LITURGY NOTES FOR THE 29th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
Twenty Ninth Sunday of the Year
October 22nd, 2017
Suggested formula for recognition of indigenous people and their land.
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we stand
We pay our respects to them for their care of the land
May we walk gently and respectfully upon the land.
or
I acknowledge the living culture of the ……..people,
the traditional custodians of the land we stand on,
and pay tribute to the unique role they play in the life of this region.
or
As we gather today let us acknowledge the local traditional custodians of this land,
and the first people that live in our own respective areas
.........for they have performed age-old ceremonies
of storytelling, music, dance, celebrations and renewal
and along with all Aboriginal people,
hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal Australia.
We acknowledge this living culture and its unique role in the life of Australia today
and acknowledge with honour and respect our Elders
past, present and future and pay our respects to those who have,
and still do, guide us with their wisdom.
Finally, we acknowledge with shame that much suffering
still endures to the present generation.
We pray today with faith and hope
for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and ourselves
that God’s mercy and justice will walk
in our lives, our communities and in the heart of our nation
Readings
Reading I Is 45:1, 4-6
Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10
Reading II 1 Thes 1:1-5b
Gospel Mt 22:15-21
Penitential Prayer
· God of light and love, you empower us to give back what belongs to you so that we act with compassion and reconciliation rather than act with hatred and revenge. Jesus, have mercy.
· God of light and love, you inspire us to give back to you what belongs to you by finding ways to understanding and healing rather than stereotyping, judging and attacking. Christ, have mercy.
· God of light and love, you call us to give back to you what belongs to you by energising us to act passionately for a more just society rather than being apathetic and complacent. Jesus, have mercy.
Opening Prayer
God light and love,
it is your image that we bear,
it is your name we carry,
and yours is the world and all it contains.
You gently lead all humanity and all creation
towards your Reign.
Give to leaders of the nations
an imagination vision of the future
that is respectful of the dignity of all people.
May we bear witness daily
by our undivided service of the gospel
to do the work of freedom, integrity and justice.
Prayer over the Gifts
as we bring and look upon this bread and wine before you
we look upon our beautiful yet broken world.
May we see that your love and presence
continues to shape our lives
so that we make that love visible
through our commitment
to work for peace and reconciliation.
Prayer after Communion
God of light and love,
may this Eucharist help us each day
to go back into the world.
Make us sensitive to the needs of others
and help us to work for the equality of all,
by building up communities of friendship and love
and remaining faithful to Jesus, the peaceful one.
Prayers of the Faithful
Introduction: Let us pray to the God of light and love, that as we look upon the beauty of the world and all that it contains, we are mindful too of its hurting and brokenness. We pray in response: Guide us on the road to justice and peace, O God
· That the followers of Jesus may have the courage to challenge rules, laws and systems that endanger people’s dignity and faith, we pray, Guide us on the road to justice and peace, O God.
· That the Church everywhere may speak out loudly and fearlessly fear for peace and the rights and dignity of the human person, we pray: Guide us on the road to justice and peace, O God.
· That the 30 million women, men and children currently held in slavery-like conditions: may those who have been bought, sold or kidnapped for the monetary benefit of others, finally have their human dignity restored, we pray: Guide us on the road to justice and peace, O God.
· That political leaders will not use fear for political gain to manipulate people into accepting draconian laws that infringe on human and civil rights, we pray: Guide us on the road to justice and peace, O God
· That leaders in both sides of politics, in the toxic environment that has developed, come to their senses on asylum seekers and refugees and develop and empathy for the vulnerable people who are forced to flee violence and persecution, we pray: Guide us on the road to justice and peace, O God
· That on this anniversary of the sinking of the SIEV-X in 2001, we remember all those who have lost their lives in all parts of the world by seeking freedom from war and oppression, we pray: Guide us on the road to justice and peace, O God
· That those who mourn their dead members of their families and friends due to terrorist actions and all other forms of violence in our world, may be touched in their pain and grieving and find hope and peace in the One who shares their pain, we pray: Guide us on the road to justice and peace, O God
· That those who work in the emergency services – nurses, ambulance officers and doctors may see their work as a vital part of the healing process, we pray: Guide us on the road to justice and peace, O God
· That justice, love and responsible freedom continue to be the basis of the social order in our country and in the world, so that all may live in peace and security, we pray: Guide us on the road to justice and peace, O God
· That all peoples may share equitably in the goods of world, and that the state and civic organisations may help and protect the weak and the victims of calamities, we pray: Guide us on the road to justice and peace, O God
· That peace will be established among the nations, among neighbors, within communities and families; we pray: Guide us on the road to justice and peace, O God
Concluding Prayer: God of light and love, hear the prayers of your people gathered here today and gathered everywhere in the world. Give strength and courage to all so that we may faithfully continue our journey together towards the fulfilment of the reign of God with renewed hope.
