A Taxing Question
Memorial of Saint Boniface, bishop and martyr
Father Edward McIlmail, LC
Mark 12:13-17
Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensnare him in his
speech. They came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are a
truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone´s opinion. You do not
regard a person´s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we
not pay?" Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, "Why are you
testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at." They brought one to him and
he said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They replied
to him, "Caesar´s." So Jesus said to them, "Repay to Caesar what
belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." They were utterly
amazed at him.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come before You humbly. As
one who has frequently fallen into sin, I am aware of my weakness. Your great
love, though, assures me that Your grace can keep me on the path to holiness.
Petition: Give me guidance, Lord, on a big decision that I have to make.
1. Setting the Trap: The Pharisees and Herodians use an
old ploy ― flattery ― to try to trap Jesus. It is a ploy that enjoys a long
shelf-life. Flattery can cause us to lower our guard. "You´re an
intelligent person, why don´t you …?" Or: "You´re a good parent, you
already have two kids. You don´t really believe the Church on …?" Being
Christian in the world often means living among devious people. Hence, Jesus
warned us to "be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves" (Matthew
10:16). To maintain a balance, we have to live only for God. Is it Christ who
shapes my day?
2. Lying in Wait: They pose a false dilemma to Jesus. It´s
"either/or." Either Jesus must accept Caesar totally, or rebel
against Rome. Such is how the world sees it. It´s still either/or. Either we
embrace Darwinism (no questions asked), or we cling to Creationism. Either we
are tolerant of alternate lifestyles, or we are insufferable bigots. But things
are more complicated than that. Moreover, the Catholic faith is often
"both/and." Hence, we give to Caesar and to God what belongs to each.
And how do we decide what belongs to whom? That´s where things get tricky. And
that is precisely why we are called as Christians to develop our gifts, our
intelligence, our prayer life ― so as to make the right choices. Catholicism is
not a religion for robots. It demands that we use our freedom and gifts
responsibly to do God´s will. Am I using my gifts well? Do I develop my skills
and intellect so as to better serve God?
3. The Trap is Sprung, the Game is Over: Jesus´ response
floors his critics. Why? Partly because he throws the question back to them.
Now they have to decide what belongs to Caesar — and what belongs to God.
"You must decide," was Karol Wojtyla´s signature phrase as a
confessor. Nothing can so frighten us as freedom. It frightened Jesus´
audience. How am I using my own freedom? How am I using the time God gives me?
Conversation with Christ: Help me realize, Lord, that You are
calling me in freedom. You respect the freedom You gave me, even if I misuse it.
But I don´t want to misuse it. I want to render a good account of my life at
Judgment Day.
Resolution: I will read some Scripture or a few paragraphs from the Catechism or a
papal document today, to try to form myself better in the faith.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
140 Pure love is capable of
great deeds, and it is not broken by difficulty or adversity. As it remains
strong in the midst of great difficulties, so too it perseveres in the toilsome
and drab life of each day. It knows that only one thing is needed to please
God: to do even the smallest things out of great love-love, and always love.
Pure love never errs. Its light is strangely plentiful. It will not do anything that might displease God. It is ingenious at doing what is more pleasing to God, and no one will equal it. It is happy when it can empty itself and burn like a pure offering. The more it gives of itself, the happier it is. But also, no one can sense dangers from afar as can love; it knows how to unmask and also knows with whom it has to deal.
Pure love never errs. Its light is strangely plentiful. It will not do anything that might displease God. It is ingenious at doing what is more pleasing to God, and no one will equal it. It is happy when it can empty itself and burn like a pure offering. The more it gives of itself, the happier it is. But also, no one can sense dangers from afar as can love; it knows how to unmask and also knows with whom it has to deal.
143 +I have wasted many of God's
graces because I was always afraid of being deluded. God drew me to himself so
powerfully that often it was not in my power to resist his grace when I was
suddenly immersed in him. At these moments, Jesus filled me with such great
peace that, later on, even when I tried to become uneasy, I could not do so.
