Sunday, 22 October was the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Wikipedia-link.
Scripture of This Week
Mass Readings—Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Book of Isaiah, chapter forty-five, verses one, four, five, & six;
Psalm Ninety-six, verses one, three, four & five, seven & eight, & nine & ten;
The First Letter to the Thessalonians, chapter one, verses one thru five(b);
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-two, verses fifteen thru twenty-one.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in our Gospel Pharisees try to catch Jesus on the horns of a dilemma. Jesus deftly escapes from the trap with one of his famous one-liners: “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” Clever, but much more than merely clever. In some ways, it is the implicit resolution of this very vexing problem.Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
We should not read this one-liner as though there is a clearly demarcated political realm that belongs to the Caesars of the world and a clearly demarcated spiritual realm that belongs to God. And we certainly shouldn’t read it in the modern mode—that the public arena belongs to politics, while religion is relegated to the private dimension.
No, this won’t do, precisely because God is God. Not a being in or above the world, not one reality among many; God is the sheer act of being itself, which necessarily pervades, influences, grounds, and has to do with everything, even as he transcends everything in creation.
God is the deepest source and inspiration for everything in life, from sports to law to the arts to science and medicine. God is love itself. Everything comes from God and returns to God.
Video reflection by Jeff Cavins: Encountering the Word.
Audio reflection by Scott Hahn, Ph.D.: Breaking the Bread.
Mass Journal: Week 43
Reflection by Matthew Kelly, founder of the Dynamic Catholic Institute:
I am a sinner & I need to be saved. I need to be saved from myself & from my sin. There are many people who love me deeply—parents, siblings, colleagues, & neighbors—but they cannot save me. I need a savior. It is the clarity of this realization that is life changing. This is what makes me eligible for membership in the Catholic Church. Jesus didn't come for the healthy; he came for the sick, & he established the Church to continue his work (cf. Mark, 2:17). I am imperfect, but I am capable of change & growth. We are all imperfect but perfectible. The Church holds me in my weakness, comforts me in my limitations, endeavors to heal me of my sickness, & nurtures me back to full health, making me whole again. And throughout this process, the Church manages to harness all my efforts & struggles, not only for my own good, but for the good of the entire Church & indeed humanity. This is just a tiny part of the incredible mystery of the Church.
Otherwise, 22 October would have been the festival of Saint Mellon, Bishop (died circa 314): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Twould also have been the festival of Saint Bertharius, Abbot & Martyr, O.S.B. (circa 810-883, of Monte Cassino), martyred by Saracens: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Wayback Machine.
'Twould also have been the festival of Saint John Paul II, Pope (1920-2005, the Great), two hundred sixty-fourth Bishop of Rome: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:
A couple quotes from Saint Pope John Paul II, whose feast day is October 22.
"Freedom is not the ability to do anything we want. Rather, freedom is the ability to live responsibly the truth of our relationship with God & with one another."
"The ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat every human being."
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