Resources
Demands involving the distribution of wealth, concern for the poor and human rights cannot be suppressed under the guise of creating a consensus on paper or a transient peace for a contented minority. The dignity of the human person and the common good rank higher than the comfort of those who refuse to renounce their privileges. When these values are threatened, a prophetic voice must be raised.
Pope Francis
The Gospel has an intrinsic principle of totality: it will always remain good news until it has been proclaimed to all people, until it has healed and strengthened every aspect of humanity, until it has brought all men and women together at table in God’s kingdom. The whole is greater than the part.
Pope Francis
Some industrialised countries might be arguing
that climate change would hurt their economic development.
Sadly, I say, no!
Climate change is not an issue of economic growth;
it is an issue of human survival
Anote Tong, President of Kiribati, June 2008
We do not arm ourselves against any nation; we do not learn the art of war; because, through Jesus Christ, we have become the children of peace.
Origen of Alexandria
That root cause is, as I see it, the belief that we are separate from each other, from other species, and from the earth itself. It’s separateness that kills, that sets the stage for, and then allows us to turn away from, injustices of all kinds.’
G. Scott Brown, from an article The Death Penalty, War, Environmental Crisis: The Root Cause Is The Same, Countercurrents September 30, 2011
‘Modern slavery is a crime against humanity. We must unite our efforts to free the victims and stop this increasingly aggressive crime which threatens not only individuals but the basic values of society and of international security and justice, to say nothing of the economy, and the fabric of the family and our coexistence.’
Pope Francis
‘The Quran granted humans their freedom to believe or disbelieve.
Islam prohibited the kidnapping of women and children, and as slavery was prevalent in that age, Islam made freeing a slave equal to erasing sins, and made all humans equal in front of Allah, with only knowledge and good deeds to elevate one over another.’
Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar
‘Trafficking in human beings is one of the greatest scandals and tragedies of our age. It is intolerable that millions of fellow human beings should be violated in this way, subjected to inhuman exploitation and deprived of their dignity and rights. This outrage should concern each one of us, because what affects one part of humanity affects us all. Virtually every part of this world is touched in some way by the cruelty and violence associated with this criminal activity.’
Archbishop Justin Welby
Sacred Scripture continually speaks to us of an active commitment to our neighbour and demands of us a shared responsibility for all of humanity. This duty is not limited to one's own family, nation or state, but extends progressively to all . . . so no one can consider himself or herself extraneous or indifferent to the lot of another member of the human family
Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, no. 51
The Church has the right, indeed the duty, to proclaim justice on the social, national and international level, and to denounce instances of injustice, when the fundamental rights of people and their very salvation demand it.
World Synod of Catholic Bishops, Justice in the World, no. 36
Sacred Scripture continually speaks to us of an active commitment to our neighbor and demands of us a shared responsibility for all of humanity. This duty is not limited to one's own family, nation or state, but extends progressively to all . . . so no one can consider himself or herself extraneous or indifferent to the lot of another member of the human family.
John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, 51
The acquisition of worldly goods can lead (men) to greed, to the unrelenting desire for more, to the pursuit of greater personal power. Rich and poor alike-be they individuals, families or nations-can fall prey to avarice and soul stifling materialism.
Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progresso
Founded to build the kingdom of heaven on earth rather than to acquire temporal power, the Church openly avows that the two powers--Church and State--are distinct from one another; that each is supreme in its own sphere of competency. But since the Church does dwell among people, she has the duty 'of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel.' Sharing the noblest aspirations of people and suffering when she sees these aspirations not satisfied, she wishes to help them attain their full realization. So she offers her distinctive contribution: a global perspective on people and human realities.
Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progresso
As nightfall does not come all at once,’ he wrote, ‘neither does oppression. In both instances there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air - however slight - lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.
William O. Douglas Supreme Court Justice
What do we mean by the Revolution? The war? That was no part of the revolution; it was only an effect and consequence of it. The revolution was in the minds of the people, and this was effected from 1760 - 1775, in the course of fifteen years, before a drop of blood was shed at Lexington.
John Adams, Letter to Thomas Jefferson, August 24, 1815
It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds’.
Samuel Adams
There are men - now in power in this country - who do not respect dissent, who cannot cope with turmoil, and who believe that the people (of America) are ready to support repression as long as it is done with a quiet voice and a business suit.
John Lindsay
The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.
