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When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil
shouts for joy.
- Corrie Ten Boom (And God smiles when we do the opposite. . .) |
Dt 10:12-22; Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
Mt 17:22-27
As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee,
Jesus said to them,
"The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,
and
they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day."
And they were overwhelmed with grief.
When they came to Capernaum,
the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said,
"Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?"
"Yes," he said.
When he came into the house, before he had time to speak,
Jesus asked him, "What is your opinion, Simon?
From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax?
From their subjects or from foreigners?"
When he said, "From foreigners," Jesus said to him,
"Then the subjects are exempt.
But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook,
and take the first fish that comes up.
Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax.
Give that to them for me and for
you."
Praying the Daily Gospels: A Guide to Meditation, by Philip St. Romain, 2018 (3rd ed.) Matthew 17: 22-27 (The temple tax) Although Jesus has been careful to avoid proclaiming himself the Son of God, today’s reading alludes to this claim. Because the Temple is considered God’s house, he explains, he, the true of the King of creation, should not have to pay the temple tax. Only Matthew relates this story and the account of Peter’s extracting the coin from a fish (perhaps an allusion to Peter’s trade). • How do you feel about cheating on income taxes? • God helps those who help themselves” is a popular saying. Do you believe this? Why? Why not?
Treatise on the Love of God, by St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) ____________ BOOK IV: OF THE DECAY AND RUIN OF CHARITY Chapter 1: That as long as we are in this mortal life we may lose the love of God.
We are like the coral, which in the sea, the place of its origin, is a pale-green, weak, drooping and pliable tree, but being drawn from the bottom of the sea, as from its mother's womb, it becomes almost a stone, firm
and unbending, while it changes its pale-green into a lively red. For so we being as yet amidst the sea of this world the place of our birth, are subject to extreme vicissitudes, liable to be bent on every side; to the right, which is heavenly love, by inspiration, to the left, which is earthly love, by temptation. But if, being once drawn out of this mortality, we have changed the pale-green of our trembling hopes into the bright red of assured fruition, we shall never more be movable, but make
a settled abode for ever in eternal love.
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