Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Mark 12: 28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
“Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this:
Hear, O Israel! 
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind, 
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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What does it look like for a person to fulfill the Law as the Lord describes in today’s Gospel?

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Perhaps one of the greatest examples is that of Saint Paul, the greatest missionary of his age.

Paul not only sailed the open seas preaching the Gospel in foreign lands; he also travelled more than 10,000 miles on foot, often enough in danger of losing his life. Over the course of his journey, he was beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and left for dead.

But his stubbornness converted souls.

In his final pastoral letter, Paul writes to his “spiritual son,” Timothy, saying, “As for me, the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith.”

A faith which came at a very high cost.

The word “departure,” originally meant to, “remove the yoke from an ox,” giving the impression that Paul feels the weight of his ministry is being lifted off of his shoulders, and is now being presented to Timothy, who represents the next generation of believers.

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Each of us is now a successor to Saints Paul and Timothy, who must bear our share of hardship for the Gospel, fulfilling the Law of love.

But how do we know if we’ve done it?

One example I practice is to look at a crucifix at the end of the night. If I can gaze upon the Lord honestly with a sense of loving tiredness because I’ve been charitable towards my neighbor, then I believe I’ve done most, if not all, of what the Lord has asked of me that day.

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While none of us may rival the accomplishments of Saint Paul, we can each follow his example of heroic love in little ways.

And when our time comes, we can say in the words of Zechariah, “Lord, now you may let your servant go in peace. Your word has been fulfilled. My own eyes have seen your salvation.” 

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Image credits: (1) Epworth Chapel on the Green (2) Metapsychosis (3) Gretchen Filz, The Catholic Company

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2 Timothy 1: 1-12

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my dear child:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am grateful to God,
whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.

For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. 
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God.

He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the Gospel,
for which I was appointed preacher and Apostle and teacher.
On this account I am suffering these things;
but I am not ashamed,
for I know him in whom I have believed
and am confident that he is able to guard
what has been entrusted to me until that day.

The Word of the Lord.

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On paper, Saint Paul’s accolades are impossible to repeat: 

The Risen Christ appeared to him; Paul helped to co-author half of the New Testament; he was an Apostle; the greatest missionary of his age, travelling an estimated 10,000 miles on foot; and a man of exceptional spiritual and physical endurance.

But there’s one thing, in particular, that I find endearing about him. Although he had no children of his own, Paul had the tender heart of a father. 

He ordained a number of men to the priesthood, including Timothy, whom he refers to as his, “spiritual son.”

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In our first reading, we hear part a letter, which Paul writes to Timothy, revealing several important truths about their relationship.

First, Paul writes to encourage Timothy, who seems to be struggling in his faith. “I remind you,” he says, “to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.”

We don’t know exactly why Timothy was struggling – it could have been the near certain guarantee of Paul’s death, who’s writing to him from prison; the fear of being persecuted himself; or something as simple as dryness in prayer or burn out.

But, “I remember you constantly in my prayers,” Paul says, “night and day.”

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Paul continues with tender-hearted affirmation, reminding Timothy that he follows in the footsteps of other faithful Christians, including his own grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice, who came to faith before him. Their faith, he says, “dwells in you.”

Then Paul concludes by challenging Timothy – as I suppose as any father would – to, “bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.”

Such is the nature of a healthy father-son relationship: there is tenderness and affirmation, but also the firm reminder to become who God created them to be.

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I’d imagine Paul has the same fatherly love for each of us. While he assures us of his prayers, he also reminds us to, “Bear our share of hardship for the Gospel.” 

What might that look like for each of us today?

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Image credits: (1) Realistic Poetry International, Ian Wilcox, Facebook (2) AnaStpaul (3) Catholic Campus Ministry

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Gospel: Mark 12: 13-17

Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent
to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech.
They came and said to him,
“Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion.
You do not regard a person’s status
but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?
Should we pay or should we not pay?”
Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them,
“Why are you testing me?
Bring me a denarius to look at.”
They brought one to him and he said to them,
“Whose image and inscription is this?”
They replied to him, “Caesar’s.”
So Jesus said to them,
“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God.”
They were utterly amazed at him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?”

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The Pharisees knew how much the Jews hated paying taxes to Rome. They wanted their own land and government; they wanted to rule themselves; they had their own God to worship.

So, if Jesus tells the Jews it’s lawful to pay their taxes, then he’ll appear to be a friend of Rome and in clear opposition to the Jewish cause.

But if he tells the Jews not to pay their taxes, then he could be arrested for being an enemy of the state.

It’s a catch-22.

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“Bring me a denarius to look at,” Jesus says.

Where else will the Pharisees draw this coin from but their very own pockets? As much as they hate to admit it, they, too, pay their taxes. 

“So, repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar,” Jesus says. But, “give to God what belongs to God.”

If we are to pay our fair share of taxes to the government – offering a percentage of our hard earned wealth – then what must we give to God?

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Our very selves.

In one of the first verses in the bible, God says, “Let us make man in our image and likeness.” 

Every human being bears the image of God, not of Caesar. And if we bear God’s image, then we belong entirely to him.

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Pay your taxes. 

But give your life to God.

What might that look like for me today?

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Image credits: (1) God the Father, Cima da Conegliano, The Courtauld (2) Denarius, Wikipedia (3) Sistine Chapel