Archibald Macleish
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
Reverend Martin Niemöller, (1892-1984) German Lutheran pastor, was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Dachau in 1938. He was freed by the allied forces in 1945
Each time a (man) stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.
Robert Francis Kennedy (US. attorney general and adviser, 1925-1968)
Resistance is feasible even for those who are not heroes by nature, and it is an obligation, I believe, for those who fear the consequences and detest the reality of the attempt to impose American hegemony.
Noam Chomsky
We must move past indecision to action. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.
Martin Luther King Jr, delivered 4 April 1967, Riverside Church, New York City
Sacred Scripture continually speaks to us of an active commitment to our neighbour and demands of us a shared responsibility for all of humanity. This duty is not limited to one's own family, nation or state, but extends progressively to all . . . so no one can consider himself or herself extraneous or indifferent to the lot of another member of the human family.
Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, no. 51
Founded to build the kingdom of heaven on earth rather than to acquire temporal power, the Church openly avows that the two powers--Church and State--are distinct from one another; that each is supreme in its own sphere of competency. But since the Church does dwell among people, she has the duty 'of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel.' Sharing the noblest aspirations of people and suffering when she sees these aspirations not satisfied, she wishes to help them attain their full realization. So she offers her distinctive contribution: a global perspective on people and human realities.
Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progresso
It is absolutely necessary that international conflicts should not be settled by war, but that other methods better befitting human nature should be found. Let a strategy of non-violence be fostered.
World Synod of Catholic Bishops, Justice in the World, no. 65
The acquisition of worldly goods can lead men to greed, to the unrelenting desire for more, to the pursuit of greater personal power. Rich and poor alike--be they individuals, families or nations--can fall prey to avarice and soul stifling materialism.
Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progresso
In the mystery of social love there is found the realization of ‘the other’ not only as one to be loved by us, so that we may perfect ourselves, but also as one who can become more perfect by loving us. The vocation to charity is a call not only to love but to be loved. The man who does not care at all whether or not he is loved is ultimately unconcerned about the true welfare of the other and of society. Hence we cannot love unless we also consent to be loved in return.
The life of ‘the other’ is not only a supplement, an adjunct to our own. Our companionship is our helper, and it is in helping one another that we give glory to God. What is seen singly and indivisibly in His One Nature and Three Persons, should be seen refracted and multiplied in the many subsisting natures of men united with one another in society.
Thomas Merton, The New Man
You can do what you want, but we shall go on loving you. Put us in prisons and we shall go on loving you. Let them throw bombs at our houses, threaten our children, and, however hard it may be, we shall love these too. Let them send hired killers in the dark of midnight, let them strike us, and even if we are dying, we shall love them.
Martin Luther King Jr
Prisons, like wars, are public admissions of defeat for humanity. Whenever possible, alternatives for incarceration must be searched for and implemented.
Catholic Bishops of the South on the Criminal Justice process and a gospel response.
Artwork by Ade Bethun
This I Dare Believe
This is God’s world, and it is not aimless.
Time has a purpose and God is its steward.
Loving God, I believe, scatter my unbelief.
It is not possible that greed and injustice are forever.
It is not possible that the meek will always stay dispossessed.
It is not possible that peacemakers must inevitably fail.
It is not possible that nations will always make war.
It is not possible that the merciful will be for ever be scorned.
It is not possible that forgiveness will at last dry up.
It is not possible that the weak are doomed to be down trodden.
It is not possible that the hungry will always go unsatisfied.
It is not possible that sincere hearts will always be exploited.
It is not possible that laughter shall finally be stilled.
It is not possible that fear will always outwit love.
It is not possible that the cynics will always be right.
It is not possible that goodness will have flowered in vain.
It is not possible that death will render all things futile.
It is not possible that Jesus will ever be forgotten.
It is not possible that faith will die out on earth.
Christ holds God’s secret in open, wounded hands,
Christ is our future and all will be redeemed.
Loving God I believe, scatter my unbelief.
Source Unknown
No Freedom
Don Nash
There is no freedom when there is atrocity.
There is no freedom when there is genocide.
There is no freedom when there is hate.
There is no freedom when there is injustice.
Freedom is the dream of all people.
Freedom is the dream for dignity.
Freedom is the dream for equality.
Freedom is the dream for respect.
There is no freedom under lying politicians.
There is no freedom with nuclear proliferation.
There is no freedom with preemptive war.
There is no freedom when there is torture.
Freedom seems a fading dream.
Freedom hides from the dogs of war.
Freedom dies at the hands of politicians.
Freedom needs a champion.
Freedom still is the hope of children.
