Achonry

Diocese of Achonry

Churches

St Crumnathy’s Cathedral, Achonry

St George’s, Tubbercurry (Tobercurry)

Killoran (Rathbarron)

Service Times

St George’s, Tubbercurry: 11.30am Sundays

Killoran (Rathbarron): 10.00am Sundays

Priest-in-Charge

Revd Peter Norman
Hawkswell farm
Banada
Tourlestrane
Co. Sligo
00353 71 9181685

From: The Revd. Peter Norman

Sunday 18th October 2020 – Trinity 19

Matthew 22:15-22

St. Luke is said to have been a doctor. His feast day is October 18th though as this is a Sunday his feast day lapses for this year. In a way that’s a pity because at the moment we need all the doctors we can get!

St. Luke was also said to be an artist and certainly he paints some of the most memorable word pictures of all the Gospel writers. It is his account of the birth of Jesus followed by the visit of the shepherds that is the most familiar perhaps of the Christmas stories. He also has the story of the Annunciation when the Archangel Gabriel tells Mary that she is to be the Mother of Jesus; the account of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth who is pregnant with john the Baptist; the Visit to Simeon in the Temple which we remember at Candlemas and the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

Like the other Gospel writers, St. Luke draws attention to the healing work of Jesus and perhaps we have in those stories a doctor’s perspective. I wonder what he would have made of the current health emergency caused by the Coronavirus?

Perhaps I should say I wonder what he makes of the situation. To speak of him simply as a past figure would be to ignore the fact that he is a saint and the fact that although he is long dead he lives on in the kingdom of God which we enter by way of the Resurrection of Jesus which he witnessed and wrote about.

Another story which we find in St. Luke’s Gospel is a version of that set for today as written by St. Matthew. It’s a dispute about whether or not to pay taxes. But is widens out to a broader issue of authority and how we respond to it.

Taxes were no more popular in the time of Jesus than they are now – except with those who collected them. But for the Jews it was more than having to just hand over the money.

The tax was paid to the emperor and so it was a constant reminder that their land was occupied by a foreign power. Not only that but taxes had to be paid in Roman coins and on these coins was the head of the emperor surrounded by words describing him as “the son of the god, Augustus”. To the Jews this was idolatry.

Every reason then not to pay the tax. But not to pay it would mark them out as rebels and risk them being arrested and even executed. They had little choice but to be obedient to the law even if they didn’t consider it to be honest. Would Jesus then advise them not to pay the taxes or should they carry on being law abiding citizens, obedient to the law of the land?

Well, Jesus isn’t going to say; he isn’t going to fall into that sort of trap. He isn’t going to open himself up to accusations of inciting rebellion; nor is he going to risk losing the respect that he has amongst ordinary people. So the answer is ambiguous, it could be taken either way.

But does this help when it comes to deciding to whom we are to be obedient? Does it tell us that we should always keep the law whatever the law might happen to say? It gets Jesus out of the trap but does it tell us anything else? Some people have suggested that this a way of telling the church to keep out of politics but it isn’t. What it tells us is how Jesus got himself out of a tricky argument.

However it might help us to think about what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God. It might make us question obedience; what is lawful and whose law we might follow. It might raise questions about what we can honestly be obedient to.

Jesus tells us that we must give to God what belongs to God. And if we believe that all things come from God then we must be obedient to him in all things. It means that we can obey God in all things lawful and honest because all things lawful and honest come from him.

It means that we have a job to do. And that is to know and understand God in such a way that we can begin to decide what is lawful and honest. All authority comes from God – do those who have authority exercise it in the way that God intends?

As the Coronavirus pandemic has continued there have been complaints and challenges aimed at those in authority over the restrictions that we have had to live with. Complaints in some cases that our freedom is being taken away; that our choices are being restricted, our rights compromised.

The Gospel reminds us that our first obedience is to God. And being obedient to God, following his ways means that we regard others as his sons and daughters. It’s about being a community and sometimes for the sake of others we have to have to let go of our so called ‘rights’. Rights bring responsibility – it’s not about me and what I want but what best builds up the kingdom of God on earth.

I am at present required to wear a face mask in certain situations (regardless of whether I like it or not), I have to stay within the county boundary, keep two metres away from others and generally avoid social contacts outside the home. Some might argue that my right to certain freedoms has been taken away and that therefore I don’t have to comply. But do I have the freedom to risk the health and well being of others? Do I not have a responsibility to others which at this time, at least, overrides what might be considered to be ‘my right’?

Whether wearing a face covering in a supermarket is abiding by the law or simply following advice is not the point. Being obedient to God means that we ask ourselves how best we can protect others as well as ourselves. Obedience to those in government we hope and pray will reflect the will of God. When it comes to the pandemic we see certain political leaders in other countries who seem to think they are immune from the virus, shun the use of face coverings and pay little heed to social distancing. In those instances we are right to ask whether we ‘render to Caesar or to God.’

St. Luke, the doctor, from his position in the kingdom of heaven can aid us with his prayers. Those who are doctors on earth need our aid in the fight against this disease. We can all play our part, we can demonstrate what it is to be obedient to God, we can protect others, we can get through this pandemic even if at times we have to give up a little of our freedom for the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

These are the prayers that I shall use each Sunday. They will remain on the website with maybe a short addition to reflect the nature of a particular Sunday. They can be used at any time.

After these prayers you’ll find a prayer taken from the Diocesan website and a prayer for a Spiritual Communion.

Father, you have called us to be one family with our brothers and sisters throughout the world. May we and all your Church show our love and compassion to all your children in their suffering and need at this time through prayer and acts of kindness.