I wonder what's the connection between the two readings of the day. The one from Tobit speaks of him going blind and then the heated argument he has with his wife over the goat that she receives as a bonus from her employers. The Gospel is of giving back to Ceasar what belongs to Ceasar and to God what belongs to God. Now, I'm wondering what is the combined message of these two readings? Is it that one is not to accept gifts from others (to Ceasar what belongs to Ceasar)? Or is that even once things are given as gifts, they still belong to the one who gives them?
I remember an incident in the life of the great Buddha. A thief once came and abused the Buddha in front of his disciples. But he wasn't perturbed a bit. Once the theif left, Buddha's disciples asked him how he could remain so tranquil and not even respond. The Buddha replied, "What if you give me a gift and I accept it? Whose is the gift?" His followers replied, "Yours." "What if you give me a gift," continued Buddha, "and I do not accept it? Whose is it then?" "Still mine," replied the disciple. "Well, my friend who just left offered me a gift... and I did not accept it!"
The Claretian Bible Diary gives a very shallow interpretation... It concludes saying that one 'should not meddle in disputes of wordly politics'. Certainly Jesus must have meant much more than just that!! Wonder what... ?
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