Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 22nd October 2023

We are now two thirds of the way though the month of October and soon it will be Halloween, All Saints and All Souls. Next week the monastic community will be on retreat, which will be led by the Abbot of Quarr, Dom Xavier Perrin. We ask for your prayers, that we may all grow in faith and in the love of God and of the brethren as a result of our retreat. It will also be an opportunity for us to pray for you.

 

Much of the Gospel is composed of arguments between Jesus and his adversaries, especially the Pharisees and scribes or doctors of the law. It appears that they were always out to trick him, hoping to catch him out, trapping him with some statement or other that would prove him to be an enemy of the state or of the Jewish religion as they saw it. In the end, of course, he was arrested, tired and put to death and we know what happened subsequently. We see this as God’s plan for the redemption of creation, that we were redeemed, saved and reconciled with the Father through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the cross.

 

​Today’s Gospel comes from Matthew (Mt 22: 15-21) and records a discussion Jesus had with his enemies on the question of paying taxes. The passage begins by explaining their intentions: “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.” They are not really interested in what Jesus has to say. All they want is to get him embroiled in an argument from which he cannot backtrack. They begin by attempting to ingratiate themselves to him with false compliments. “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.” There can be no doubt about the truth of that statement, but it’s not what they believe. The devil can speak the truth! Their words reveal their hypocrisy.

 

Then they ask, “Tell us your opinion, then. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Jesus could see this coming and is aware of their malice and hypocrisy. “You hypocrites! Why do you set this trap for me? Let me see the money you pay the tax with.” They set him a trap, now he gets the better of them with an answer they have no reply to, an enigmatic answer that leaves them speechless. “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 traditional translation has, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.” Does Jesus really think they should pay taxes to such a corrupt and immoral emperor as Caesar Tiberius? I very much doubt it, but he leaves us much more to think about. These words aren’t just meant for the Pharisees and their friends, but for the disciples and for us. How do Jesus’ word affect me? When I see tax payers’ money squandered by governments throughout the world, how do I react? This short Gospel passage invites us to reflect on much more than a simple argument between Jesus and the Pharisees.