Isaiah 45:1,4-6; Psalm 96; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b; Matthew 22:15-21
Listen at https://soundcloud.com/frank-brennan-6/homily-221023
In today’s gospel, the Pharisees try to trap Jesus by asking whether it is permissible to pay taxes to Caesar. If he answers yes, he will risk a fall out with many of his followers who despised the presence of their Roman occupiers. If he answers no, he will risk a run-in with the authorities. Jesus spots the trap and avoids it. Cleverly he asks the Pharisees to show him the coin that would be used to pay the tax. Jesus does not carry the tainted coin himself. The Pharisees do. Identifying the head of Caesar on the coin, Jesus declares: ‘Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’ Scripture scholar Brendan Byrne says: ‘Members of God’s people are summoned to constant discernment as to how, within the overall claim of God, they are to discharge civic obligations.’ Jesus bequeaths ‘an ethical task rather than a detailed prescription.’
In the first reading from Isaiah, the Chosen People in exile are told that a foreigner, the Persian King Cyrus is the Lord’s anointed one. Cyrus is to ‘subdue nations before him and strip the loins of kings, to force gateways before him that their gates be closed no more’. This reading comes from Deutero-Isaiah written some 150 years after the first part of the book of Isaiah. Scripture scholar Carroll Stuhlmueller draws the contrasts. ‘Before the exile, Israel and especially the inhabitants of Jerusalem were relatively prosperous, overly self–confident, and material minded; on the contrary, Deutero–Isaiah saw a people discouraged, dazed, and destitute severely tempted to apostasy. The people in exile must be consoled,not punished; their faith must be sustained, not further tried….Isaiah looked upon foreign nations as scourges of divine anger; Deutero–Isaiah as instruments for saving Israel.’
Though a foreigner, Cyrus hears Yahweh proclaim: ‘Though you do not know me, I arm you that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that, apart from me, all is nothing.’
We hear these readings today confronted by the dreadful human tragedy playing out in Israel and Gaza. What are the civic obligations confronting the present day leaders of Israel? How might those obligations be fulfilled within the overall claim of God? What should be asked of us and our government at this time? What can and should the international community be doing? What can we people of faith do, other than pray for peace and justice?
We are all confronted with ‘an ethical task rather than a detailed prescription.’ There is probably not much that we Australians can do to contribute to a resolution of the tragic conflict. But we do have the benefit of being a democratic society under the rule of law with citizens from all ethnic and religious groups which are part of the perennial conflict. And our Parliament includes members from those ethnic and religious groups. Respectfully and robustly engaging with each other, our elected representatives can help us all to clarify what it is that is being asked of us and of those who are the protagonists in the conflict.
On Monday, our Parliament passed a motion by 100-7 unequivocally condemning ‘the attacks on Israel by Hamas, which are the heinous acts of terrorists, and have encompassed the targeting and murder of civilians, including women and children, the taking of hostages, and indiscriminate rocket fire’; standing with Israel and recognising its inherent right to defend itself; and condemningantisemitism and recognising that generations of Jewish people have been subjected to this hateful prejudice.
The motion went on to acknowledge the devastating loss of Israeli and Palestinian life and that innocent civilians on all sides are suffering as a result of the attacks by Hamas and the subsequent conflict; and supporting justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
The Prime Minister was right when he said: ‘This was not just an attack on Israel. This was an attack on Jewish people. Let us be clear: Hamas is an enemy, but not just of Israel. Hamas is an enemy of all peace-loving Palestinian people who are left to pay a devastating price for this terrorism. Hamas honours no faith. It serves no cause but terror.’
‘We should be very clear that it is Hamas that is the enemy, not the Palestinian people. The Palestinian people are suffering greatly, and this suffering has impacted on generations of Palestinians. The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, which is home to two million people, is deteriorating rapidly.’
The Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus who is the son of a Holocaust survivor told Parliament:
‘Hamas has always worked to undermine those who strive for peace, whether they be Israeli or Palestinian, because Hamas has no interest in making peace with Israel. As the founding charter of Hamas declares, its aim is to obliterate Israel. Today, more than 75 years since Australia supported the creation of the modern state of Israel, my message is simple: the Australian government stands as one with Israel and the people of Israel against Hamas and its supporters. Australia stands as one with the Jewish community, and we always will.’
The two Muslim government ministers were eloquent in speaking up for the plight of innocent Palestinians living in Gaza under the yolk of Hamas.
Ed Husic, the Minister for Industry and Science, said:
‘Too many Israelis and Palestinians have, since 7 October, paid an utterly horrific price, and I’m deeply concerned about what will happen from here. I also think deeply about what will happen in Gaza, where two million people are crammed in. There’ll be a lot of innocent Palestinians who will pay a price for the actions of Hamas. … Hamas must absolutely be held to account. Innocent Palestinians should be protected. They should be given passage. They should be able to get out of harm’s way. They should be preserved as well, in the sense of not being targeted.’
Anne Aly, the Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth, who has a doctorate in terrorism studies said:
‘I don’t know the way out of this. I don’t know the way to peace, but I do know that violence only begets violence. I do know that political will is required on both sides to get through this impasse and see a way forward. I end this by putting a callout to all members of the Australian Muslim community and to urge them, also: I know that you are hurting. I know that this is a deeply emotional issue for you, but as Muslims it is our responsibility to show compassion and empathy for all humanity. I urge people to remember that we live in a democratic and free country. I urge them to remember the hard times that we went through when Islamophobia was rife, and to hold back and remember that there is no place in this country for antisemitism and no place for Islamophobia.
By Thursday, Ed Husic was sounding a strong warning note: ‘I feel very strongly that Palestinians are being collectively punished here for Hamas’s barbarism.’ Anne Aly backed him up saying: ‘It’s difficult to argue that those children are Hamas and it’s difficult to argue that what is currently occurring is not a form of collective punishment.’
At his general audience this week, Pope Francis said:
‘The possible widening of the conflict is disturbing, while so many war fronts are already open in the world. May weapons be silenced, and let us heed the cry for peace of the poor, the people, the children… Brothers and sisters, war does not solve any problem: it sows only death and destruction, foments hate, proliferates revenge. War cancels out the future, it cancels out the future. I urge believers to take just one side in this conflict: that of peace. But not in words – in prayer, with total dedication.’
Pope Francis has asked us all to participate in a day of fasting and prayer next Friday ‘in a spirit of penance to implore peace in our time, peace in this world’.
Let’s pray for all those making the difficult military and political decisions calculating how to crush Hamas without imposing collective punishment on those innocent Palestinians who are being used as shields by murderous terrorists who deny the humanity of the Jewish people and who have a callous disregard for the well being of innocent Palestinians. In so doing, we will render to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. The decision making cannot be left only to the Israeli leadership. There will be many traps along the way. There will be a need for a modern day individual or collective Cyrus ‘to subdue nations before him and strip the loins of kings, to force gateways before him that their gates be closed no more.’
Give the Lord glory and honour.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is the LORD, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens.
R. Give the Lord glory and honour.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
Bring gifts, and enter his courts.
R. Give the Lord glory and honour.
Worship the LORD, in holy attire;
tremble before him, all the earth;
say among the nations: The LORD is king,
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Give the Lord glory and honour.
