Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 8, 2022
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.”
Our gospel text presents complex moments of anxiety for Peter and the other disciples. Jesus just shared confusing and concerning news about his death. They entered Capernaum, and the temple tax collectors confront them. A life committed to Jesus changes everything, so do established rules (like taxes) still apply?
Bracketing out the noise and politicking, external expectations, and internal questions, Jesus ultimately says to Peter, “Do this one thing for me.” He tells Peter to go fishing. I can almost envision the smile on Peter’s face.
While Jesus’ direction to Peter provided a practical reminder that God will provide, he also reminded Peter of exactly who he was when they first met—a fisherman. The path forward included and required that Peter bring his whole self to his life with Jesus: who he was, who he is, and who he will become.
Jesus’ call offers the same daily opportunity for us to bring our whole selves to our lives with him.
As a parent and educator, I enjoy encouraging and supporting my two daughters and my university students to learn about the unique places they might encounter Christ in other people. During these moments of encounter, we must focus on doing one thing for Jesus today. And then one more thing for Jesus tomorrow. It is a choice every day: Choose Jesus.
Perhaps today, we can choose to listen with greater compassion in our roles as roommates or neighbors. Maybe tomorrow, we can choose to do one thing for Jesus in our commitments as a daughter, father, spouse, or coworker. Or maybe this means going fishing. We never know what Jesus might have in store for us on the other end of the line.
Prayer
God of love and life, you were handed over to men to be tortured and killed, but death was not the end. You rose on the third day. We know that throughout our lives there are times of resurrection but also times of grief. Help each of us, our families, and those we love to never forget the promise of your resurrection. We ask that you continue to send us saintly women and men who are witnesses of your rising so that we may be inspired to grow into the saints that you are calling us to be. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Dominic is one of the brightest saints the faith has produced, and he changed the Church with his dedication to embodying holiness so as to authentically proclaim the truth.
Dominic was born in 1170 in Castile, Spain, and went to university to study to become a priest. After his ordination, he took a trip with his bishop through France, where they met proponents of a heretical form of Christianity that was growing in popularity among the people. Believers of this heresy proposed two principles in the world—one good, one evil—and they believed that all physical matter was evil. Therefore, they rejected things of the body—they ate very little and had strict disciplines, which won the admiration of many people.
Dominic and his bishop began to counter this heresy through their preaching, but they had little credibility among the faithful because priests of the time lived a life of luxury and comforts. The strict lives of the heretics seemed heroic to the people.
Dominic’s answer was to establish an order of priests who would travel and preach against this heresy, living a simple life of prayer and intellectual study. The ideal for this community, the Order of Preachers, Dominic said, was “to pass on the fruits of contemplation” and to “speak only of God and with God.” Today, the Dominicans are present in 86 countries around the world.
While she was pregnant, Dominic’s mother had a vision that her son would light the world on fire like a hound running wild with a torch in its mouth.
The vision of Dominic’s mother came to fruition in the way he combined prayer and work. Prayer, Dominic knew, changes us, and thus, changes how we do our work. Our work, then, becomes an outflow of our prayer, even when it seemingly has nothing to do with spiritual matters. When we live a life rooted in prayer, our actions communicate God’s presence in places used to cold and darkness. Prayer transforms us into a hound running wild with a torch in its mouth—we set the world on fire
St. Dominic’s relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, and he is also depicted there in stained glass. One window shows him receiving the rosary from Mary—he is known to have spread the devotional prayer through his preaching. He is often depicted with a star above his head because at his baptism, his mother saw a star shining from his chest. Thus, he is the patron saint of astronomers.
St. Dominic, who set the world on fire with prayer—pray for us!