Tag: elections

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30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

image of red ants pulling apart a black ant

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Mass readings

First Reading: Exodus 22:20-26
Responsorial: Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 51
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:5C-10
Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102520.cfm
www.deaconrudysnotes.org

My brothers and sisters, once again we are presented with the readings which totally speak to our situation today. Our world, at least in the west, is becoming so polarized. People – our own friends and families – are ripping other people apart on social media. We see that right now in the United States with the upcoming presidential election. But we also witnessed extreme polarization in the UK over Brexit. The great challenge for Christians is to resist – to not allow our church communities to be ripped apart by politics.

Of course, we have a responsibility to bring our faith into politics and business – to help people see beyond the problems of everyday life. Our readings today remind us where our true focus should be. But today’s readings also answer the question, “Why do we need a church?” Let’s get to it then!

In today’s Gospel, Matthew tells us that because Jesus was successful in dismissing the Sadducees, the Pharisees decided to give a go (Matthew 22:34-35). So, one of them asked, “Teacher, what’s the most important commandment in the Torah?” (Matthew 22:36). Now, this really wasn’t a trick question as much as a test. Did Jesus have a sufficient understanding of the Law to teach it? <1>

Jesus replies with one answer stated two different ways. “You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart and all your soul, and all your mind…[and] You will love your neighbor as yourself. The whole Torah (and Prophets) depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). How is this possible? If we believe that we are created in the image and likeness of God, and if we accept Jesus’ teaching that whatever we do for the least of these we do for him (Matthew 25:40), then loving God is the same as loving our neighbor and loving our neighbor is the same as loving God. I think the song “The Proof of Your Love” by King & Country explains this point more eloquently that me. You’ve got to check it out! I’ve got a link in the podcast to it. <2>

But what does this have to do with church? Do we really need a church?

There are at least two reasons we need to consider. First, Christianity is not some intellectual activity that we subscribe to after considering a series of arguments for and against. No! Christianity is a report. It is the Gospel – it is the Good News! But in order to “hear” the Good News, someone had to bring it to us. We are a community – we are a church – because someone at some particular point in time brought to the community the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ, or as Bishop Robert Barron would say, the Great Story of Jesus. What does Paul do? He brings the Good News to the people at Thessalonica, at Colossae, at Corinth, at Ephesus. Right? He brings the Good News to the people. Being a Christian means we heard the Good News from someone else, like our parents or teachers or friends or pastors. <3>

The second reason why we are a church – why church is central to the Christian life – is that the Gospel makes this extraordinary claim that my relationship with God is dependent on my relationship with my neighbor. <4>

How could someone born to a castaway and raised alone on a deserted island be a Christian? It’s unlikely for two reasons: someone needs to bring that person the Good News, and that person needs to be part of a community of believers. If you are not part of a community, how can you ever practice loving your neighbor?

Why is this so important for us today in our increasingly polarized world? We should be first Christian, then American or British or Swiss, etc. And somewhere way down the line, we might identify as Republican or Democrat, Tories or Labour, etc. Never party before God and country! Yet something is stirring the pot. It’s like putting some red and black ants in a jar. I saw this interesting image on social media. They’ll get along just fine unless you shake the jar. Then they’ll start to rip each other apart. As Christians who are challenged by today’s Gospel to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, we need to ask ourselves, “Who is shaking the jar?”

My brothers and sisters, I am not advocating for one political point of view over another. I am advocating for “the Way, the Truth and the Life” that is Christ Jesus (John 14:6). As Christians we’re not supposed to rip our neighbors apart! No! We should be trying to help alleviate people’s anxiety by sharing the hope of Jesus Christ. We need to have the courage to point out the demons shaking the jar. We need to help lead people into the community of believers, not out of it. The Gospel today gives us quite a bit to think about before and after the upcoming elections.

Homework! Enlighted by the Word of God and by the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions.
First, what does the word “church” mean to you?
Second, do you remember who brought the Good News to you? How have you shared the Good News with others?

Perhaps our homework will help us lead the people we encounter away from polarization and back to the church. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

Image Credit: Unknown. JPG file.

Notes:
Unless otherwise indicated, all Bible quotes are taken from The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.
<1> Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, 288.
<2> King & Country, “The Proof of Your Love,” YouTube, 14 September 2012, Accessed 22 October 2020, https://youtu.be/b-2dKOfbC9c.
<3> Himes, The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism, “Chapter Five: Church,” Kindle.
<4> Ibid.

