-minded, filling him with peace and conformity to God’s will. He who prays devoutly feels himself raised and filled with joy. Have you ever prayed thus? Compose yourself carefully before you begin your prayers, and say: “Lord, teach me how to pray!”
Chapter XXXVIII.
THE TRIBUTE FOR THE TEMPLE.
[Mat. 17, 23 — 26 and 23, 13—39.]
JESUS having returned with His disciples to Capharnaum, those who collected the annual tribute for the Temple came to Peter and asked: “Doth not your Master pay the didrachma?”[1] Peter replied: “Yes”, and went to tell Jesus.
But when Jesus saw Peter coming, He said to him: “Of whom do the kings of the earth take tribute or custom? Of their own children, or of strangers?” Peter answered: “Of strangers.” Jesus continued : “Then the children are free. But, that we may not scandalize them[2], go to the sea and cast in a hook, and the fish which shall first come up, take; and when thou hast opened its mouth, thou shalt find a stater; take that, and give it to them for me and for thee.” Peter did as his Master had commanded.
Then Jesus began to upbraid the Pharisees, saying: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left the weightier things of the law, judgment and mercy and faith. These things you ought to have done, and not leave those undone. Blind guides, who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you are like to whited sepulchres, which
- ↑ Didrachma. A didrachma was half a side or stater (Fig. 79), that is, about fifteen pence of our money. This was a tax imposed upon every man for the service of the Temple.
- ↑ Scandalize them. Our Lord thus carefully observed every law and precept of the Old Covenant, rather than give scandal; but, on the other hand, He judged with great severity those who thought only of the outward observance of the letter of the law, without having any regard for its spirit.
