The Holy Spirit blesses us with a most insightful Gospel reading today. It is helpful if we start out by looking at the motivation of the Pharisees, in the manner in which they asked Jesus their question. They did so not wanting to grow in their faith, not trying to better understand Jesus’ calling and his relationship with the Father, but rather in an attempt to entrap Jesus and to make him look bad. As we look at the motivation of the Pharisees today, we might look at our own motivation in how we approach our own journey of faith, in how we approach Jesus with our own needs, desires, and longings.
In asking Jesus the question, whether it is lawful to pay Caesar taxes from the point of view of faith, Jesus responds by saying that we are to pay Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to likewise to give God what belongs to God. Perhaps Jesus’ rather enigmatic response tells us that while we owe the state our taxes and other responsibilities, we are to pledge our hearts and souls to God, to make God the focus of our lives.
What I admire most about the saints in our Church is the different ways they live out their calling of faith in their lives, the different ways they make God the center of their lives in the midst of their reality. I have asked members of our Knights of Columbus Council here in Pearl to share with us some insights on the Venerable Michael McGivney, the priest who founded the Knights of Columbus back in the 19th century. McGivney was born into an Irish immigrant family in the state of Connecticut in the years prior to our American Civil War. He was the oldest of 13 children, six of whom died in either infancy or childhood. He had to leave school at the age of 13 in order to work in a brass factory to help provide for his poor family. He left the factory at the age of 16 in order to enter seminary. His father’s death interrupted his studies for a while, but eventually he was able to get through seminary and was ordained a priest.
As a young priest, McGiveny noticed several things about the reality of his parishioners. In those days, many of the men in his parish were veterans of the Civil War. These men missed the camaraderie that they had as soldiers. Many secret fraternal societies were forming to meet this social need that the men had, societies that were not in line with the principles and values of the Catholic faith. In addition, without any social safety net such as social security or health insurance or welfare, many of these families struggled when a crisis hit, or when the patriarch of the family died, leaving behind a widow and children. McGivney and some of the men of his parish started the Knights of Columbus in response to these needs. The guiding principles of unity and charity were stated in the Knights’ charter approved by the Connecticut state legislature in 1882; the principles of patriotism and fraternity were added later. It was not easy going in the beginning. The men had a hard time agreeing on a course of action that first year, and it almost dissolved. But with perseverance and patience, the Knights progressed and developed. By the time Father McGivney died of pneumonia and tuberculosis at the young age of 38 in 1890, there were 57 councils of the Knights of Columbus in existence. Today, there are more than 11,000 councils in 13 different countries. From its very beginnings and from the dream that Father McGivney and the founding members had, the Knight of Columbus have strengthened the faith of its members, provided them means of fortifying their financial security in an often hostile world, and helped them grow in their confidence and self-esteem.
How does Father McGivney’s witness speak to us today in the modern world? There is a story told of him of how he ministered to a 21-year-old Irish immigrant who had shot and killed a police officer while he was drunk. The young man was sentenced to death for his crimes. McGivney was very loyal in ministering to this young man until the day he was put to death. McGivney helped this man repent from his crime and brought him peace and reconciliation with God. McGivney cited this experience as being fundamental in shaping his compassion and his outreach to his parishioners in the early years of his priesthood. McGiveny saw the Church as more than just a place where people came to mass and for the Sacraments. McGivney saw the Church as being the Church of the people, in helping them in all aspects of their lives. To me, that is McGivney’s greatest witness, something that speaks to us in the midst of our modern journey of faith, of being not like the Pharisees in today’s Gospel in the way they tried to trap and trick Jesus, but rather in making Jesus the center of our lives. Indeed, the Church and our community of faith always there for us, and we are to be there for the Church, which is shown in the way Father McGivney lived out his life of faith. We should ask ourselves how we are called to serve the Church and the community, not just how we are called to receive. By his example, the Venerable Michael McGivney challenge us to live out our faith in boldness and generosity, in service to God and in service to our brothers and sisters. May we heed that call.
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