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“The Man Who Has the Gold Makes the Rules”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 21 – 22, 2023

Gospel: Matthew 22:15-21

15 Then the Pharisees went away to work out between them how to trap Him in what He said. 16 And they sent their disciples to Him, together with some Herodians, to say, ‘Master, we know that You are an honest man and teach the way of God in all honesty, and that You are not afraid of anyone, because human rank means nothing to You. 17 Give us Your opinion, then. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ 18 But Jesus was aware of their malice and replied, ‘You hypocrites! Why are you putting Me to the test? 19 Show Me the money you pay the tax with.’ They handed Him a denarius, 20 and He said, ‘Whose portrait is this? Whose title?’ 21 They replied, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then He said to them, ‘Very well, pay Caesar what belongs to Caesar — and God what belongs to God.’

You all know the Golden Rule. So, what is it? The man who has the gold makes the rules. Many years ago, I entered Providence College in the fall of 1971. We had a brand-new library on campus. The trouble with that brand-new library, located on a Catholic campus and run by the Dominican Fathers, was that you could not teach a religion class there. Sounds kind of – what’s the word I’m looking for – stupid. Why were religion classes not allowed to be taught there? Because the college took government money to build the library.

So, when you take someone’s money, they get to call the shots. This is the problem with Catholic healthcare today. You have to help pay for Medicaid and all these government social welfare programs. Therefore, you have to do immoral things because you have received government money. The Church has gotten into bed with all that. They like someone else’s money. Some priests say, “You have to be nice to people. You can’t really tell them that abortion, divorce, and homosexual acts are wrong. You can’t tell people that because it will upset them, and your collection will go down.” Really? I’m not worried about the collection. I am more worried about the final exam before my Savior, especially at my age. I’m cramming for it now.

We have to be careful. Money is like a drug – it’s like crack. Is it a weakness? No. But we can’t live without it, and we want more and more of it. So, we compromise the Gospel and tap dance around other things. “Well, we aren’t really funding that. We are really doing this.” No. Now you are playing word games.

The Church hasn’t learned its lesson. Parishes haven’t learned it either. When you take someone’s money and you rely on them, they get to call the shots. So, who should be calling the shots in the Church instead?

Father’s Afterthoughts:
Because you are going to hear a lot about the horrifying things that are happening in Gaza, I want to give you a lesson on the Law of War. If terrorists hide rockets and other weapons of war in hospitals, schools, or private homes, they have made those places legitimate targets, and bombing them is not a war crime. The terrorists made them legitimate targets which is a violation of the Law of War. Some people are upset about the atrocities happening in Gaza. The terrorists are responsible for putting the bombs in schools and hospitals resulting in the loss of their neutrality and making them legitimate targets. Hamas is famous for doing that.

How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.” Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

10 Ways to Love
1. Give without expecting in return (Proverbs 21:26)
2. Trust without wavering (1 Corinthians 13:7)
3. Forgive without punishing (Colossians 3:13-14)
4. Listen without interrupting (Proverbs 18)
5. Enjoy without complaining (Philippians 2:14)
6. Answer without arguing (Proverbs 17:1)
7. Speak without accusing (James 1:19)
8. Keep your promises (Matthew 5:37)
9. Be patient in all things (1 Corinthians 13:4)
10. Learn to let it go (Ephesians 4:31-32)

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