Fr. Jim Lowe 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time 10/18/20

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Have you ever had someone ask a loaded question that was intended to trick you into saying something you will later regret? I have! On one of these occasions, I was sitting at the dinner table with a large family. One of the children asked, “Father, what do you think of the movie “Hunger Games?” Notice the open-ended nature of this question. I enthusiastically replied, “I love the Hunger Games” and proceeded to give all the reasons why I loved the series of movies. Then I looked over at mom and dad and noticed a very serious look on their faces! I quickly discovered that I had been set up! Mom and dad had forbidden the children from watching the movies since they are violent. It was a classic example of foot in mouth syndrome. Now I answer loaded questions with a question of my own, “Why do you ask?” Being asked loaded questions is not limited to children at the dinner table trying to trick Father Jim into supporting their cause to watch the Hunger Games. Jesus was very familiar with loaded questions. The Gospels are full of examples of the pharisees asking such questions. “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion, for you do not regard a person's status. Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” Jesus knew right away that this was a loaded question. He knew they were trying to trick him. “Knowing their malice, Jesus said, ‘Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax.’ Then they handed him the Roman coin. He said to them, ‘Whose image is this and whose inscription?’ They replied, ‘Caesar's.’ At that he said to them, ‘Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.’” Notice that Jesus answered their question with a question. He turned the table around and revealed their motives to everyone listening. To respond in this way requires wisdom and knowledge of the truth. Jesus has a major advantage on us in this category since He is the source of all Truth! However, we can grow in wisdom and knowledge of the Truth by knowing Jesus and studying His teachings. An ongoing encounter with Jesus and a daily study of the Word of God and the teachings of the Church is essential for survival in the world within which we live. We are constantly confronted with people who want to manipulate the narrative to lead us down a path contrary to the truth of the Gospel. Friends, this is why our bishops have given us the document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship”. It is a powerful document written by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It’s purpose is to equip all Catholics in our nation to continually form our consciences based on the objective truth of the Gospel and the teachings of the Catholic Church. This ongoing formation of our consciences will equip us to respond like Jesus in the Gospel. When people come at us to challenge what we believe, we can respond with conviction and give intelligent reasons for what we believe and why we believe it. Having a well-formed conscience is also necessary when electing our leaders. We must know how they plan to vote on all issues and whether or not we can support the way in which they plan to vote on those issues. Please take the time to prayerfully read “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship”. I promise it will be extremely helpful every time you are faced with a loaded question about a contentious issue. It gives a very thorough breakdown of what conscience is and what it isn’t. It also gives a very thorough breakdown of the Catholic Church’s teaching on many important moral issues. You can download a PDF through the USCCB website. https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/upload/forming-consciences-for-faithful-citizenship.pdf

Please know that each of you remain in my daily prayers.

Fr. Jim Lowe, CC