General. Many a time doubt arises as to our allegiance to God and to our superiors, wanting in some outright manner or discreetly to abide by our own will. Little, if at all, do we realise that Jesus was raised from the dead by the Father and made Lord over all creation because he was obedient unto death, even death on the cross. Submission to others, which is obedience after all and which may only be accomplished in full love, achieves godliness in us, making us true sons of God like Jesus himself, our elder brother.

Isaiah. God is jealous of his supremacy because He has all used it for our own good. If He preceded us, it was that He may lay the way for us and if we now walk His way it is because He has called us to it. Nothing good comes simply out of the cunning and power of man unless God wanted it from the very beginning.

Psalm. It is highly deserving that God is given all praise belonging to Him by all peoples for it is Him who reigns over all humanity and creation. Pity the man who does not realise this.

First Epistle to the Thessalonians. St Paul is sure that if the Church took root in Thessalonica, it was due to God’s call which nourished the people’s faith in their doings through love. He is glad about this and offers prayers for them, even because the Gospel had not simply become a word-event in their lives but a real and joyful happening which changed them inside out.

St Matthew. The former-day Pharisees and Herodians might well be compared to today’s lawyers, intellectuals and politicians – they always want to pry their neighbours and push them into a tight corner with their sophistry. Yet Jesus was wise enough to give a Rabbi’s reply. Knowing that God’s thinking is different from man’s logic, Jesus makes his enquirers aware that the two cannot walk the same path and, to put it in money terms, Caesar’s tributes should not be confused with acts of piety or indeed more than that, with Godly matters.

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