Oct. 18, 2020: 29th Sunday A
Oct. 18, 2020: 29th Sunday A
https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/16444511 (Listen)
It was 1988, and a diminutive nun landed at an airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. There was a children’s choir singing for her as she descended from the plane. A swarm of journalists surrounded her and asked her opinion about South Africa’s political situation and the Apartheid—a racial segregation policy instituted by the South African government from 1948 to the early 1990s. Mother Teresa told the reporters, “To tell the truth, I don’t know anything about politics. What is important is that we love one another… We are the government, all of us. It is our duty to love and serve the poor, not only the duty of some people.” Drawing upon her faith, Mother Teresa was able to speak the truth and follow God’s will for her while not being drawn into politics.
As Christians, we have a unique role in this world; we are to be in the world but not of the world. Jesus challenged us not to conform ourselves to the standards of this world, but to let God transform us inwardly by His grace to conform our conscience to the will of the Father. He called each of us to a unique mission to be the salt of this earth and the light of the world. How should we as Christians participate in the public square? Insight may be gained from Jesus’ interaction with the Pharisees in the Gospel.
The Pharisees were looking for a way to trap Jesus by drawing him into the politics of the unpopular tax imposed by Romans on the people of Palestine. “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” Jesus evaded a clever trap set by the Pharisees by replying, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” Jesus’ response reminds us that we have duties toward both the temporal and the spiritual domains.
To be a good citizen and to serve God are not in contradiction. As faithful citizens, we are to respect the rule of law and to respect the legitimate civil authority acting on behalf of the common good. We are to contribute to promoting the common good along with the civil government which includes the infrastructure of the society, human rights, spiritual and material benefits, peace, and security. On the other hand, we need to give to God what is God’s. There are occasions when we need to speak against social injustice, neglect, or inequality by the government or civil leaders.
Pope Francis reminded us, “Your identification with Christ and his will involves a commitment to build with him that kingdom of love, justice, and universal peace. . . . You cannot grow in holiness without committing yourself, body and soul, to giving your best to this endeavor.” He wrote that the call to holiness requires a firm and passionate defense of the innocent unborn. Equally sacred, he wrote, are “the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection.”
Some years ago when Mother Teresa came to Washington DC to visit her sisters, she was accompanied by Carl Anderson, the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus. He remembered her saying to him, “God has given your country so much. Do not be afraid of the child now. Do not turn your back to the little unborn child. Stand by that innocent one. My prayer for you and for your whole country is that we may realize the greatness of God’s love for us and, with that love, protect the unborn child, the greatest gift of God for each of us and for the world.”
In this land of plenty, where many of us enjoy living beyond our needs, it is heartbreaking to see impoverished families arriving at our borders seeking a better life and willing to work, only to face separation and inhumane treatment. It grieves all of us to see the wound of racism continues to fester in our country. It is surreal for citizens of countries who look up to America to see on their news images of violence, xenophobia, and poverty in our country. Our shelters for the homeless and the battered women in this city are full. Many families struggle because there is no living wage or affordable housing. We see every day in the news reports of child trafficking, abused children, and violent crimes.
Every issue has become political unnecessarily. If we love each other as God intended for us to do, then peace and harmony would abound. Who will help change the hearts of men and women of this generation who are not able to see these indignities? Christ is asking us to be His heart, His mouth, His hands, and His feet.
(Christ Has No Body Now But Yours - sung by Fr Paul Yi)
