in the spirit to walk humbly and love mercy.

We come into God’s presence only when we have let go of all our enmities, when we have finally forgiven all who have wronged us, as God has forgiven us, and when we have accepted the forgiveness of those we have wronged….when we have given up the burden of our sins and the sins of others.

It is then and only then that we are able to be in the presence of God and experience the fullness of the divine; it is then and only then, that together with the multitude of our sisters and brothers, we will have fulfilled John’s vision.

Be mindful!

Do not look for God in vestiges of glory and power and honors; such illusions are easy to dwell on…to cling to, and easy to misunderstand. Keep before you the image of Jesus in his humility, look for God there, in his wisdom, gentle as a lamb.

Consider the psalm for today.

All things and persons have their being in God, God who is the foundation of all that is and without whom there is nothing, without whom there is not even the possibility of being.

If you wish to climb the mountain to find God…that is fine; do it! Though God might prefer for you to turn to your neighbors, and see the face of God reflected there.

See them; all your sisters and brothers, your friends and family, the alien, even your enemy; behold the face of God, and together with them, in God’s presence…rejoice and give thanks. 

Be mindful.

Do not worry about your holiness; God loved you before the creation of the world, when only the possibility of you and all that you are existed. This is true of you and everyone, we are all beloved by God.

Look for God’s blessing in the service you provide to your neighbor, to your mother and father, to your sister and brother. Seek justification through the quality and extent of your mercy…you will find God’s blessing there.

If you go searching for the God of Jacob, instead of seeing God in Jacob, you will be chasing an idol. God is not confined to the pages of a book, or the inked letter on a scroll, neither is God bound by the history and mythology of a people. Perhaps there is wisdom in looking to those testimonies for glimpses of God, and remembrances of past encounters, but if you wish to find the living God you must look into the hearts of living people.

Be mindful of the words of the apostle…he is not always right, and in the reading for today he is wrong.

You must always bear in mind that every person is a child of God, there is not a single one of us whom God rejects.

Know this!

The devil has no children; the devil does not exist. God has no enemies, only wayward children.

Acknowledge your own faults without blaming the “forces of evil.” This is the way to wosdom.

Every single one of us has sinned, no one is free from it. Living a saintly life does not wipe out sin, or make it so that the sins we have committed never happened. God’s promise is not to erase our sins as if they never were, but to undo the harm they have caused to us and others, to transform the consequences of those sins into something good…reconciling all things through the spirit of truth and the power of forgiveness.

Be mindful.

The teachings of Jesus cannot be treated like a shell game, though they often are and have been since the beginning, as Matthew’s Gospel illustrates.

The way of Jesus is not a long con, neither is it a bait and switch; it is a simple teaching that cannot be controlled or owned by any one group of people. The truth is in the open for anyone to see.

The wise and the powerful, the learned and the clever, the weak and the meek, everyone has access to the truth, to the knowledge of God, of justice, of hope and the power of love.

Who are the wise and powerful?

Who are the learned and the clever?

Who are the faithful and childlike?

In every generation, you will see a new group of believers labeling the elder group as out of touch, blind, privileged, in the dark or corrupt.

The cycle is endless, and the way remains the same; love justice, be merciful, do good, serve God through the loving service you provide to one another: to your family, your friends, your neighbor, the stranger, even your enemy; walk humbly with them, this is the way.

Be mindful.

Just because a person may be considered wise and powerful, learned and clever, or a child of the Church, does not mean they will inerrantly recognize the truth when they see it, or act upon it when they do.

It is not your station in society, it is not how other people regard you, it is not the titles you have earned, or even the ways you have been marginalized that determine how you will fulfill the calling to follow Jesus. What matters is what is in your heart, what matters is your willingness to trust in the content of your hope, the hope you hope for yourself and the hope you hope for everyone.

Consider the Gospel reading for today.

Much has been written about the sermon on the mount. It is hard for me to believe that I would have anything new to add to that discussion, but adding something new is not as important as sharing the story itself, and how it shapes our understanding of the Gospel.

In this teaching Jesus shares a way of seeing the world, of living in society, of understanding our relationship to the creator; it is a teaching that reverses the expectations that were prevalent in his time, and in our time as well.