© Copyright 2003 by AxisofLogic.com
People who advocate freedom, yet deprecate agitation, are people who want crops without plowing the ground. They want rain without the awful roar of the thunder and lightning. Without struggle, there is no progress. This struggle might be a moral one. It might be a physical one. It might be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. People may not get all that they pay for in this world, but they certainly pay for all that they get.
Frederick Douglas (1817-1896)
That which distinguishes us from all the animals is our capacity to be nonviolent. And we fulfill our mission only to the extent that we are nonviolent and no more.
M.K. Gandhi, ‘Nonviolence: The Greatest Force’
Power can guarantee the interests of some, but it can never foster the good of all. Power always protects the good of some at the expense of all the others.’ Thomas Merton, Blessed are the meek blessed.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, ‘Religion in Modern Society’
The names of the heroes,
I was taught to memorize.
They had guns in their hands,
And God on their side.
For you don’t count the dead,
with God on our side.
Bob Dylan ‘God on Our Side’
The Rebel Jesus [Jackson Browne]
All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants' windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
Will be gathering around the hearths and tables
Giving thanks for God's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus
Well they call him by 'the Prince of Peace'
And they call him by 'the Saviour'
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavour
And they fill his churches with their pride and gold
As their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worship in
From a temple to a robber's den
In the words of the rebel Jesus
We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why there are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus
But pardon me if I have seemed
To take the tone of judgement
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In a life of hardship and of earthly toil
We have need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus
Jackson Browne
To preserve their [the people's] independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our selection between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude.
Thomas Jefferson
We kill at every step, not only in wars, riots, and executions. We kill when we close our eyes to poverty, suffering, and shame. In the same way all disrespect for life, all hard-heartedness, all indifference, all contempt is nothing else than killing. With just a little witty scepticism we can kill a good deal of the future in a young person. Life is waiting everywhere, the future is flowering everywhere, but we only see a small part of it and step on much of it with our feet.’
Hermann Hesse, German poet and novelist.
…..most men have bound their eyes with one or another handkerchief, and attached themselves to some one of these communities of opinion. This conformity makes them not false in a few particulars, authors of a few lies, but false in all particulars. Their every truth is not quite true. Their two is not the real two, their four not the real four; so that every word they say chagrins us, and we know not where to begin to set them right.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, ‘Self Reliance’, Essays.
Reflections on the Readings
In the 1960’s anthropologist Mircea Eliade, in his book The Sacred and the Profane dealt with our tendency to divide the universe into God's world and our world. God looks tends to the sacred and we tend to the rest. Occasionally [Sundays] we may come in contact with the sacred but mostly we live in the profane world where God has little impact. It struck me last year when along four other people were before a magistrate for having participated in a nonviolent protest at the office of the Prime Minister. After being told by the magistrate that ‘this is a court of law, not a court of conscience’ he proceeded to misquote from today’s gospel: ‘Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’ I wanted to tell him he did not what he was talking about but I remembered I was not alone before him!! It reflects again the dichotomy we make in our lives and action.
This dichotomy was broken in one short statement where at Jesus’ death ‘the veil of the temple’ was torn in two from top to bottom’. This image destroys the artificial division between the sacred and the profane. Every thing, every place and everyone is sacred. God is present and part of our everyday lives. Yet, many people want to sew up that veil in order to separate the sacred and the profane again.
The quote, ‘Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s’ is often used to defend the way things are in the world. It implies that Jesus had no interest in economic or political questions. Yet, we know Jesus was very interested in economic questions and their impact on people. For Jesus, the money-question is the power it has over people; how it possesses us, how it is tied up with our sense of worth, how it takes over our desires and imagination to such an extent that we do not easily imagine ourselves into the lives other people and feel empathy for them. The promise of lower taxes pleases many people. There is much public sentiment against paying taxes….especially, when paid to a foreign and occupying power as in Jesus’ time. Jesus’ view is broader. He would not endorse situations where people just looked after themselves. He would not support systems that allow some people to suffer deprivation (cf the poor Lazarus lying at the gate of the rich man), or refugees and asylum seekers languishing on the borders of rich nations and being considered a ‘problem’ whilst poor nations (e.g., Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, etc.) do the heavy lifting in caring and supporting these people. Now Bangladesh seems to be taking on reluctantly the terrible plight of the Rohingya people fleeing the Rakine State in Myanmar whilst countries such as Australia turn a blind eye, and continue to support the military.
