First reading Deuteronomy 10:12-22
The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords
Moses said to the people:
‘Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you? Only this: to fear the Lord your God, to follow all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul, to keep the commandments and laws of the Lord that for your good I lay down for you today.
‘To the Lord your God belong indeed heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth and all it contains; yet it was on your fathers that the Lord set his heart for love of them, and after them of all the nations chose their descendants, you yourselves, up to the present day. Circumcise your heart then and be obstinate no longer; for the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, triumphant and terrible, never partial, never to be bribed. It is he who sees justice done for the orphan and the widow, who loves the stranger and gives him food and clothing. Love the stranger then, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. It is the Lord your God you must fear and serve; you must cling to him; in his name take your oaths. He it is you must praise, he is your God: for you he has done these great and terrible things you have seen with your own eyes; and though your fathers numbered only seventy when they went down to Egypt, the Lord your God has made you as many as the stars of heaven.’
Responsorial Psalm 147:12-15,19-20
Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 17:22-27
‘They will put the Son of Man to death’
One day when they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men; they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised to life again.’ And a great sadness came over them.
When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Peter and said, ‘Does your master not pay the half-shekel?’ ‘Oh yes’ he replied, and went into the house. But before he could speak, Jesus said, ‘Simon, what is your opinion? From whom do the kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or from foreigners?’ And when he replied, ‘From foreigners’, Jesus said, ‘Well then, the sons are exempt. However, so as not to offend these people, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that bites, open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for you.’
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Sadness in the face of suffering
Upon hearing Jesus speaking of His impending death, the disciples were sad because this was not what they wanted to hear. Like the disciples, we want nothing to do with suffering and the cross. Yet, Jesus knew that His suffering was a result of His mission of revealing God’s unconditional love to the people. Thus, He patiently accepted it and resolutely walked on towards it. When we say “Yes” to collaborate in the mission, we must understand that the cross forms part of the journey. With trust, we walk with Jesus and know that suffering will not have the last word but the joy of resurrection.
The gospel also tells us the story of Jesus and the temple tax. Every Jew was required to pay the temple tax. For Jesus, He was not obligated to pay since He was the Son of God. However, in order not to be a scandal for others, Jesus told Peter to go ahead and pay for it. What is Jesus’ message for us? Humility. We need to learn from Jesus how to be humble and not to insist on our right to provoke unnecessary offence.
Reflective question:
What is Jesus’ message to me today?
What is Jesus’ message to me today?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