Jesus might have said:

The providence of heaven belongs to all people, regardless of who they are or where they came from or how far they think they are from the love of the creator, no matter what creed they profess, or what traditions bind them, and no matter how little they may think about God.

Divine providence is the inheritance of all people, because God wills it and distributes grace freely.

The gentle seek no possessions, they have nothing to guard, they are themselves unguarded and free; by freeing themselves from their desires the gentle have gained everything.

Have hope, all sadness and all mourning come to an end.

Strive for what is right and just, for what is universal and true, for what touches all people, give up your concerns for yourself and your tribe, your family and nation, your class and station; they are illusions.

The narrow path leads to misery, and the broad road leads to joy. Whether you can see it or not, we all share the same road; its narrowness or its breadth is only determined by our perspective.

Mercy follows upon mercy, as the sun follows the rain.

All people will come to the vision of God, as certain as they will come to know their true selves. The fullness of God is at the center of all people; God’s spirit unites us in an indelible bond, connecting us to one another, from the beginning to the end.

Accept the parentage of the divine. Take up the task God has set before us. Love justice, be merciful, walk humbly in the pursuit of peace.

The providence of heaven belongs to all people, in order to possess it you must share it; there is no other way.

If you are abused and persecuted for the sake of peace and mercy. Have no fear, the powers of sin and evil, the pain they bring, the reality of sickness and death, these are all temporary and they will come to an end.

 

First Reading – Apocalypse 7:2-4, 9-14 ©

I Saw a Huge Number, Impossible to Count, of People from Every Nation, Race—Tribe and Language

I, John, saw another angel rising where the sun rises, carrying the seal of the living God; he called in a powerful voice to the four angels whose duty was to devastate land and sea, ‘Wait before you do any damage on land or at sea or to the trees, until we have put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.’ Then I heard how many were sealed: a hundred and forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel.

After that I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted aloud, ‘Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels who were standing in a circle round the throne, surrounding the elders and the four animals, prostrated themselves before the throne, and touched the ground with their foreheads, worshipping God with these words, ‘Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen.’

One of the elders then spoke, and asked me, ‘Do you know who these people are, dressed in white robes, and where they have come from?’ I answered him, ‘You can tell me, my lord.’ Then he said, ‘These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb.’

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 23(24):1-6 ©

Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,

  the world and all its peoples.

It is he who set it on the seas;

  on the waters he made it firm.

Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?

  Who shall stand in his holy place?

The man with clean hands and pure heart,

  who desires not worthless things.

Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.

He shall receive blessings from the Lord

  and reward from the God who saves him.

Such are the men who seek him,

  seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.

 

Second Reading – 1 John 3:1-3 ©

We Shall be Like God Because We Shall See Him as He Really Is

Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are.

Because the world refused to acknowledge him, therefore it does not acknowledge us.

My dear people, we are already the children of God but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is.

Surely everyone who entertains this hope must purify himself, must try to be as pure as Christ.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Matthew 11:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 5:1 – 12a ©

How Happy Are the Poor in Spirit

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

‘How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy the gentle: they shall have the earth for their heritage.

Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted.

Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied.

Happy the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them.

Happy the pure in heart: they shall see God.

Happy the peacemakers: they shall be called sons of God.

Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.’

 

The Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

All Saints Day, A Holy Day of Obligation

A Homily – The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

First Reading – Exodus 22:20-26 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 17(18):2-4, 47, 51 ©

Second Reading – 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Acts 16:14

Alternative Acclamation – John 14:23

The Gospel According to Matthew 22:34 - 40 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

God wills that we take care of the stranger who lives among us, that we do not oppress her or him. Keep faith with God, the creator of the universe.

This is the way to holiness.

Love the immigrant and the alien, show compassion to the widow and the orphan, do not abuse the poor or put them in your debt.

Be mindful.

There are times when a psalm of thanksgiving is little more than an expression of vanity; the psalmist gives credit to God for saving him…but it was not God. The psalmist would have us believe that God paid special attention to his prayer and gave special favor to him and him alone. This is false, God did not hear his voice alone among all of the others and fly from the temple to save him. We must understand that the psalmist saved himself, or was saved by his allies, though he may have been spared only by chance.

