19TH MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 17:22-27) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

FIRST READING -  Dt 10:12-22

"Circumcise therefore the foreskins of your hearts. So you too should love the resident alien, for that is what you were in the land of Egypt".

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy

¹² Now, therefore, Israel, what does the Lord, your God, ask of you but to fear the Lord, your God, to follow in all his ways, to love and serve the Lord, your God, with your whole heart and with your whole being, ¹³ to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord that I am commanding you today for your own well-being? ¹⁴ Look, the heavens, even the highest heavens, belong to the Lord, your God, as well as the earth and everything on it. ¹⁵ Yet only on your ancestors did the Lord set his heart to love them. He chose you, their descendants, from all the peoples, as it is today. ¹⁶ Circumcise therefore the foreskins of your hearts,^[a] and be stiff-necked no longer. ¹⁷ For the Lord, your God, is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes, ¹⁸ who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving them food and clothing. ¹⁹ So you too should love the resident alien, for that is what you were in the land of Egypt. ²⁰ The Lord, your God, shall you fear, and him shall you serve; to him hold fast and by his name shall you swear. ²¹ He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for you those great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen. ²² Seventy strong your ancestors went down to Egypt, and now the Lord, your God, has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 17:22-27

"They will kill him, and he will be raised. The subjects are exempt from paying taxes."

✠From the Gospel according to Matthew

²² As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, ²³ and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were overwhelmed with grief.

²⁴ When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax^[b] approached Peter and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” ²⁵ “Yes,” he said.^[c] 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?” ^26 [d]When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the subjects are exempt. ²⁷ But that we may not offend them,^[e] 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.”

19TH MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 17:22-27)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

Today's Word of God recounts two events: first, the question of paying taxes to Caesar; second, Jesus' announcement to His disciples that He is about to go to Jerusalem to suffer and die, and that He will rise again on the third day.

First: Jesus said that Peter paid taxes to Caesar, showing that God has all the power over the universe and humanity. But He humbled Himself, lowered Himself to become human like everyone else, to love, be with, and accompany human suffering. He became small and lowly when He accepted to follow human laws: paying taxes to Caesar. He did so out of love and because He wanted to be in harmony, to accompany the lowly, unfortunate people who had to endure human laws. Through that, He wanted to teach everyone that among people, everyone should know how to live in harmony; do not be arrogant, complacent; do not consider yourself to have the authority to judge others, because only God is the One who makes the laws and has the right to judge people according to His laws.

Second: Today’s Word of God speaks about Jesus telling His disciples in advance about His death, and the disciples were very sad. This shows that in the minds and thoughts of the disciples, they still believed that following Jesus would bring power and glory in this world. However, they forgot that eternal and glorious life is in the Kingdom of Heaven in the future. In God’s plan of salvation, Jesus had to go through suffering before reaching glory. The disciples did not understand the words that Jesus told them three times. "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."

Therefore, today’s Word of God invites everyone to remain vigilant, to trust, and to place absolute confidence in the God of Love. Only He holds all power and is the One who grants salvation to humanity. For this reason, we are called to rejoice, to be glad, and to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is the One who brings true peace and lasting happiness, and He will always accompany and be with humanity until the end of time.

Therefore, everyone should not worry, not be afraid, not be uneasy when facing difficulties and challenges brought by the world. God will give eternal life to anyone who knows how to trust and rely on Him.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

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