Tuesday 01 June

NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH                             

 

Introduction

We are shown today a man who, like Job, keeps trusting in God, even when he suffers. Tobias becomes blind and stands the ridicule of his wife and his neighbors, who taunt him by asking how all his good deeds have benefited him.

 

Opening Prayer

Lord, mighty God,
you lead the world and all humanity
to their destiny in you.
Give to the leaders of the world and of our country,
a vision of the future,
that is both imaginative and realistic
and respectful of human rights and dignity.
Help us bear witness in everyday life
to the values of the Gospel
and to be involved in the work
of freedom, integrity and justice.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

 

Reading 1: Tb 2:9-14

On the night of Pentecost, after I had buried the dead,
I, Tobit, went into my courtyard
to sleep next to the courtyard wall.
My face was uncovered because of the heat.
I did not know there were birds perched on the wall above me,
till their warm droppings settled in my eyes, causing cataracts.
I went to see some doctors for a cure
but the more they anointed my eyes with various salves,
the worse the cataracts became,
until I could see no more.
For four years I was deprived of eyesight, and
all my kinsmen were grieved at my condition.
Ahiqar, however, took care of me for two years,
until he left for Elymais.

At that time, my wife Anna worked for hire
at weaving cloth, the kind of work women do.
When she sent back the goods to their owners, they would pay her.
Late in winter on the seventh of Dystrus,
she finished the cloth and sent it back to the owners.
They paid her the full salary
and also gave her a young goat for the table.
On entering my house the goat began to bleat.

I called to my wife and said: “Where did this goat come from?
Perhaps it was stolen! Give it back to its owners;
we have no right to eat stolen food!”
She said to me, “It was given to me as a bonus over and above my wages.”
Yet I would not believe her,
and told her to give it back to its owners.
I became very angry with her over this.
So she retorted: “Where are your charitable deeds now?
Where are your virtuous acts?
See! Your true character is finally showing itself!”

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 112:1-2, 7-8, 9

(see 7c)The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.
or:
R.Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.
R. The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

 

Alleluia: Eph 1:17-18

Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to his call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel: Mk 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.

 

Intercession

–    That justice, love and responsible freedom may be the basis of the social order in the world and in our country, that all may live in peace and security, we pray:

–    That all citizens may have a strong sense of civic responsibility and actively participate toward the common welfare, we pray:

–    That the Church in our country may bear witness to God’s kingdom to all the nations of Asia; that our country may play a role of honor in the family of nations and cooperate to world peace and unity, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
we bring this bread and wine before you
as signs in which your Son, Jesus Christ,
relives his commitment to us.
May they also become the signs
of our responsibility toward our human community,
that with your Son, we may be ready
to bear witness to the values of the Gospel
and how these can lead society
to greater peace and love and friendship.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
you are about to send your people
gathered here around your Son
back to the human city,
to join forces with all
to build up the city of God as a leaven in the dough.
Make us sensitive to the needs of others
and help us to give to all equal chances  in life,
to build up communities of friendship and love
and to warm the earth
with a touch of your gentleness.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

 

Blessing

In this Eucharist, we have given thanks and praise to God not only as his people but also in the name of all humanity. May we fulfill our task of imbuing this world with the values of the Gospel, and may God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

Jesus’s answer to the intentions of the Pharisees sounds pretty straightforward and harmless: “Return to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” The Pharisees might have been a bit disappointed that the answer was so simple and commonsensical that they could not trap Jesus with it. 

But, how they missed the point! For, beneath the external simplicity of the statement lay a deeper truth.  Had they really understood the implications of what Jesus said, they would have been stunned into silence. For, if we give to God what truly belongs to God, then what is left for Caesar? Dorothy Day answers: “When you give to God what belongs to God, there is nothing left for Caesar.” David knew it: “Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours…. Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand (see 1 Chr. 29:10-14).  The Psalmist sings: “The earth belongs to the Lord, and everything in it—the world and all its people” (Ps. 24.1). 

    Do I give to God everything that belongs to Him, or do I claim anything as my own?