Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Matthew 17, 24-27 + CSDC and CV
(CV 25d) The mobility of labour, associated with a climate of deregulation,
is an important phenomenon with certain positive aspects, because it can
stimulate wealth production and cultural exchange. Nevertheless, uncertainty
over working conditions caused by mobility and deregulation, when it becomes
endemic, tends to create new forms of psychological instability, giving rise to
difficulty in forging coherent life-plans, including that of marriage. This
leads to situations of human decline, to say nothing of the waste of social
resources.
CSDC 88b. In this context, the Church felt the need
to become involved and intervene in a new way: the res novae (“new
things”) brought about by these events represented a challenge to her teaching
and motivated her special pastoral concern for masses of people. A new
discernment of the situation was needed, a discernment capable of finding
appropriate solutions to unfamiliar and unexplored problems.
[24] When they
came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said,
"Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?" [25] "Yes," he
said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked
him, "What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth
take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?" [26]
When he said, "From foreigners," Jesus said to him, "Then the
subjects are exempt. [27] But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop
in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will
find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you."
CSDC 380. Submission,
not passive but “for the sake of conscience” (Rom 13:5), to legitimate
authority responds to the order established by God. Saint Paul defines the
relationships and duties that a Christian is to have towards the authorities
(cf. Rom 13:1-7). He insists on the civic duty to pay taxes: “Pay all of them
their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, fear
to whom fear is due, respect to who respect is due” (Rom 13:7). The Apostle
certainly does not intend to legitimize every authority so much as to help
Christians to “take thought for what is
noble in the sight of all” (Rom 12:17), including their relations with the
authorities, insofar as the authorities are at the service of God for the good
of the person (cf. Rom 13:4; 1 Tim 2:1-2; Tit 3:1) and “to execute [God's]
wrath on the wrongdoer” (Rom 13:4). Saint Peter exhorts Christians to “be
subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution” (1 Pet 2:13). The king
and his governors have the duty “to punish those who do wrong and to praise
those who do right” (1 Pet 2:14). This authority of theirs must be “honoured”
(1 Pet 2: 17), that is, recognized, because God demands correct behaviour that
will “silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Pet 2:15). Freedom must not be
used as a pretext for evil but to serve God (cf. 1 Pet 2:16). It concerns free
and responsible obedience to an authority that causes justice to be respected,
ensuring the common good.
[Initials and
Abbreviations.- CSDC: Pontifical Council for Justice And Peace, Compendium of the Social
Doctrine of the Church; - SDC: Social Doctrine of the Church; - CV: Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in truth)]
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