We know this is true because God does not favor one child over another, not one family, not one tribe, not one nation, not one sect over any other. God loves all of God’s children equally, no matter whether they live, whether in sin and rebellion or in the peace that comes through faith; we are all the same to the divine.

God is not like Zeus or Jupiter, Indra or Thor. God does not step onto the battlefield, shoot arrows and hurl lightning.

It is foolish to think so.

Therefore, it is incumbent on us to set an example for all whom we along the way.

Know this:

God is with you.

God will hear you, and though God will not intervene in this world to spare you any pain, God has a plan to resolve all-pain in a place beyond the bounds of time and space.

Be mindful.

The grace of God is not transactional, and while love fosters love, there is always love. God is always with you. The divine love is always present to you, even when you are at your worst, even when you are most hateful, and your most destructive self.

Consider the Gospel reading for today.

Here is the core of Jesus’ teaching, it is the sacred path to the divine.

Any interpretation of Jesus’ life and mission that do not reflect these teachings are false.

Every pericope and parable; every metaphor, simile and analogy; every story, fable and myth must adhere to this canon…it is the measure of the faith.

We encounter God through each other, in relationship to one another. We serve God through the service we give to the other another.

This is the way.

First Reading – Exodus 22:20-26 ©

If You Are Harsh with the Widow and Orphan, My Anger Will Flare Against You

The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell the sons of Israel this:

‘“You must not molest the stranger or oppress him, for you lived as strangers in the land of Egypt. You must not be harsh with the widow, or with the orphan; if you are harsh with them, they will surely cry out to me, and be sure I shall hear their cry; my anger will flare and I shall kill you with the sword, your own wives will be widows, your own children orphans.

‘“If you lend money to any of my people, to any poor man among you, you must not play the usurer with him: you must not demand interest from him.

‘“If you take another’s cloak as a pledge, you must give it back to him before sunset. It is all the covering he has; it is the cloak he wraps his body in; what else would he sleep in? If he cries to me, I will listen, for I am full of pity.”’

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 17(18):2-4, 47, 51 ©

I love you, Lord, my strength.

I love you, Lord, my strength,

  my rock, my fortress, my saviour.

My God is the rock where I take refuge;

  my shield, my mighty help, my stronghold.

The Lord is worthy of all praise,

  when I call I am saved from my foes.

I love you, Lord, my strength.

Long life to the Lord, my rock!

  Praised be the God who saves me,

He has given great victories to his king

  and shown his love for his anointed.

I love you, Lord, my strength.

 

Second Reading – 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10 ©

You Broke with Idolatry and Became Servants of God; You Are Now Waiting for His Son

You observed the sort of life we lived when we were with you, which was for your instruction, and you were led to become imitators of us, and of the Lord; and it was with the joy of the Holy Spirit that you took to the gospel, in spite of the great opposition all round you. This has made you the great example to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia since it was from you that the word of the Lord started to spread – and not only throughout Macedonia and Achaia, for the news of your faith in God has spread everywhere. We do not need to tell other people about it: other people tell us how we started the work among you, how you broke with idolatry when you were converted to God and became servants of the real, living God; and how you are now waiting for Jesus, his Son, whom he raised from the dead, to come from heaven to save us from the retribution which is coming.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Acts 16:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Open our heart, O Lord, to accept the words of your Son.

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – John 14:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 22:34 - 40 ©

The Commandments of Love

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’

 

The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

A Homily – The Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

First Reading – Isaiah 45:1,4-6 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 95(96):1,3-5,7-10 ©

Second Reading – 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5 ©

Gospel Acclamation – John 17:17

Alternative Acclamation – Philadelphians 2:15 – 16

The Gospel According to Matthew 22:15 - 22 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 God, the creator of the universe, God does not intervene in the course of human affairs. God does not appoint kings, or grant victory in battle.

 All such talk is vanity.

 While it is right to praise God, and it is right to treat our discourse concerning God with respect to God’s holiness and God’s sacred work, we must be mindful of the fact that God is not a Lord.

 Understand.

 God has already judged the world; God has judged the entirety of the created order, God levelled God’s judgement at the beginning, seeing the end, and God proclaimed that it is good.

 Take heart in this and let your faith rest in it; God desires that we have faith in the divine, that we share our faith in love, and that we do not approach the divine with fear and trembling.

 Know this!

 There are no other God’s but God; the divine is one. We are called to study, to respect and  to strive to understand all language concerning the divinity, from whatever culture or nation it comes.

 Be mindful.

 Do not put too much stock in the buttery words of the apostle as found in his preaching to the church in Thessalonika; remember this when you read the text, he was there to ask for money.

 Remember this as well:

 God has chosen everyone, God loves all-people; there are no exceptions. The Thessalonians were no different than any other group of people insofar as they were the subjects of God’s love.

 God’s spirit touches everyone, and anyone can feign conviction, false-faith, or pretend to a greater degree of certainty than they actually possess, such is the nature of charlatanism.

 Be mindful.

 You cannot lie and serve God at one and the same time.

 Take joy in the work that is in front of you. Be content, there is good-purpose to be found in sharing the word of life.

 If you are not engaged in loving service to your sisters and brothers, to the stranger, and even your enemy, then you are not engaged in the work of salvation.

 Consider the Gospel reading for today.

 Listen to Jesus, the way has nothing to do with the concerns of political parties, and zealots.

 Pay taxes or not, it does not matter. What does matter is whether the choices you make fulfill the will of God who desires to see all people well: fed, housed, clothed and educated, who desires to see that all of our basic needs are met.

 If paying taxes, no matter who the taxes are paid to, furthers the ends of a just and ethical society, then pay them.

 If not, then not.

 If waging a tax protest advances the suffering of the people, to no good end, then do not protest; pay.

 If not, then not.

 Be mindful in all things you do and evaluate the choices you are pondering both for the immediacy of their impact on you and your community (to include the whole world), and the long-term consequences that will flow from them as well.

 Follow the good, be humble, love justice and be merciful all the days of your life.

 This is the way.

 

First Reading - Isaiah 45:1, 4-6 ©

I Have Taken Cyrus by His Right Hand to Subdue Nations Before Him

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whom he has taken by his right hand

to subdue nations before him and strip the loins of kings, to force gateways before him that their gates be closed no more:

 

‘It is for the sake of my servant Jacob, of Israel my chosen one, that I have called you by your name, conferring a title though you do not know me.

I am the Lord, unrivalled; there is no other God besides me.

Though you do not know me, I arm you that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that, apart from me, all is nothing.’

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 95(96):1, 3-5, 7-10 ©

Give the Lord glory and power.

O sing a new song to the Lord,

  sing to the Lord all the earth.

Tell among the nations his glory

  and his wonders among all the peoples.

Give the Lord glory and power.

The Lord is great and worthy of praise,

  to be feared above all gods;

  the gods of the heathens are naught.

It was the Lord who made the heavens,

Give the Lord glory and power.

Give the Lord, you families of peoples,

  give the Lord glory and power;

  give the Lord the glory of his name.

Bring an offering and enter his courts.

Give the Lord glory and power.

Worship the Lord in his temple.

  O earth, tremble before him.

Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’

  He will judge the peoples in fairness.

Give the Lord glory and power.

 

Second Reading – 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5 ©

We Constantly Remember Your Faith, Your Love and Your Hope

From Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the Church in Thessalonika which is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; wishing you grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We always mention you in our prayers and thank God for you all, and constantly remember before God our Father how you have shown your faith in action, worked for love and persevered through hope, in our Lord Jesus Christ.

We know, brothers, that God loves you and that you have been chosen, because when we brought the Good News to you, it came to you not only as words, but as power and as the Holy Spirit and as utter conviction.

 

Gospel Acclamation – John 17:17

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your word is truth, O Lord: consecrate us in the truth.

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – Philadelphians 2:15 – 16

Alleluia, alleluia!

You will shine in the world like bright stars because you are offering it the word of life.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 22:15 - 22 ©

Give Back to Caesar what Belongs to Caesar

The Pharisees went away to work out between them how to trap Jesus in what he said. And they sent their disciples to him, together with the Herodians, to say, ‘Master, we know that you are an honest man and teach the way of God in an honest way, and that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you. Tell us your opinion, then. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ But Jesus was aware of their malice and replied, ‘You hypocrites! Why do you set this trap for me? Let me see the money you pay the tax with.’ They handed him a denarius, and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they replied. He then said to them, ‘Very well, give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’

 

The Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)