Homilies for October

October 20 29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Background

Today's story is also about ingratitude. Jesus's enemies, having heard the good news about God's compassionate and reconciling love that Jesus had preached. They weren't interested in it. All they thought about was their own power (they weren't the last religious leaders like that). So they wanted to trick Jesus. If he said taxes shouldn't be paid to Caesar, then he'd be denounced to the Romans. If he said that the taxes should be paid, then he would be denounced to the strict Jews. Jesus deftly avoided their trap and at the same time laid down a rule of thumb that has served well every since, even if it has on occasioned twisted to justify behavior of which Jesus would never approve.

Story

Once upon a time a man was running for public office (not in a presidential election we'd better say today). He had studied very carefully the problems of the education of children. He had consulted with the best scholars, and teachers, and administrators. He talked parents and students. He worked very hard on a plan which he thought was flexible, creative, and both sensible and though. He had thought through the financial problems and worked out a way that his plan could be implemented without additional taxation. He said that he intended to proceed cautiously and carefully with the plan so that no impulsive mistakes would be made. He even named the men who would administer it, men would everyone acknowledged combined intelligence, integrity and ability. During the question period none of the media people ask him any questions about his educational reform plan. Rather they attacked and harassed him on how he would deal with the drug problems in high schools. That night on TV there was hardly a word about his educational reform. The headlines in the paper the next day were "candidate waffles on teenage drugs.