In today’s Gospel Story (Matthew 22:15-21) the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus into violating a law, depending on how he answered their tax question, of Rome or the Temple. Jesus changed the focus by saying, “give to Caesar what is Caesars, and to God what is God’s”. The majority report sees it as telling people the obey the government. As usual, the minority report is as personal as I let it be in my life.
Jesus tells us to “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”. These two might not be all that far apart — in every part of our life to live the Gospel that Jesus showed when he was among us. He calls me to imitate him in my dealings with everybody, no exceptions. Every one I meet, including Caesar’s people, is carrying a burden of some sort that I know nothing about. Perhaps I can render to Caesar the kindness I experience from God in my life. This does not mean anything like consenting to wrong or evil being done by anybody, any system, even or especially Caesar. It does mean asking the Spirit to guide me in how I live caring and kindness.
I’ve spent a good portion of my life giving to Caesar during my service in the Army. The oath we take upon entering the military ends with the phrase, “so help me God”. This means it is in our attempting to live up to the highest values and ideals of the military system and culture that we recognize God happening. The Army Values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage; there is nothing about them that is not compatible with the gospel. Our giving to Caesar involves our living these values to the best of our ability, bringing our sense of these to situations we encounter daily, not just combat and war, but in the most human of situations. Our giving to God is our ongoing search and openness for the Spirit speaking to us and guiding us in our every day living. Together with the desire to find Abba in everything, we recognize there are times when giving to God and to Caesar are pretty much the same thing, basically trying to live as Jesus lived. And so we try to live our “so help me God”.
Thinking of all this, since my retirement I have learned more about the Army from people who have never served than I ever knew on active duty. I wonder how I could have missed so much, (a bit of humor, but true).
Thomas Merton: “So much depends on our idea of God! Yet no idea of Him, however pure and perfect, is adequate to express Him as He really is. Our idea of God tells us more about ourselves than about Him.” Teilhard de Chardin: “by virtue of Creation and still more, of Incarnation, nothing here below is profane ( . secular) for those who know how to see” and, “Above all, trust in the slow work of God . . . your ideas mature gradually—let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undue haste. Don’t try to force them . . . Above all, trust in the slow work of God”. Life is one. It is not divided into religious and secular. It is the same Abba happening in all situations and circumstances. I have to be careful that I don ’t see my idea of Abba as the only “correct” one. There is enough of that sort of thing already, and it causes great harm and suffering. Healing church hurt is becoming its own form of ministry, one that is sorely needed these days. A lot of suffering is alleged to be done in the name of our loving Abba.
We may come to the sense that we are on a journey, and our traveling companions are the people we meet at different points our life on our journey. Everyone in our life is with us, and we with them, because in the loving providence of Abba, we need each other. In its own way, our wandering and wondering becomes an exciting experience as everyday events, especially the unexpected ones, take on a new depth and richness. Living with the Welcome Prayer opens us to new ways of thinking and seeing. And also Mychal;’s Prayer : “Lord, take me where you want me to go, Let me meet who you want me to to meet, Let me say what you want me to say, do what you want me to do, And, keep me out of your way. And if I move in a direction that is not of you, please stop me”. When we open and willing, these become a way of life. We come to realize that holiness does not mean going to church and thinking holy thoughts. Holiness means becoming involved in the suffering and loneliness all around us, realizing that everywhere, especially these places, are sacred spaces where Abba in us is moving us to Abba who is already there.
There are several quotes in this writing because they put into words what I cannot put into words. They speak to me, so maybe they will speak to you, whoever you are, wherever you are. Also, I am thinking of two wonderful friends getting married today, and a phone conversation we had yesterday about family. So here is another quote: Pádraig Ó Tuama, “The only place to begin is where I am, and whether by desire or disaster, I am here. My being here is not dependent on my recognition of the fact. I am here anyway. But it might help if I could learn to look around.” . . . Prayer can be a rhythm that helps us make sense in times of senselessness, not offering solutions, but speaking to and from the mystery of humanity.” Just sayin . . .