References:
1. Eubank, Nathan. First and Second Thessalonians. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academics, 2019. Kindle.
2. Himes, Michael. The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism. Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2004. Kindle.
3. King & Country. “The Proof of Your Love.” YouTube, 14 September 2012. Accessed 22 October 2020. https://youtu.be/b-2dKOfbC9c.
4. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. The living God, 205
2. The Holy Spirit, 686-747
3. The Ten Commandments, 2052-74
4. The two love commandments, 2055, 2083
5. Moral life a response to the Lord’s initiative of love, 2061-63

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102520.cfm
Lectionary: 148

Reading 1
Exodus 22:20-26
Thus says the LORD:
“You shall not molest or oppress an alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.
If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,
I will surely hear their cry.
My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.

“If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,
you shall not act like an extortioner toward him
by demanding interest from him.
If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge,
you shall return it to him before sunset;
for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body.
What else has he to sleep in?
If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate.”

Responsorial
Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
The LORD lives and blessed be my rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.

Reading 2
1 Thessalonians 1:5C-10
Brothers and sisters:
You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake.
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord,
receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the Holy Spirit,
so that you became a model for all the believers
in Macedonia and in Achaia.
For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth
not only in Macedonia and in Achaia,
but in every place your faith in God has gone forth,
so that we have no need to say anything.
For they themselves openly declare about us
what sort of reception we had among you,
and how you turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God
and to await his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead,
Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.

Alleluia
John 14:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,
and my Father will love him and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Matthew 22:34-40
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law tested him by asking,
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,
“You shall 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 is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Posted on

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

picture of ancient Roman coin with Caesar's image

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Mass readings

First Reading: Isaiah 45:1, 4-6
Responsorial: Psalm 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-10
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5B
Gospel: Matthew 22:15-21

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101820.cfm
www.deaconrudysnotes.org

My brothers and sisters, it’s like God picked these readings for this election season. Of course, they were selected by the Holy Spirit, and I’m not sure we could find better readings for our consideration!

In the Gospel today, Jesus says to those sent to trap him, “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22:21). There is a lot of meaning there for us! First, citizens are called to cast a ballot no matter how distasteful you find politics or disappointed with the process you feel. Our vote, in a way, is us rendering onto Caesar. Of course, this example overly simplifies politics, but I think it’s fair to say this is one way to look at it.

Second, we should be active in the process. It’s our obligation as citizens of faith to bring our tradition’s wisdom and to influence positive changes. There is a danger in engaging Caesar’s world. The risk is that we get sucked into the quest to wield power and influence. But as we discussed in All Things Catholic on October 7th, our bishops suggest that “We should not let the party transform us in such a way that we neglect or deny fundamental moral truths or approve intrinsically evil acts.” <1>

From my perch outside the United States, I see so much division in the country – even in our parishes. That’s painful to watch. Our divisions run deep. Why? Perhaps it’s because many of us have been sucked into the parties. Maybe people are being transformed by the parties and not the other way around.

Look, we’re Christian first. We have to be Christians first. No political candidate will stand with you or me on judgment day. We will be held accountable for how we spent our time on this third rock from the sun. The minute we can’t agree to disagree – the minute we can’t stand to be in the company of our brothers and sisters because of their politics – is the day we should recognize that something is terribly, terribly wrong.

We Catholics are Christians and our first and second readings give us some insight we should be mindful of. In our first reading from Isaiah, we hear that we are each of us called by our names (Isaiah 45:4). We are not called by our political affiliations. We are not called because our candidate is pro-anything. We are not called because of the size of our bank accounts or our retirement balances or the car we drive. We are called because we are created in the image and likeness of God. Period.

Our Catholic faith teaches us that being created in the image and likeness of God means we have a certain dignity. No one can take that away from us. No vote we’ve cast – no party we’ve supported. No one can take away our dignity if – if we reconcile ourselves with God. In six weeks, we begin Advent – a great time to be reconciled!

Paul reminds us that we were chosen. You were chosen. I was chosen (1 Thessalonians 1:4). That means you are worthy. How is this possible? Paul tells us that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we were set apart. We are not supposed to live our lives on the hamster wheel, chasing fortune and glory. We were chosen to help build the Kingdom of God right here, right now.

Paul says that Spirit came with much conviction (1 Thessalonians 1:5). Do you feel convicted? Do you feel that you every fiber of your being is vibrating with the love of Jesus Christ for you and for everyone you encounter? When you look at yourself in the mirror, who do you see? Do you see yourself like Mother Teresa or more like a Wall Street tycoon? It’s easy to get caught up in the energy of chasing the next dollar, but I suggest to you that instead of chasing that which is Caesar’s, wouldn’t we be better off pausing every now and then and allowing God’s grace to rain down upon us and so that we can use this grace to reach out with love to make this a better world?