And then, I heard these words in my soul: In order that you may be assured
that it is I who am demanding all these things of you, I will give you such
profound peace that even if you wanted to feel troubled and frightened, it
would not be in your power to do so today, but love will flood your soul to the
point of self-oblivion.
146 Prayer.-A soul arms itself
by prayer for all kinds of combat. In whatever state the soul may be, it ought
to pray. A soul which is pure and beautiful must pray, or else it will lose its
beauty; a soul which is striving after this purity must pray, or else it will
never attain it; a soul which is newly converted must pray, or else it will
fall again; a sinful soul, plunged in sins, must pray so that it might rise
again. There is no soul which is not bound to pray, for every single grace
comes to the soul through prayer.
148 +A noble and delicate soul,
even the most simple, but one of delicate sensibilities, sees God in
everything, finds Him everywhere, and knows how to find Him in even the most
hidden things. It finds all things important, it highly appreciates all things,
it thanks God for all things, it draws profit for the soul from all things, and
it gives all glory to God. It places its trust in God and is not confused when
the time of ordeals comes. It knows that God is always the best of Fathers and
makes little of human opinion. It follows faithfully the faintest breath of the
Holy Spirit; it rejoices in this Spiritual Guest and holds onto Him like a
child to its mother. Where other souls come to a standstill and fear, this soul
passes on without fear or difficulty.
497 O Eternal Truth, Word
Incarnate, who most faithfully fulfilled Your Father's will, today I am
becoming a martyr of Your inspirations, since I cannot carry them out because I
have no will of my own, though interiorly I see Your will clearly. I submit in
everything to the will of my superiors and my confessor. I will follow Your
will insofar as You will permit me to do so through Your representative. O my
Jesus, it cannot be helped, but I give priority to the voice of the Church over
the voice with which You speak to me.
678 The essence of the virtues
is the will of God. He who does the will of God faithfully, practices all the
virtues. In all the events and circumstances of my life, I adore and bless the
holy will of God. The holy will of God is the object of my love. In the most
secret depths of my soul, I live according to His will. I act exteriorly
according to what I recognize inwardly as the will of God. Sweeter to me are
the torments, sufferings, persecutions and all manner of adversities by divine
will than popularity, praise and esteem by my own will.
724 On the eve of the retreat,
I started to pray that the Lord Jesus might give me just a little health so
that I could take part in the retreat, because I was feeling so ill that I
thought perhaps it might be my last. However, as soon as I had started praying
I felt a strange dissatisfaction. I interrupted the prayer of supplication and
began to thank the Lord for everything He sends me, submitting myself
completely to His holy will. Then I felt profound peace of soul. + Faithful
submission to the will of God, always and everywhere, in all events and
circumstances of life, gives great glory to God. Such submission to the will of
God carries more weight with Him than long fasts, mortifications and the most
severe penances. Oh, how great is the reward for one act of loving submission
to the will of God! As I write, my soul is enraptured at the thought of how
much God loves it and of the peace that my soul already enjoys, here on earth
923 February 7, [1937]. Today,
the Lord said to me, I demand of you a perfect and whole-burnt offering; an
offering of the will. No other sacrifice can compare with this one. I myself am
directing your life and arranging things in such a way that you will be for Me
a continual sacrifice and will always do My will. And for the accomplishment of
this offering, you will unite yourself with Me on the Cross. I know what you
can do. I myself will give you many orders directly, but I will delay the
possibility of their being carried out and make it depend on others. But what
the superiors will not manage to do, I myself will accomplish directly in your
soul. And in the most hidden depths of your soul, a perfect holocaust will be
carried out, not just for a while, but know, My daughter, that this offering
will last until your death. But there is time, so that I the Lord will fulfill
all your wishes. I delight in you as in a living host; let nothing terrify you;
I am with you.
954 Today after Holy Communion, the Lord told me, My daughter, My delight is to unite myself with you. It is when you submit yourself to My will that you give Me the greatest glory and draw down upon yourself a sea of blessings. I would not take such special delight in you if you were not living by my will. O my sweet Guest, I am prepared for all sacrifices for Your sake, but You know that I am weakness itself. Nevertheless, with You I can do all things. O my Jesus, I beseech You, be with me at each instant.
