It is becoming impossible for those who mix with other people to believe that the grace of God is distributed denominationally.
... W. R. Inge (1860-1954)
(The evidence of God's grace is in the fruits of the Spirit such as are listed in Gal. 5:22-24. Where do you notice these fruits at this time in your life?)
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Tb 2:9-14; Ps 112:1-2, 7-8, 9
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.
Reflection on the Scriptures
If I imagine myself as a member of the crowd surrounding Jesus, I can feel an empathetic twinge in my stomach when Jesus encounters a hostile question. If he comes out in support of the taxes paid to an occupying regime, he will have to deal with the indignation of his countrymen. If he rejects paying the tax, he invites wrath of the political powers. Jesus gives a clever response. He takes a question that
seems to have only two possible answers and creates a third response, a response that shifts the focus. If I was in that crowd, I would have been impressed by and a bit jealous of Jesus’ wit.
- by Mike Cherney
The Son of God Became Human
From The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part One, Section Two, Chapter Three
Article 8: I Believe in the Holy Spirit
II. THE NAME, TITLE, AND SYMBOLS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Symbols of the Holy Spirit
697 Cloud and light. These two images occur together in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. In the theophanies of the Old Testament, the cloud, now obscure, now luminous, reveals the living and saving God, while veiling the transcendence of his glory - with Moses on Mount Sinai,43 at the tent of meeting,44 and during the wandering in the desert,45 and with Solomon at the
dedication of the Temple.46 In the Holy Spirit, Christ fulfills these figures. The Spirit comes upon the Virgin Mary and "overshadows" her, so that she might conceive and give birth to Jesus.47 On the mountain of Transfiguration, the Spirit in the "cloud came and overshadowed" Jesus, Moses and Elijah, Peter, James and John, and "a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!'"48 Finally, the cloud took Jesus out of the sight of the disciples on
the day of his ascension and will reveal him as Son of man in glory on the day of his final coming.49
(Footnote references in the Catechism.)
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