Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy, we pray with Psalm 112, a hymn deeply rooted in the biblical concept of law and justice.
Blessed the one who fears the LORD,
Psalm 112:1-2
who greatly delights in God’s commands.
That person’s posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
In our first reading, as Tobit and Anna share a familiar type of marital spat, we see that there are many perspectives from which one can approach the concept of justice. Anna knows her actions to be just from experience. Tobit analyzes the situation from judgement and law.
But in our Gospel, the wily Pharisees try to manipulate the law in order to ensnare Jesus:
Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
Mark 12:14
and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion.
You do not regard a person’s status
but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?
Jesus, who is the essence of Truth, is not trapped. After examining the coin which was given him:
Jesus said to them,
Mark 12:15
“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God.
They were utterly amazed at him.”
Our psalm tells us that understanding God’s law is grounded in the transparency of our own truth:
The just one’s heart is firm,
Psalm 112: 7-9
trusting in the LORD.
It is steadfast and fearless.
From its abundant confidence,
such a heart lavishly gives to the poor;
with a generosity that shall endure forever,
standing firm to glorify God.
Our readings give us a lot to think about. And if nothing else, a delightful story from Tobit. 🤗
Poetry: Truth by Rumi
The truth was a mirror
in the hands of God.
It fell,
and broke into pieces.
Everybody took a piece of it,
and they looked at it
and thought they had the truth.
Music: The Voice of Truth – Casting Crowns
Lavish Mercy 