When I first set out to write this sermon I was a little overwhelmed as at first it seemed to me to be one of the more difficult Gospel readings to write about and so I did what I always do when I’m stressed or worried about something; I prayed. It was then that the message itself began to be clearer to me and through the things that I have been going through at work lately, I began to understand What Jesus meant when he said. “Render to Caesar’s the things that are Caesar’s.” This reading began to have very profound meanings for me firstly, that we should only give to those not of our family (Christians) that which they rightfully deserve nothing more and nothing less because as said in Proverbs, “Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it.” (Proverbs 23:4) We as Christians and as Dominicans should do what we must to satisfy our means to survive in the secular world as we are members of this realm in life, but we should not over exert ourselves to satisfy those of this world because one day this world will cease to exist. We should instead work to do what satisfies the will of our Father through his son Jesus and not let ourselves to be lead astray by the Pharisees of the world.

In this gospel reading the Pharisees are asking Jesus a question about paying taxes to catch him thinking he will either say yes to paying taxes which would not only put doubt on his allegiance to Israel but also could be considered breaking the second commandment as the money (Denarius) used to pay taxes not only had the head of Caesar but also called him ‘Divine’ there by committing idolatry; or that he would say not to pay taxes there by undermining the Roman government which could lead to his arrest. Not only does Jesus immediately sense their intent and scolds them saying, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites?
Show me the coin that pays the census tax.” He then gives them a lesson of their own by stating in the simple sentence, “…render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” (Matthew 22:18-21)

Through Jesus’ scolding of the Pharisees, we learn that we should not question or doubt the will of the Father and to do so is hypocritical because God always does what is right and just and so to question our Father’s will is to put us on the same rank as the Israelites who because, “the Lord’s anger burned against [them], He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the LORD was destroyed.” (Numbers 23:13) We are shown that if we disobey Him however, that he will further teach us ways to understand his will so that we may reconcile ourselves to him.

Jesus then reminds us that we should not,

“…store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:19-21)

In making sure that we only have what we must to survive in the temporal realm and that we obey the law of the land by, ‘rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s’ we will be able to better serve Him and build up our treasures in heaven rather than trying to cling to that which belongs to Caesar.

We are further reminded that if we want to follow Him we should, “… go, sell [our] possessions and give to the poor… Then come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21) As Jesus further explains in Luke if we sell our, “…possessions and give to the poor. [we] Provide [ourselves] with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.” (Luke 12:33) Through, ‘giving to God’s what is God’s’ we are reminded to not only pay taxes (because it is giving those of this realm the things they are due) but also if possible to be as little involved with earthly riches and wealth as possible as we are reminded in Job that,

“They [who] shut themselves up by day; They do not know the light. For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness, For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness. They are insignificant on the surface of the water; Their portion is cursed on the earth… Drought and heat consume the snow waters, So does Sheol [for] those who have sinned.” (Job 24:16-9)

We should however not be discouraged or fear the Wrath of God for all will be forgiven in the end if we,

“deny [ourselves] and take up [our] cross and follow [Him]. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?  For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” (Matthew 16:24-8)

 

Heavenly Father,

Continue to guide us in ways that help us denounce those who try to entrap us and lead us in the ways in which we can leave our earthly possessions behind to take up our cross and follow you.

We ask that the power of the Holy Spirit Guide us so that we may be claimed as heirs to your heavenly treasures and Eternal Kingdom by our redemption through your son our savior Jesus Christ.

Amen.

 

Recently, I was talking to a dear friend of mine about a mutual friend of ours who was soon to meet our Lord. I expressed confusion, and doubts, as to why God would call this dear soul home so soon. But mostly, I was angry! It seems here lately too many people, whether casual friends, or those dear to me, are dying or have left us way too soon. Between natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes, to violence inflicted on so many who woke up never realizing today was their last day on earth, the overwhelming emotion I believe many of us are experiencing, besides sadness……is outright anger.
While is would be easy to blame God, for all the tragedy and suffering that seems to be prevelant in the world today. We are cautioned in Ecclesiastes 9:12 (NKJV) ” For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them.”
In Exodus 32:1-14 we are also reminded that anger isn’t only a human emotion. Even our Lord expressed anger at His people, yet was reminded of His promise. And, I think it’s this sacred promise we need to remember during these turbulent times.
“When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the LORD.” They rose early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel. The LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'” The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.” But Moses implored the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'” And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.”
So, during these turbulent times, as natural disasters, senseless shootings, random violence, and political quarrels divide not only our nation, but our world, I think its crucial we pray daily, and reflect on Psalm 23. For in this well known Psalm, there is a never ending source of comfort, peace, and abundant promises.
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff– they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.”

