29th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A - Trust in God & “I Say Yes, My Lord”

In this weekend’s Gospel (Mt. 22:15-21), we encounter the Pharisees who were “hypocrites” filled with “malice” who sent some of their own disciples to try to trap Jesus. From the point of view of worldly wisdom, they set a very good trap. Most likely, the Pharisees sat and discussed this plot in great detail, instructing these messengers on exactly what to say. 

They began by complimenting Jesus telling Him they know He is a “truthful man.” They then go on to say that they know Jesus is “…not concerned with anyone’s opinion.” These two accurate qualities of Jesus are spoken because the Pharisees believe they can use them as the foundation of their trap. If Jesus is truthful and not concerned about others’ opinions, then surely they expect Him to declare that there is no need to pay the temple tax. The result of such a statement by Jesus would be that He would be arrested by the Romans.

The sad truth is that the Pharisees spend a tremendous amount of energy plotting and planning this malicious trap. The glorious truth is that Jesus spends hardly any energy dismantling their plot and revealing them for the malicious hypocrites they are. He states, “…repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

In our own lives, there are times when we may find ourselves face to face with the malicious intent and plotting of another.  But Jesus endured such malice so as to show us the way to handle the attacks and traps we may encounter in life. The answer is to stay grounded in the Truth and to respond with the wisdom of God. God’s wisdom penetrates and foils every human act of malice and trickery. Trust in His wisdom and abandon yourself to His perfect will, and you will find that He will guide you every step of the way.

In honour of this Gospel, we present our latest video, "I Say Yes, My Lord" a song about social justice issues and commitment to God, written by Donna Peña, a Mexican-American Roman Catholic music minister, musician and composer.

Video can be watched by clicking here or on the picture below: