Be Careful How You Read
Jun. 4: Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings are about different ways of interpreting scripture. It’s something I struggle every time I write a reflection. I worry about writing the wrong thing or misunderstanding the actual teaching of the scripture.
This is why we have Tradition. The Church gave us the Bible, and it makes sense that we should accept her understanding and teachings about the Bible.
Reading 1
2 Pt 3:12-15a, 17-18
Beloved: Wait for and hasten the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace. And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation.
Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled and to fall from your own stability. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
The verse and a half we skip over today refer to the letters of Paul. I don’t really know why they’re omitted, because it’s useful. Peter says that Paul agrees with what he’s saying here about future trials, but sometimes his letters can be misinterpreted. We should be careful about how we read the Apostles’ writings.
As we should with today’s reading. This world will pass away, and God will bring about a new world for us in the afterlife. That kind of drastic change can be troubling, even scary. That’s why Peter uses the imagery of flames and melting. It’s not a literal description of end times.
But we need to be ready for the transition, whether it’s the end of the world or just the end of our own lives.
Responsorial
90:2, 3-4, 10, 14 and 16
R. (1) In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Before the mountains were begotten
and the earth and the world were brought forth,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Seventy is the sum of our years,
or eighty, if we are strong,
And most of them are fruitless toil,
for they pass quickly and we drift away.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Let your work be seen by your servants
and your glory by their children.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Interesting side note: we tend to think of people in ancient times living much shorter lives, but average life expectancy is a misleading statistic. Infant mortality was high,1 but if they lived past childhood, they could just reasonably expect to live to your 70s or 80s as we do today.
So, 80 years was a long life back in Biblical times and today, but they’re still vanishingly short compared to an infinite God. It’s just one dimension of God’s greatness that we should recognize.
Alleluia
See Eph 1:17-18
R. 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.
Hope is not only the desire for something, but the expectation of obtaining it. We don’t know when or how God the Father will call us home, but we hope he will.
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.
The Pharisees think they’ve trapped Jesus in a corner. He’s claimed authority as a rabbi, and so He can’t just avoid the question. And in that setting, He can’t offer a “pragmatic” solution; it has to fit within the Jewish law.
So Jesus answers a question with a question, which highlights the fact that the claims of God and Caesar are mutually exclusive. If one's faith is in God, then God is owed everything; Caesar's claims are necessarily illegitimate, and he is therefore owed nothing. If, on the other hand, one's faith is in Caesar, God's claims are illegitimate, and Caesar is owed, at the very least, the coin which bears his image.
So now, Jesus isn’t the one backed into a corner, the Pharisees are. They have to choose sides: God or Caesar?
And so do we.
Interestingly, this can also be a misleading statistic. When someone claims that the US has a higher infant mortality rate than other developed nations, it’s because we count “births” differently. We count every birth as a baby, even if the child tragically died in the womb or immediately after due to congenital diseases. Our doctors go through heroic efforts to save the lives of every infant, no matter how low the chances of survival. In Europe and elsewhere, they just don’t count those at all, so their denominator is much smaller.