Gospel:  Luke 10:17-24

In the Name of God; +Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

On October 7^th, 1571, Pope Saint Pious V sent a coalition of Christian forces to rescue the Christian outposts in Cyprus that were taken by the Muslims.  This small group faced almost certain death when compared to the large Muslin Navy.   In response, the Pope called for all of Europe to pray the Rosary for their victory and led a Rosary procession in Rome.  After about 5 hours of intense sea battle, the Christian forces were able to stop the Ottoman Navy and prevent the Sultan from invading and capturing Rome.  This great victory was attributed to the Virgin Mary.  October 7^th became the Feast of Our Lady of Victory, now known as Our Lady of the Rosary.

Although a simple string of beads used to help us count our prayers, the Rosary has long been a weapon against the forces of darkness and a shield of protection from harm.

The following inspiring episode from World War II, written by Sr. Mary Sheila O’Neil and reported in the October-December, 1979 issue of Garabandal Magazine illustrates the power of the Rosary:

It was a busy day in March. As a teacher-principal in the 1950’s, I had to make sure that each day provided the time for the two separate roles. On that March fourth, an incident between a teacher and a parent had kept me out of my class for almost an hour that morning, so for the rest of the day, I was desperately trying to make up class time. Hence, the knock on my door at 2:00 p.m. was not welcome.

With relief, I found it was only a salesman who needed my signature and even produced his pen. As he did so, his Rosary had caught onto the pen’s clip and came out as well. I signed as I said indifferently, “So, you are a Catholic.” “Oh no,” he said, “but a lot of us owe our lives to Our Lady, and I promised Her I would always keep my Rosary with me and say it every day.”

Twenty minutes later, I was still at the door listening, fascinated, to the account of one of the wonderful experiences a group of airmen had had with Our Lady. My visitor hesitated to start, for he had noticed my “non welcome” opening of the door. But eager now to hear his story, I assured him that the class was doing an exercise, and I begged him to proceed. He continued:

It was May, 1940, and we had joined the Air Force in late September. At Halifax, we were given an intensive training course, because they needed us overseas, and to us young lads, the whole program was exciting.

We were grouped into squadrons, each of which consisted of six to ten planes, and each was trained to maneuver as a unit. Therefore about thirty to fifty men made up a squadron, along with the squadron leader who gave all the orders and kept the group functioning in unity.

In May, our squadron was told we were going overseas and would be in action at once. We would work on nightly missions over enemy territory until the war was over. We were waiting for our new squadron leader, due to arrive in two days on a 9:00 p.m. air-force flight. Being an officer, he would, we thought, go at once to the officers’ quarters.

We watched the plane, glimpsed him from the distance, and resigned ourselves to waiting until the next day to “size him up.” A couple of hours later, this squadron leader, Stan Fulton, in full uniform, entered our bunk house.

“Well men, we’re going to spend some dangerous hours together, but let’s hope we all meet back here when it’s over. Ah, there’s a free bunk and I am tired! I’ll meet each of you tomorrow.”

With that, he threw his bag on an upper bunk. Our squadron leader, an officer, sleeping here with us! We liked him at once and our liking and our admiration grew each day.

That first night he knelt on the floor and prayed his Rosary in silence. Astounded, we were struck dumb. When he finished, he looked at us with his friendly smile and said, “I hope you guys don’t mind a fellow saying some prayers because where we’re going, we’re going to need them.”

The next day our maneuver practice, under his command, assured us that Fulton was not just our military leader, but our friend. He was one of us; he never tried to intimidate us with his rank.

