DAILY HOMILIES #tax

Aim for perfection. It is better to avoid offending others than insisting on your rights. Some wars are not worth fighting. You may be right, but sometimes, it is wiser to make peace than to stoke the fires of war. Jesus could have argued with the tax collectors or forced them to believe in His Divinity, but He chose the more convincing option: He worked a miracle to pay the tax. He did something only God could do: ask Peter to catch a fish with a coin.

The best sermons are not preached not with words but with actions. When we behave like Christ, words are no longer necessary. The scandal of Christianity today is that Christians no longer behave like those believers in Antioch who were first called Christians. In Antioch, the believers were of one heart and soul; love was the watchword.

Man’s opinion about you may be damaging, but God’s opinion matters. The name people call you is an identity; it does not define your essence. The fact that people are laughing at you or insulting you does not make you a loser. Let God have the last word. God relates with us based on our potential and not our past. We should, therefore, not allow the past to prevent us from responding to God’s call from within.

This attitude of Jesus teaches us a great lesson: Even if we are right, there is no need to offend anyone. It is not enough to do what is right; we must refrain from sending the wrong message to those who may need help understanding us. Like Jesus, who presented himself for baptism even though he was sinless, we must strive to fulfil all righteousness. Hence, even though we do not belong to this world, we cannot evade the payment of taxes.

There is an extent that our pursuit of justice becomes a vice. Sometimes, it is best to shift ground. What will it profit you if you destroy the whole world just to prove you are right? Be like Jesus; allow peace to reign.