29th Sunday of the Year (A)

(Edited) Sunday reflections: (From) liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)

October 19, 2014
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 45:1, 4-6
Psalm 96
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b
Matthew 22:15-21

"Lord, we know you teach God's way sincerely."

The Lord teaches God's way with a hierarchy of values different from the Pharisees. The Pharisees teach that what matters is their Hebraic Law, which they see as above all; but, for Christ, the Father's love and His mercy is what is really greater than the Law. This Hebraic Law (all laws given by God through Moses and Jewish tradition) emphasizes the importance of rituals and liturgical legalities. So as the Pharisees tell Jesus that He does not follow the Law, Jesus defends Himself by saying that He came to fulfill the Law: to make His Spirit the law that frees man from sin and evil. It is a law not only based on Jewish legalities but a Law that is engraved in the heart of man. It is a Law based on faith in Christ.

When Jesus teaches from this perspective, the Pharisees and the Herodians of His time became increasingly hostile to His leadership. So these Jewish leaders try all means and ways to trap Him. One way they have done this is what the gospel presents this Sunday. The gospel shows how Jesus eludes the trap set by the Pharisees with the answer that obeying God need not conflict with the demands of the State (i.e., with Caesar and his taxation laws). His pronouncement of "give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's", makes one realize that following God's will need not necessarily conflict with the laws of a State. All that is necessary is to know what ought to be the focus of one's life and do what is required by the State.

The laws of any State are meant to bring order, peace and harmony to all individuals, families and institutions. This order brings basic services to the people, with respect to specific cultural differences. The laws of the Church has a mission to do the same, and much more: she teaches something universally true for all cultures. The Church follows Christ and acts as His light for the world - illuminating and guiding all the faithful with universal norms and truths. She provides the knowledge and wisdom to discern how each of the faithful should "give to Caesar what is Caesar's, [and] to give to God what is God's" (through her social encyclicals). It takes discipline to follow the counsel of Jesus, and to keep to a moral balance in one's relationship with both the Church and the State. Once the discipline is learned, one can live in a right relationship to God and the laws of the State.

Scripture quote:
"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, but give to God what is God's." (Matthew 22)

St. John Paul II (1996-2000 A.D.)

Series: On the life of John Paul II

From 1996 - 2000 A.D.

The Pope continues to suffer from his health

After having an artificial hip replacement, the Pope told the faithful that God was asking him to suffer in reparation for the offenses against the culture of life. In 1996 A.D., he also had his appendix removed. It was during this period that the first symptoms of Parkinson's disease gradually appeared and started to affect his work. His left hand started to shake uncontrollably, but the Pope was brave and still made public appearances. As he traveled the world, he no longer knelt, bent down, and then kissed the ground after coming down from the plane: instead, he was offered a tray of national soil to kiss without stooping.

No stranger to human suffering

The Holy Father is no stranger to human suffering. By the time he was 20 years old, he had buried his parents and his older brother. He had endured repression first from the Nazis and then from the Communists. Every day, he hears painful stories that prompt him to express his solidarity with all who are hurting. He sends papal telegrams to heads of state and local bishops. The message would be either a response to a natural disaster or the violent death of a missionary. Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls would also report that, upon receiving news of a disaster or tragedy, the Pope goes into his private chapel to pray for the victims. Prayer is very important to this missionary Pope.

Meeting with one of the last communists

Many believe John Paul II helped set in motion the events that led to the end of Russian communism. When the Kremlin cut off its decades old aid pipeline to Cuba, Fidel Castro (Cuba's revolutionary leader), was instantly transformed into an isolated ruler of an increasingly beleaguered island nation. When John Paul II visited Cuba in January 21-25, 1998 A.D., he forcefully directed the local Church to embrace spiritual, and not political revolution. In his sermons, he extolled the virtues of "freedom of expression". With this, the Cuban people erupted with a chant of "Libertad! Libertad!". Though the Pope's trip to Cuba did not prompt the push for freedom which the people chanted for, the Pope and Cuban leader Fidel Castro ended nevertheless with a balance of power. Half of Cuba stuck with their political icon Che Guevarra, while the other half continued to be loyal and devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Millenium Fever

John Paul made it clear that those seeking the clue to his life, times and vocation to the papacy would find it in the coming third millenium (the Jubilee Year 2000 A.D.). He had declared: "In fact, preparation for the Year 2000 A.D. has become, as it were, a hermeneutical (a term used in the study of the Scripture) key of my Pontificate." The coming millenium would show the meaning of his papacy, opportunities to make connections, to read the signs, and know the Third Secret of Fatima. As the third millenium dawned, the Jubilee Year 2000 A.D. had been preceded by a flurry of renovations in the Eternal City. John Paul's schedule was packed with many ceremonies. On Christmas Eve, he opened the holy door of St. Peter's to a fanfare of ivory tusk horns. Christ, the Pope told the assembly, is "the door of our salvation," but "people often seek the truth elsewhere" - truth seen in modern ways of living. On New Year's Day, he opened another holy door at St. Mary Major.

