Sunday 18 October 2026
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 45:1, 4-6. Give the Lord glory and honour – Ps 95(96):1, 3-5, 7-10. 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5. Matthew 22:15-21.
Cautionary tale about power
At some point it’s hard not to step back and ask, ‘What is the deal with these Pharisees refusing to let up on Jesus?’ Yes, he represented serious changes to the way they thought about things, and with it a challenge to their religious authority. But he was also genuinely healing people. Those acts alone should have made it hard to simply write him off.
These kinds of moments can encourage us to write off the Pharisees and Sadducees as the villains of the piece. But maybe they’re more meant to be a cautionary tale about power. How tightly do we hold onto authority and status in our lives? Where are we being invited to step aside to allow other voices to emerge? What blindness or paralysis within ourselves do we need Jesus to heal?
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