Category: Uncategorized

***

Mark 12: 18-27

Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,
came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying,
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
‘If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother.’
Now there were seven brothers.
The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants.
So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants,
and the third likewise.
And the seven left no descendants.
Last of all the woman also died.
At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be?
For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus said to them, “Are you not misled
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
When they rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but they are like the angels in heaven.
As for the dead being raised,
have you not read in the Book of Moses,
in the passage about the bush, how God told him,
    I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, 
    and the God of Jacob?
He is not God of the dead but of the living.
You are greatly misled.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

A few years ago, I traveled to Abu Dhabi, smack dab in the Middle East. One evening, I was hosted by a gentleman – not of our faith – who asked me many questions about Christianity.

One of them was, “How can God become a baby?”

That’s something I’m sure many children have asked their parents after attending church on Christmas day. “How can God become a baby?”

The difference between those children and my host was the disposition from which they ask.

Children are trusting, curious, and innocent. They soak up knowledge like sponges. 

This man, however, was asking from a place of disbelief. Nothing I said would’ve opened his heart to Christ.

Then it hit me: 

For those who don’t believe, no answer will be enough.

But for those who already believe, no answer is necessary.

***

In the Gospel today, Jesus faces a similar crowd. Like my host in Abu Dhabi, the Sadducees aren’t interested in Christ at all; rather, they want to make him look like a fool.

“A woman married seven brothers,” they say, “but she bore no children. At the resurrection, whose wife will she be?”

Even if Jesus answers them, no words will be enough. They will not believe.

***

Faith is ultimately a matter of the heart. 

While you and I still may have questions about our faith, it boils down to trust. Like innocent children, we believe Jesus, who says, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.”

May the Lord grant us the reward of our faith: eternal life.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Haiku Deck (2) The Thorncrown Journal (3) Patheos

***

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.

***

***

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

***

The Pharisees know how much the Jews hated paying taxes. They wanted their own land and their own government; they wanted to rule themselves.

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

But if he tells the Jews not to pay their taxes, then he can be arrested as an enemy of the State.

It’s a catch-22.

***

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

Where else will the Pharisees draw a coin from but their very own pockets?

As much as they hate to admit it, they, too, paid their taxes. “So, repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar,” Jesus says, “but to God what belongs to God.”

***

What belongs to God?

***

We do.

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

Meaning, Caesar can have our coin. 

But God is deserving of our lives.

How do I give God my life? What would it look like to hand over a little more of myself today?

***

“Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

***

***

Image credits: (1) Got Questions (2) Coin Talk (3) Compelling Truth

***

Gospel: Luke 1:39-56

Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
    my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
    for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
    the Almighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
    in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
    he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
    and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
    and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
    for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
    the promise he made to our fathers,
    to Abraham and his children for ever.”

Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

This is the only encounter in the Gospels between two women… and they’re both pregnant.

Strangely, both pregnancies happen under nearly impossible circumstances – Mary, a virgin, and Elizabeth, a barren, elderly woman.

Few, if any, in the outside world would believe what’s happened. But, as we often see in scripture, God works in mysterious ways.

***

Perhaps the most pertinent detail to our lives today is the action of Elizabeth. 

Despite her frail, old age – and her own pregnancy – she welcomes Mary into her home for the next three months, offering an open ear, a tender heart, and what little resources she has.

That’s no small sacrifice.

But it’s the essence of love – putting the needs of another before our own.

***

Today we not only celebrate the Feast of the Visitation; we also celebrate Memorial Day, a holiday that recalls the loving sacrifice others have made on our behalf, much like Elizabeth who sacrificed for Mary.

Traditionally, we honor our American soldiers.

But this year we also remember the bravery shown by our frontline medical workers, sanitation workers, teachers, and all those who’ve put our needs and safety before their own.

***

In what ways can we follow their example? How can we embrace a spirit of service?

***

As we were reminded by Saint Paul in our first reading, “Love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Serve the Lord…and contribute to the needs of others.”

***

***

Image credits: (1) The Seattle Times (2) Society of the Holy Child Jesus (3) BeAnInspirer.com