That night, he repeated his prayer session. Although our group had trained together for six months at least, I had never seen anyone kneel in prayer, and had no idea that any of our group was Catholic; but the third night three of our companions joined Fulton in saying the Rosary. The rest of us did not understand but we kept a respectful silence.

A few nights later — we were quick learners — we all answered the Hail Marys and Our Fathers. Fulton looked pleased, and thus we ended each day in prayer.

On June 1, 1940, we were to leave Halifax to begin a series of night raids from England over Germany. The evening before, Fulton gave each of us a Rosary.

“We shall be in some tight situations, but then, if you agree, we’ll say the Rosary. If you will promise to keep the Rosary with you always throughout your life and to say it, I can promise you that Our Lady will bring you all back safe to Canada.”

We answered, “Sure thing.” Little did we dream we would be in action for four years, many times in dreadful danger with fire all around us. At such times, Fulton’s voice would ring through each plane, “Hail Mary…” How reverently and sincerely did we respond! How many hundreds of Rosaries we must have said.

After two years, it was noted that ours was the only squadron that had not lost a plane nor a single life. We said nothing, but we knew.

Finally, the terrible war was over. During those years, we lost all sense of excitement and adventure. All that concerned us was survival! We did survive, too. All returned to Canada in 1945, fully convinced that Our Lady had taken care of us.

So I never forget to keep my Rosary with me and say it every day although I am not a Catholic. When I change my trousers, the first thing I transfer, even before my wallet, is my rosary.

This Feast day is a special one for me as a Dominican.  Tradition holds that the Virgin Mary gave the Rosary to St. Dominic.  As a Dominican, my devotion to both Our Lady and the Rosary helps shape who I am as a Christian.

Today as I stand before you a newly ordained Priest in the Church of God, I can’t help but think of all I’ve been through. The hurdles that I had to jump. The mountains I had to climb. The fights I had to fight.  Life has not been easy up to this point and I suspect it won’t become any easier now that I have been set apart for service in the Church.

I first felt a call to ordained ministry as a small child…..a calling that I have strived to answer throughout most of my life.  No easy task!  A Bishop once told me that the closer I get to serving God and serving the Church, the more Satan will up his attacks on me.  At first I thought he was a little crazy, but it’s very true indeed.  Life has presented me with many challenges.  Challenges that most people would not be able to deal with.  How did I deal emotionally and spiritually with these many challenges?  Where did I turn for a spiritual booster shot?  To the Rosary!  Well, to my set of Anglican Prayer Beads to be exact, but don’t hold that against me.  LOL

Raised Anabaptist, worship aids such as prayer beads were seen as Romish and evil.  Prayers to Mary were idol worship.  I don’t know why, but I was always drawn to the use of prayer beads and to a deeper relationship with our Heavenly Queen.  I explain it as I did not choose her, rather she chose me!  Somehow she spoke to me.  Spoke to my heart in a way I can not begin to describe.  For the longest time, just like the pilot in the story earlier, all I did was carry those beads around with me.  I didn’t know how to use them for prayer.  I was too afraid to search how to pray the Rosary online for fear that my uber Protestant parents would spaz on me!  Although I never used them for prayer, those beads provided me with strength and with comfort.  It was as if the love of Mary and of her Son Jesus were in those beads and every time I clutched them in my hand it was as if I was being held in their loving embrace.

After my mother passed in 2011, my relationship with our Holy Mother grew stronger.  It was at that time I actually began to use my Rosary with the assigned prayers.  And oh what joy it brought to my soul!  Whenever I was sad, downtrodden, scared, stressed, worried, or lonely I turned to my Rosary for comfort and encouragement.  Through life’s many battles, this little string of beads helped me to win the victory; just as the Christian forces over the Muslim Navy.

In today’s Gospel the Lord tells his disciples that He has given them the power of the enemy.  I say this is true in the power of the Rosary.  A gift….a spiritual weapon against the forces of evil….given to us by the Mother of God.  Through our faith in Jesus, through the intercession of the most blessed Virgin Mary, through the power of the Rosary, we have power and dominion over the forces of darkness.

Amen.