Homework! Inspired by the Word of God and by the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions.
1. During this election cycle, have I lost my temper and blown up at anyone instead trying to have a conversation?
2. Can I promote the attitude “agree to disagree” as a small way of promoting peace and justice?

I think doing our homework will help us right our course away from Caesar and back toward Jesus. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

Image Credit: Unknown. JPG file.

Notes:
Unless otherwise indicated, all Bible quotes are taken from The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.
<1> United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Forming Conscience for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States, (Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2020), no. 14. Adobe Digital Editions PDF.

References:
1. Eubank, Nathan. First and Second Thessalonians. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academics, 2019. Kindle.
2. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Participation in the social sphere, 1897-1917
2. Duties of citizens, 2238-2244

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101820.cfm
Lectionary: 145

Reading 1
Isaiah 45:1, 4-6
Thus says the LORD to his anointed, Cyrus,
whose right hand I grasp,
subduing nations before him,
and making kings run in his service,
opening doors before him
and leaving the gates unbarred:
For the sake of Jacob, my servant,
of Israel, my chosen one,
I have called you by your name,
giving you a title, though you knew me not.
I am the LORD and there is no other,
there is no God besides me.
It is I who arm you, though you know me not,
so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun
people may know that there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, there is no other.

Responsorial
Psalm 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10
R. (7b) Give the Lord glory and honor.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
Bring gifts, and enter his courts.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
Worship the LORD, in holy attire;
tremble before him, all the earth;
say among the nations: The LORD is king,
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.

Reading 2
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5B
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians
in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for all of you,
remembering you in our prayers,
unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love
and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ,
before our God and Father,
knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God,
how you were chosen.
For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.

Alleluia
Philippians 2:15D, 16A
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights in the world
as you hold on to the word of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia

Gospel
Matthew 22:15-21
The Pharisees went off
and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech.
They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying,
“Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
And you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion,
for you do not regard a person’s status.
Tell us, then, what is your opinion:
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?”
Knowing their malice, Jesus said,
“Why are you testing me, you hypocrites?
Show me the coin that pays the census tax.”
Then they handed him the Roman coin.
He said to them, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?”
They replied, “Caesar’s.”
At that he said to them,
“Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God.”

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ATC 3 The Public Square

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G.K. Chesterton said, “Right is Right even if nobody does it. Wrong is wrong even if everybody is wrong about it.”

You’re listening to All Things Catholic. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and together we are going to explore what it means to be Catholic. We’ve talked about authority and obedience, and now with the election season in full swing in the United States, I think we need to talk a little about the public square.

What is the public square? The public square is where all the facets of community life come together – where we exchange news, information and ideas. This is the heart of the community where we engage the full spectrum of community life from art to religion to politics and public policy. I hope that broad description helps explain what I mean by the public square.

Does the Church have a place in the pubic square? Yes, absolutely – both the institution represented by our bishops, and by each and every one of us, both clergy and lay. As Bishop Olmstead wrote, “…it is our duty to engage the culture, not run from it,” (Olmstead, #30). As disciples who are supposed to go out into the world, we have to engage culture in order to evangelize it, as Bishop Robert Barron so often talks about, (Barron, 1).

By engaging in public dialogue, we are not trying to impose our morality on anyone. Practicing what we believe in our everyday life – at home, at work, among our friends and in politics – is an example of living with integrity. It’s an example that we walk the walk.

And it’s healthy for democracy for a wide variety of ideas to be exchanged. It’s good for society when we are all, Catholics included, involved in the democratic process, (Olmstead, #12). But here’s the distinction, I think, about Catholic involvement in public policy debates or politics. Being Catholic is not a private affair. You don’t just wake up one day as an unbaptized person and announce that you are now Catholic. Your sense of church cannot be limited to enjoying a cup of coffee on your back porch and watching the sun rise. No, this isn’t about a privatized faith. Being Catholic means that we are part of a community of believers in Christ Jesus. Situated in the community of believers, we engage society.

What should the Church’s role be in this public dialogue?

Well, as the Second Vatican Council suggests, we begin with our fundamental belief that we are all created by God’s love in His image and likeness, and that we are constantly preserved by God’s love, (Gaudium et Spes, 19). Human dignity then is intrinsic to all human beings.