1122 God of great
mercy, who deigned to send us Your only begotten Son as the greatest proof of
Your fathomless love and mercy, You do not reject sinners; but in Your
boundless mercy You have opened for them also Your treasures, treasures from
which they can draw abundantly, not only justification, but also all the
sanctity that a soul can attain. Father of great mercy, I desire that all
hearts turn with confidence to Your infinite mercy. No one will be justified
before You if he is not accompanied by Your unfathomable mercy. When You reveal
the mystery of Your mercy to us, there will not be enough of eternity to properly
thank You for it.
1123 Oh, how sweet it is to have in the depth of one's soul that which the Church tells us we must believe. When my soul is immersed in love, I solve the most intricate questions clearly and quickly. Only love is able to cross over precipices and mountain peaks. Love, once again, love.
1123 Oh, how sweet it is to have in the depth of one's soul that which the Church tells us we must believe. When my soul is immersed in love, I solve the most intricate questions clearly and quickly. Only love is able to cross over precipices and mountain peaks. Love, once again, love.
1135 This deeper knowledge of God gives me full liberty and spiritual freedom, and nothing can disturb my close union with Him, not even the angelic powers. I feel that I am great when I am united to God. What happiness it is to have the consciousness of God in one's heart and to live in close intimacy with Him.
1141 In the evening, He gave me to understand how
fleeting all earthly things are, and [how] everything that appears great
disappears like smoke, and does not give the soul freedom, but weariness. Happy
the soul that understands these things and with only one foot touches the
earth. My repose is to be united with You; everything else tires me. Oh, how
much I feel I am in exile! I see that no one understands my interior life. You
alone understand me, You who are hidden in my heart and yet are eternally
alive.
1142 June 4. Today is the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. During Holy Mass, I was given the knowledge of the Heart of Jesus and of the nature of the fire of love with which He burns for us and of how He is an Ocean of Mercy. Then I heard a voice: Apostle of My mercy, proclaim to the whole world My unfathomable mercy. Do not be discouraged by the difficulties you encounter in proclaiming My mercy. These difficulties that affect you so painfully are needed for your sanctification and as evidence that this work is Mine. My daughter, be diligent in writing down every sentence I tell you concerning My mercy, because this is meant for a great number of souls who will profit from it.
1142 June 4. Today is the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. During Holy Mass, I was given the knowledge of the Heart of Jesus and of the nature of the fire of love with which He burns for us and of how He is an Ocean of Mercy. Then I heard a voice: Apostle of My mercy, proclaim to the whole world My unfathomable mercy. Do not be discouraged by the difficulties you encounter in proclaiming My mercy. These difficulties that affect you so painfully are needed for your sanctification and as evidence that this work is Mine. My daughter, be diligent in writing down every sentence I tell you concerning My mercy, because this is meant for a great number of souls who will profit from it.
1146 [Let]
the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before
others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy
towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To
such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the
greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I
justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a
just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass
through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice...
1147 When once I felt hurt because of a certain thing and
complained to the Lord, Jesus answered, My
daughter, why do you attach such importance to the teaching and the talk of
people? I myself want to teach you; that is why I arrange things so that you
cannot attend those conferences. In a single moment, I will bring you to know
more than others will acquire through many years of toil.
1148 cJune 20,
[1937]. We resemble God most when we forgive our neighbors. God is Love,
Goodness, and Mercy...
Every soul, and especially the soul of every religious, should reflect My mercy. My Heart overflows with compassion and mercy for all. The heart of My beloved must resemble Mine; from her heart must spring the fountain of My mercy for souls; otherwise I will not acknowledge her as Mine.
Every soul, and especially the soul of every religious, should reflect My mercy. My Heart overflows with compassion and mercy for all. The heart of My beloved must resemble Mine; from her heart must spring the fountain of My mercy for souls; otherwise I will not acknowledge her as Mine.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-140, 143, 146, 148, 497)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-678, 724, 23, 954)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1122-1123,1135, 1141-1142, 1146-1148)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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