First Reading - Ezekiel 1:2-5,24-28
Gospel - Matthew 17:22-27
The first reading opens with the vision of the glory of God seen by Ezekiel. This happens perhaps when Ezekiel was already 30 years. According to Numbers 4:3, priests normally began their temple service in their thirtieth year. This date also means that Ezekiel grew up during the reform years of King Josiah (640-690 B.C.). Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry was in a sense a compensation for the priestly ministry which the misfortune of exile had snatched away from him. When his moment of ministry was due to begin, God summoned him to another sphere of work. The priest was commissioned as a prophet. The call of the prophet Ezekiel comes in keeping with the law of Moses. This is to say, God also respects the law.
The gospel of the day can be divided into two parts. The first part speaks about the second passion prediction of Jesus and the second part mentions about the duty to give tax. The first part certainly evokes a sad feeling because it repeats the prediction of the passion and death of Jesus by himself to his disciples. However, this also draws our attention to an act of loving obedience of Jesus to his father through this action. Jesus obeys his father by his passion and death.
The second part of the passage draws our attention to the following of the civil law or the law of the Church. In this section, Jesus is faced with the problem of temple tax. This incident also recalls the historical situation of the early Christian community who were in dilemma whether to give temple tax to Jews or not because they had embraced a new way of life in Jesus. This dilemma is resolved by the beautiful example of Jesus, although he was not obliged to give tax but in order to support the Law and avoid any scandal or threat, he consented to give it.
Dear friends, any kind of law or regulation that curbs our freedom can be unpleasant and choking but when we realise that this is for a good purpose, then we can get reconciled with the situation. The first reading beautifully recounts the call of Ezekiel in keeping with the law. The other side we also see that Jesus willingly and delightfully obeyed his father, for he knew that was required for a greater purpose. Furthermore, the second part of the gospel passage also suggests that in order to exclude any kind of scandals, if the law has a good purpose, we should obey the law; the civil or the Church. The law can become oppressive if we are concerned about only oneself at the cost of others (I want good for myself alone) but when we realise and understand that the law is really meant to achieve a greater good, then we will certainly appreciate and respect that.
Secondly, the readings also remind us that we are given a law enshrined in our hearts, that is our conscience, which plays a vital role in our lives. Our conscience helps us recognise the voice of God and encourages us to strive to seek goodness for the society and others according to the will of God. Hence, we need to check our conscience everyday to keep track of our life - whether it's self-centred, God-centered or the Other-centered.
May God help us see the underlying values of the Lord.
.jpeg)
0 Comments