As Bishop Olmstead points out, “the Church intervenes by making a moral judgment about economic and social matters when the fundamental rights of the person, the common good, or the salvation of souls requires it,” (Olmstead, #11; CCC #2420; GS 76 §5). It’s really outside the Church’s per view to comment on every single thing that governments at all levels – local, regional, national, global – do. Rather, the Church will focus on key issues that infringe on or undermine human dignity or the common good.

Is the goal of the Church to change public policy? No, that is not necessarily the case. Pope Benedict wrote, “It is not the Church’s responsibility to make this teaching prevail in political life. Rather, the Church wishes to help form consciences…and to stimulate greater insight into the authentic requirements of justice as well as greater readiness to act…” (Deus Caritas Est, 28). So, while there are undoubtedly things the Church would like to change in our society, one of its primary roles as expressed through our bishops is to teach from our understanding of our shared human dignity and common morality, and thus to evangelize the general public.

While it’s not necessary for the Church to weigh-in on all the issues that confront government, we should. For those of us citizens and taxpayers living in democracies, we have a duty and a responsibility to be educated and informed about what’s going on at all levels of government. Being a good citizen doesn’t mean simply relishing in our rights. Being a citizen means understanding that our rights have corresponding responsibilities.

Can Catholics disagree with the Church and are all issues equal?

God does not see “left” and “right”, “liberal” or “conservative”, (Gomez, Foreward). He just sees us and the world he created. God loves diversity and perhaps inherent in his design is a plethora of ideas and perspectives. This means that all issues are not equal. Catholics do not need to agree with each other (or their bishops or priests) on every point nor do we need to move in lockstep with each other.

Catholics do not need to agree on a host of issues, like education, taxation, welfare reform, or illegal immigration, etc. While we are called to strive to understand the spirit of any Church law or teaching or disciplinary action which does not lead to sin, not all Church teachings are equal, (Gaillardetz, 126). We may, for example, agree on the Church’s teaching about the preferential option for the poor, but we may all come to different understandings about the best public policy application, (Olmstead, #16).

There is one caveat – actually it’s a showstopper. The Church teaches that Catholics (really, all Christians), should never support an issue, initiative or law that is intrinsically evil, (Olmstead, #14). What does that mean? A moral act that can never result in good, no matter the circumstances is intrinsically evil. In other words, the ends cannot justify the means.

Look, if the ends justify the means, then we’d all see Thanos as the hero in the Marvel movies Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In the movies, Thanos believes that a balanced world order is a good thing – a moral imperative. Murdering 50% of the population to accomplish that goal doesn’t matter to him.

As Catholics – as Christians – we are called to resist the temptation to believe that the ends justify the means. That means that we can never support or promote any government policy or law that attacks human life. So, abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment are non-negotiables for Catholics.

Whew, all of this can be a bit overwhelming, right? I know that life is hectic and when we’re done for the day, we just want to relax. But being a good citizen requires some effort on our part. Emotionally, we need to participate in the love God has for the world. Intellectually, we should constantly form and inform our consciences as we strive to understand what the Church teaches about life in Christ in the light of Scripture and Tradition. Practically, as Christians and as citizens, we need to resist the hedonistic and mediocre culture in which we find ourselves and do our part to make this world a better place. John F. Kennedy once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country,” (Kennedy, Inaugural Speech).

Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal and next time on All Things Catholic we’re going to talk about the Lord’s name – what does it mean to take the Lord’s name in vain, what’s really going on and what you can do about it.

You’re listening to All Things Catholic.

This episode was produced by deacon rudy’s notes. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join us again on our next episode and until then, peace!

References:

  1. Barron, Robert. “Welcome Letter.” Evangelization & Culture, Autumn 2019.
  2. Benedict, Deus Caritas Est. 25 December 2005. Libreria Editrice Vaticana, http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est.html.
  3. Gaillardetz, Richard R. By What Authority? A Primer on Scripture, the Magisterium, and the Sense of the Faithful. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2003.
  4. Gomez, José H. Foreword to Catholics in the Public Square, rev. 4th Edition, by Thomas J. Olmstead. Charlotte, NC: Saint Benedict Press, 2016.
  5. Kenney, John F. “Inaugural Address.” 20 January 1961. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/historic-speeches/inaugural-address.
  6. Olmstead, Thomas J. Catholics in the Public Square. Revised, 4th Edition. Charlotte, NC: Saint Benedict Press, 2016.
  7. Second Vatican Council. Gaudium et Spes. 7 December 1965. Vatican Archive, http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html.

Catechism Links: Easily search the Catechism at http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

  1. Social doctrine of the Church, 2419-2425