On an Extraordinary Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Since becoming Pope, John Paul had longed to revisit the sites where Christ stood, and to bring his message of peace to the violence-scarred region. After heeding the advice of his senior advisers to put off the visit, in 1999 A.D., he overrode their concerns and announced a trip to the Holy Land. The Holy Father tailored his journey as a pilgrimage to the sacred sites of the three great religions that recognized Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. On February 24, 2000 A.D., the Pope flew to Egypt; two days later, he visited Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments were handed to Moses. Day of Pardon

Before the Pope undertook the central part of his Holy Land pilgrimage, like other pilgrims, he sought a clean conscience - for himself and for the Church. On March 12, 2000 A.D., the first Sunday of Lent, at St. Peter's Basilica, the Holy Father prayed to inspire renewed fidelity to the message of the Gospel. He also acknowledged and examined the offenses committed in the name of the Roman Catholic Church over the centuries. "Never again offenses against any people...never again acts of discrimination, exclusion, oppression, contempt for the poor and the defenseless." It was an act unprecedented in the history of the Church: the Pope had taken the Church to confession.

Back to the Holy Land Pilgrimage

On March 20, 2000 A.D., the Holy Father flew to Jordan to visit the site of Christ's baptism by John the Baptist. His next stop was Israel: a visit to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem; a visit to the Garden of Gethsemane, and the cenacle on Mount Zion - where the Pope prayed intently. But the two most poignant and unforgettable moments of the Pope were his prayer at the Western Wall and his visit to Israel's Holocaust memorial at Yad Vashem. Here, the Pope asked forgiveness for centuries of Catholic sins against the Jews.

A Visit to Fatima, Portugal

On Saturday, May 13, 2000 A.D., the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, before a crowd of a million faithful, John Paul presided at a beatification Mass for the two seers of Fatima, Francisco and Jacinta Marto - both of whom died at an early age. Sister Lucia dos Santos, the third seer, was ninety-three years old at the time. On the previous day, May 12, 2000 A.D., the Pope had arrived at the Fatima Shrine with Cardinal Sodano, his Secretary of State. That evening, he prayed in the Chapel of the Apparitions and left a small red box at the foot of Our Lady of Fatima's statue. The red box contained a ring given to him by Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, former primate of all Poland when John Paul was elected Pope. It was also during these eventful days that the Holy Father gave permission to Cardinal Sodano, Secretary of State, to divulge the Third Secret of Fatima - a secret delivered by Sis. Lucia dos Santos to Pope Pius XII (a devotee of the cult), fifty-six years ago.

Edited from the following sources

• The Pope Coming from the East, by Teresio Bosco, S.D.B.
• An Intimate Portrait: John Paul II, by Mark Bakermans
• The Pontiff in Winter, by John Cornwell
• Pope John Paul II: Champion of Faith, by TV Guide Magazine Group, Inc.
• Special Report: The 25 Years of Pope John Paul II, Vatican Information Service
• John Paul II: A Great Pope Passes into History, Readers Digest (June 2005 A.D.)
• John Paul II: 1920-2005 A.D., Newsweek Special Double Issue (April 11/April 18, 2005 A.D.)

A Gift of Enduring Love by Joseph Durepos

On Pope John Paul II: Go In Peace - A Gift of Enduring Love, edited by Joseph Durepos.

This book speaks about the spirituality of John Paul II and is edited by Joseph Durepos. The book shows Pope John Paul II's thoughts on many subjects and topics. The title of the book is an apt summary of John Paul II's before he passed away in 2005.

Good spiritual reading

The title of the book, "Go in Peace", is the context and background of all that John Paul II stood for in his work and mission of peace. In the very first pages of the book, there is a quote from him that says, "Peace is not a utopia, nor an inaccessible ideal, nor an unrealizable dream ... Peace is possible". As one reads the first pages of the book, the words of John Paul II come from a soul who brings peace - the peace which he could only received from his personal relationship with Christ.

Prayers and Quotations

At the end of each chapter in the book, there are prayers and more quotations from John Paul II. These prayers and quotations are concrete expressions of his thoughts and feelings on the subject and theme discussed in every chapter. Each chapter is easy to read and can pass as light reading material. And to fully benefit from the book, one must read it slowly to fully comprehend the richness in meaning in what he wrote.

Titles of the Chapters

• On Prayer
• On Forgiveness and Reconciliation
• On Jesus
• On Faith and Belief
• On Living in the World
• On Morality and the Christian Conscience
• On the Church
• On the Eucharist and the Mass
• On the Family
• On Suffering
• On Christian Vocation and Working in the World
• On God the Father

Be Not Afraid, Go in Peace

At the beginning of John Paul II's pontificate, his message of "Be Not Afraid", taken from Scripture, encourages the Church to witness to the world with the message of the gospel. This message is highlighted in the book, "Crossing the Threshold of Hope". There are more written resources of his spiritual message. The book "Go in Peace" is one of the final messages he gives to the Church. The spirit of the Gospel pervades in all of his thoughts and messages.

A spirituality that will continue to encourage and inspire

The Church is very fortunate to be gifted with a leader in the stature of John Paul II. He has touched the lives of many people who encountered him personally in his missionary journeys. A lot of people are waiting to have the title, the Great, after his name. So far only two popes have this title: Gregory the Great and Leo the Great. There is really something great in what John Paul II witnessed to the world since his teachings are rooted in the gospel and in his relationship with God. In the final prayer published in the book, one will sense the greatness of his spiritual message:

I leave you now with this prayer:

that the Lord Jesus will reveal Himself to each one of you, that He will give you the strength to go out and profess that you are Christian, that He will show you that He alone can fill your hearts. Accept His freedom and embrace His truth, and be messengers of the certainty that you have been truly liberated through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This will be the new experience, the powerful experience, that will generate, through you, a more just society and a better world. God bless you, and may the joy of Jesus be always with you. Amen.