We argue about the borders or limits of compassion expressed in caring for the sick, supporting the aged, providing a liveable wage to people who are unemployed or underemployed, accepting and including people who are different, etc. Today, completes the 2017 Anti-Poverty Week. The Australian Council of Social Service continually reminds of over 600,000 children living in poverty. Last week, 16 years ago, a nameless Indonesian boat which had left Bandar Lampung became the name of a great tragedy, one repeated a number of times since, when, a day after its departure for Christmas Island sank in a storm south of Java. It became known as the SIEV X. where 353 people (including 146 children and 142 women) drowned. When some people thought this disaster would break or change people’s hearts towards asylum seekers, people voted for even tougher policies. People failed by their own countries and countries of transit were again failed by us. We became complicit. Our policies became ever crueller. Our attitudes less compassionate. We offered them barbed wire and centres of detention that caused people to break psychologically. By putting borders or limitations on our compassion means we may be cutting ourselves off from those who are held close to God’s heart and ultimately from God.
From the gospel a question arises. It is the question of belonging. To whom do the poor belong? Or asylum seekers? Or the 30 million trafficked people around the world? Is it the places from which they have come? Do they belong to the perpetrators? The scriptures suggest that they belong first and foremost to God. Like Lazarus they rest against God’s heart. The people who are poor, the neglected and forgotten by the dominant society, the many people trafficked, the countless people seeking asylum, the person with mental illness who crosses our path seeking food or just recognition as person, belong to God. They all rest against God’s heart because they all belong to God.
The question about deciding between Caesar and God is furphy. The question is really as to where our hearts are: who looks after the poor and vulnerable if there are no taxes? How do we deal with the epidemics without taxes? How do we provide foreign aid to other countries so that they can have clean water, decent health care, adequate education, and proper transport infrastructure?
There are many competing empires that vie for our allegiance. We are constantly pushed into areas of life by the changing political order where neither the scriptures nor church resources can tell us what to do in this world where God reigns. What is the Church to do about social issues? Nuclear proliferation? Peace and war? Industrial relations changes? Detention of asylum seekers and refugees? Human trafficking? Homelessness? Domestic violence? The re-invasion of Iraq? The current threats against North Korea or Iran? Drug injecting parlours? LGBT rights? Anti-terrorism laws?
In the light of the Gospel and social teaching, political policies need to be evaluated by their affect on the poor, the vulnerable, the marginalised, the forgotten and the unborn. Do social teaching and political policy actually serve to defend and protect life? Are not these the things of God yet forgotten by the state [Caesar]?
Jesus' question ‘whose image is this?’ to those who were trying to entangle him reminds us that we are all made in God's image. We are icons of God. Wherever that image is violated by political or ecclesial power then we must strive to preserve God's image in the one victimised as well as the one who is victimising.
Give back to God what has God's image on it – our humanity and faithful dedication. This is the only currency of God – human beings who bear God’s image and likeness. God’s image is everywhere and within. Whenever we go into areas and find that scripture or church resources do not tell us how to engage politically, a good guide is to ask: who benefits from our political, social and economic institutions? Who is being hurt by them? Jesus’ questioners were actually asking a cruel question. It was more about what is mine than what I am prepared to share for the good of others.
So, Jesus again frustrates any attempt to keep politics and religion in separate tidy boxes. Our lives cannot be cordoned off into the ‘secular’ and the ‘religious’. God's presence and actions cannot be confined to our narrow categories. According to Isaiah our notion of God is too small. He messes up our neat distinctions. Give ‘to God what belongs to God’. Charles Cousar says, ‘When the divine image is denied and persons are made by political circumstances to be less than human, then the text carries a revolutionary word that has to be spoken to both oppressed and oppressor.’
We have the capacity within us to help lead our world into the way of justice and peace. We do this when we do not only attend to our own welfare, but to the well-being of people around us. We have been called to the costly work of waging not war but reconciliation.
Ignacio Ellacuria, a liberation theologian of El Salvador, murdered in November 1989, and rector of the University of Central America, said ‘We are people of the gospel. We are people of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel that proclaims the reign of God and that calls us to transform our world into as close an image of that reign of God as possible.’
We have the capacity within us to help lead our world into the way of justice and peace. We do this when we do not only attend to our own welfare, but to the well-being of people around us. We have been called to the costly work of waging not war but reconciliation. Jesus says, ‘Render unto God what is God's.’ Don’t give to any ‘Caesar’ what only belongs to God - the lives of His sons and daughters.
We cannot sacrifice people’s lives, dignity or wellbeing to any power. No power today has sacrificed more lives or caused more suffering, hunger and destruction than this ‘dictatorship of an economy which is faceless and lacking any truly humane goal’ that the powerful of the Earth have managed to impose, according to Pope Francis. We can't remain passive and indifferent, silencing the voice of our conscience in religious practice.
