20170814
THE RIGHT USE OF PRIVILEGES
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Red.
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First reading
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Deuteronomy 10:12-22 ©
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Moses said to the people:
‘Now,
Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you? Only this: to fear the Lord
your God, to follow all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with
all your heart and all your soul, to keep the commandments and laws of the Lord
that for your good I lay down for you today.
‘To the Lord
your God belong indeed heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth and all it
contains; yet it was on your fathers that the Lord set his heart for love of
them, and after them of all the nations chose their descendants, you
yourselves, up to the present day. Circumcise your heart then and be obstinate
no longer; for the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great
God, triumphant and terrible, never partial, never to be bribed. It is he who
sees justice done for the orphan and the widow, who loves the stranger and
gives him food and clothing. Love the stranger then, for you were strangers in
the land of Egypt. It is the Lord your God you must fear and serve; you must
cling to him; in his name take your oaths. He it is you must praise, he is your
God: for you he has done these great and terrible things you have seen with
your own eyes; and though your fathers numbered only seventy when they went
down to Egypt, the Lord your God has made you as many as the stars of heaven.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 147:12-15,19-20 ©
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O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
or
Alleluia!
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Zion, praise your God!
He has strengthened the bars of your gates
he has blessed the children within you.
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
or
Alleluia!
He established peace on your borders,
he feeds you with finest wheat.
He sends out his word to the earth
and swiftly runs his command.
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
or
Alleluia!
He makes his word known to Jacob,
to Israel his laws and decrees.
He has not dealt thus with other nations;
he has not taught them his decrees.
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps147:12,15
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Alleluia, alleluia!
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
He sends out his word to the earth.
Alleluia!
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Or
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cf.2Th2:14
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Through the Good News God called us
to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 17:22-27 ©
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One day when they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to his
disciples, ‘The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men;
they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised to life
again.’ And a great sadness came over them.
When they
reached Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Peter and said,
‘Does your master not pay the half-shekel?’ ‘Oh yes’ he replied, and went into
the house. But before he could speak, Jesus said, ‘Simon, what is your opinion?
From whom do the kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or
from foreigners?’ And when he replied, ‘From foreigners’, Jesus said, ‘Well
then, the sons are exempt. However, so as not to offend these people, go to the
lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that bites, open its mouth and there
you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for you.’
THE RIGHT USE OF PRIVILEGES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Dt 10:12-22; Ps 147:12-15,19-20; Mt 17:22-27 ]
Among the
laws laid down for the Jews, it was decreed that every male Jew over twenty
years of age was under the obligation to pay annual temple tax of one half-shekel,
equivalent to two days’ wages of a labourer. This was necessary for the
upkeep of the Temple, the sacrificial offerings, etc. In the gospel, the
Temple tax collectors, with an intent to find fault with Jesus, asked Peter,
“Does your master not pay the half-shekel?”
Using this
occasion, Jesus taught the disciples about the right use of privileges. Hence His question to Peter,
“From whom do the kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their
sons or from foreigners?” When Peter replied, “From foreigners”, Jesus
said, “Well then, the sons are exempt.” To understand the context of
Jesus’ argument, we must understand the obligation in the ancient days of an
occupied country having to pay taxes or tribute to their
conquerors. As subjects of the King, and since the kingdom belonged
to the king, all were required to pay tax. Obviously, the King and his
household did not pay tax to themselves. The owner of the house collected
rent from the tenant but not from himself or from his children.
Flowing from
this principle, Jesus was therefore exempted from paying the temple tax because
God is His Father. Jesus saw Himself as the Son of God. The Temple,
according to Jesus, was His Father’s house. Jesus told His parents, “Why
were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s
house?” (Lk 2:49)
Again, He said, “What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no
one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one. If I am
not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I
do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may
know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (Jn 10: 29,30, 37,38)
Indeed, what
is said of Jesus is true for all the Israelites and the Jews as well. In the first reading,
we read that God chose them from among all peoples. They were a
privileged group of people. Moses said, “To the Lord your God belong
indeed heaven and the heaven of heavens, and the earth and all it contains; yet
it was on your fathers that the Lord set his heart for love of them, and after
them of all the nations chose their descendants, you yourselves up to the
present day.” They were nobody and yet God chose them and helped
them to increase in number and strength. “He has done these great and
terrible things you have seen with your own eyes; and though your fathers
numbered only seventy when they went down to Egypt, the Lord your God has made
you as many as the stars of heaven.”
