Thursday, October 16, 2014

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 19, 2014:

Isaiah 45: 1, 4-6
Psalm 96: 1, 3-5, 7-10
1 Thessalonians 1: 1-5b
Matthew 22:15-21

After three solid weeks of pointed parables directed to the chief priests and religious rulers, is it any wonder that today's Gospel begins,  "The Pharisees went off and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech"?

The Cyrus mentioned in the first reading was a Persian ruler who allowed the Israelites to return from captivity in Babylon. He was called by God for this role, even though he was not familiar with Israel's God. Any person can be an agent of God's mission, if they recognize and respond to the call.

If you've ever felt pulled between loyalty to two conflicting ties, perhaps the lesson of the Gospel is of some guidance. Living in the United States, with a strongly held value of separation of Church and State, there are times when the call to be a good citizen and the call to be a faithful Christian seem at odds. Perhaps it helps to remember the phrase on our currency, "In God We Trust".

  • What do you find easy to entrust to God?
  • What is hard to trust God about?

There is no Catechumenate this Sunday.

No comments:

Post a Comment