Yet such
privileges should not be abused as many do. In fact, those of us who have
received special privileges should use them for the good of others. This was what Jesus
told Peter. “However, so as not to offend these people, go to the lake and cast
a hook; take the first fish that bites, open its mouth and there you will find
a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for you.” According to
Jesus’ argument, there was no need for Him to pay tax, yet it was only right
that He should also pay to set a good example for others. Denying
ourselves of our privileges is what leaders are called to do so that they can
set an example for others. It is not enough to fulfill our duties and
obligations, we must also go beyond what is due to us. This is true leadership.
A master of the house does not need to clean up the house or help out in the
household chores but it would be a great example if he does it so that others
can learn from him the virtue of humility and mutual help. When we
deprive ourselves of our rights, we show our sincerity in service and love.
St Paul
himself refrained from using his rights for payment. “In the same way, the
Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by
the gospel. But I have made no use of any of these rights.” (1 Cor 9:14f)
“What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the
gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the
gospel.” (1 Cor 9:18) Paul was reminded of what the Lord told the
disciples. He did this not only so that he would not be a financial
burden on others but he wanted to be an example of a true worker for the Lord
and a servant of the gospel for others without conditions, and freely.
“Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.
You received without payment; give without payment.” (Mt 10:8)
He wanted to set for others an example of dedication and
responsibility to our tasks. “You remember our labor and toil, brothers
and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not be a burden to any
of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses,
and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you
believers.” (1 Th 2:9)
On this same
basis, the Israelites were reminded to treat the stranger well. “It is he who sees
justice done for the orphan and the widow, who loved the stranger and gives him
food and clothing. Love the stranger then, for you were strangers in the
land of Egypt.” Since “the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of
lords, the great God, triumphant and terrible, never partial, never to be
bribed”, they too must walk the ways of the Lord. This was what Moses
instructed the people, “What does the Lord your God ask of you? Only
this: to fear the Lord our God, to follow all his ways, to love him, to serve
the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul, to keep the
commandments and laws of the Lord that for your good I lay down for you
today.” Since the Israelites received the great privilege of being chosen
by the Lord to be His people, they too must extend the same privilege to
strangers because they were once strangers in the land as well. Those of
us who were once poor and now doing well in life must never forget the poor
people. God has blessed us with resources and opportunities so that we
can do the same for others. The privileges we receive are not for
ourselves but for the greater service of humanity.
By extension,
this principle of sharing our resources with others extends to all as well,
including civil authorities, for God is the King of all nations. It is
notable that by the time St Matthew wrote the gospel, the Temple was already
totally destroyed. After the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70,
the Roman Emperor decreed that the half-shekel Temple tax should now be paid
for the use of the Roman Temple. This created a religious tension because
it would go against their conscience to support a pagan temple. On the
other hand, if they rebelled, the Jews and the Christians would be seen as
disloyal and not just lacking patriotism. This story told by Matthew was
to help Christians to learn how to accommodate their faith with the obligations
of citizenship. There should not be a dichotomy between a
Christian’s commitment to the state and to his or her religion.
Otherwise, we would set a bad example of what it means to be a Christian.
But there is
also another lesson we can draw from today’s gospel, which is to be responsible
in earning our keep. Today’s miracle of the coin in the fish’s mouth must be
seen in context. Scholars generally doubt that Jesus literally asked
Peter to find a coin from the fish’s mouth to pay for the temple tax.
This would go against the principle of Jesus in using His miraculous power for
His self-gain. He rejected Satan in changing stones to bread when He was
hungry, or to jump from the pinnacle of the Temple to prove His identity.
(Cf Mt 4:1-11)
So it was unlikely that Jesus taught His disciples to abuse the grace of God to
do something which they could easily do themselves. This would only make
people lazy and irresponsible. Rather, most likely, Jesus was
telling Peter in a jest that he should go back to fishing for a day or so, so
that he could pay their Temple tax. And that is the way we should regard
God. As Christians, it does not mean that we may abuse our privileges as
God’s children, but we must be responsible adults, working with the grace of
God to do what we can, all we can, and then leave the rest to Him. God
helps those who help themselves.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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