A Catholic Clergy Perspective: TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A): Two Kingdoms, One God by Deacon Jim Merle

Friday, October 16, 2026

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A): Two Kingdoms, One God by Deacon Jim Merle

It never ceases to amaze me to what lengths people will go to make a point. St. Matthew’s Gospel today provides us with an example I believe verifies this belief.

According to biblical and historical scholars, the two Jewish sects of Pharisees and Herodians during Jesus’ times hated one another. The Pharisees resented the demand of any tax payment to a foreign king because they believed that God was their only king. The Herodians were supporters of Herod the Great, King of Galilee, who received his power from the Romans and, therefore, supported the collection of taxes to benefit their cause. And yet, both were willing to put their differences aside to form an “unholy” alliance that rid them of Jesus, because they hated Him more.

In our society today, we are witnessing more fractionalization of ideas that impose their will on others no matter what the course of action or the response from either side of a point of concern. This is apparent with the Covid-19, racial protests, unlawful acts and political mechanizations to name a few. Statements from either side of these issues seem to be more one-sided as opposed to comparing the needs of each to come to some type of agreement as to how to proceed to address what is viewed as an injustice. Instead, we are left to our own conscience as how to solve what needs to be done to take care of the needs of all as best we can.

It is these types of actions from our Gospel, readings and what is constantly hammered in our news media that should clarify for us that we live in two kingdoms. There is the kingdom of mankind which establishes a civil system of federal, state and local governments to take care of peoples’ needs using tax-based ideas to pay for needed services that few people can supply on their own. The other kingdom is that of God’s which by our Baptism into the Catholic faith we promise to be loyal to because we have received a gift of salvation from God by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Our “tax” is to follow God by sharing love, mercy and forgiveness to all of God’s creation through peaceful means.

By November third, those who are registered to vote are asked to do so as a way of voicing their concerns by the choices they make for candidates and propositions. As Catholics we are called to form a conscience of faithful citizenship that looks at our life in the kingdom of mankind to better coincide with the kingdom of God because we believe that God is there for us in both kingdoms. Whether we believe it is a right or a privilege, it is our responsibility as a people of faith to promote the goodness of God’s purpose for our creation.

Pope Leo XIV since his installation on May 18, 2025, has expressed a desire for unity and communion in the Church and in the world. In his homily that day, he referenced his papal motto, “in the one Christ, we are one.”

According to American magazine Pope Leo emphasizes the importance of proactive efforts in caring for one another, urging individuals to recognize their solidarity and responsibility towards the common good. He calls for active engagement in community issues and highlights that caring for others is a fundamental duty that transcends societal rules.

Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees and Herodians’ question was that we need to repay what belongs to our society and to God whatever is due. We do this out of love and concern not out of hatred or other negative pathways. Let us heed Pope Leo’s call by our vote in the November 3^rd elections and in all our actions that address human dignity, subsidiarity, common good and solidarity.

Reading 1:     Isaiah 45:1, 4 – 6
Psalm:            96:1, 3 – 5, 7 – 10
Reading 2:     First Thessalonians 1:1 – 15
Gospel:          Matthew 22:15 – 21

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Bishop Kevin W. Vann, JCD, DD, D MIN

He was ordained on May 30, 1981, and was assigned to graduate studies in canon law at the Angelicum in Rome, with residence at the graduate house of the North American College, the Casa Santa Maria dell’ Umilta. Pope Leo XIV, when a priest, also attended these classes at the same time. Upon returning to the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, Father Vann participated in the work of the Diocesan Tribunal and the Tribunal of Second Instance in Chicago. He served as pastor of parishes ranging in size from 35 to 1,300 families, two which had large schools. He taught canon law at Kenrick Seminary. Before he was named bishop, he was pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield, Vicar for Priests and the Diocesan contact for Hispanic Ministry. Bishop Vann was ordained and installed as the third bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Forth Worth, Texas, on July 13, 2005, at Texas Christian University’s Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. In Texas, he collaborated closely with other bishops through the Texas Catholic Conference and Region X, which includes dioceses of States of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. He is the former Texas Bishops’ Liaison to the Texas Mission Council and Texas Catholic hospitals. And, through the U.S. Conference of Bishops, Bishop Vann was a leader in the Texas Conference of Bishops, providing leadership for various initiatives at the national level, including service on ad hoc committee which assisted the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) to guide the incorporation of Anglican groups into the Catholic Church of the United States. On September 21, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI announced Bishop Vann’s appointment as the fourth bishop of Orange, the 11th largest diocese in the country and the second-largest west of the Mississippi with 1.3 million multicultural Catholics. He continues to lead the historic effort to transform the former Crystal Cathedral from a world-renowned center of Protestant worship into the West Coast’s most visible center of Catholicism.

Father Glenn Baaten

A priest of the ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, a community with the Catholic Church made up of former Anglicans and Episcopalians. He Currently serves as Parish Administrator of St. John Henry Newman Catholic Church in Irvine and as Chaplain of Santiago Retreat Center in Silverado. His ministry within the Diocese of Orange, California, is a collaborative appointment by Bishop Steven Lopes and Bishop Kevin Vann. Fr. Glenn was ordained to the Catholic priesthood on June 24, 2016, the Feast of St. John the Baptist. His journey to the Catholic Church followed years of faithful ministry in Protestant communities. He was ordained a Presbyterian pastor in 1998 and served a PCUSA parish in Cincinnati, Ohio. After returning to California in 2010, he discerned a call to Anglican ministry and was ordained in the Church of England tradition in 2013. He relinquished his Anglican holy orders and, after catechesis, was received into the Church on Christmas eve of that year. Fr. Glenn has been married to Cathy for 42 years. They are the blessed parents of two adult children and grandparents of three. His ministry is marked by a strong commitment to evangelization, Christian unity and sacred beauty of the liturgy. As a follower of Christ these many past decades – most especially as a priest – Fr. Glenn is committed to sharing the grace and love of Jesus to all and living the depth of that faith in the fulness of the Catholic Church.

Deacon Jim Merle

Deacon Jim was ordained 20 years ago on April 30, 2005, and lives in Southern California where he has served the Catholic Church on parish, diocesan and national levels. He periodically writes Pastoral Letters for church bulletins, as well as articles for the Diaconate community’s “Bowl & Towel” and the diocesan newspaper in addition to “A Catholic Deacon’s Perspective,” recently renamed “A Catholic Clergy’s Perspective” with the addition of Bishop Kevin W. Vann and Fr. Glenn Baaten as periodic writers. On the parish level he has served at three parishes involved in helping with Sacramental training, Faith Formation and annulments. His diocesan involvements include a six-year term on the Diaconate Personnel Board, a founding committee member of the God’s Servants Committee (an educational component of quarterly meetings for active deacons), as a Master of Ceremonies at Confirmations, ordinations, installations and other ceremonies, an Advanced Master Catechist Certification to teach theological and certification classes and recently was selected to head up a Deanery Council of Deacons and their wives to support their ordination faculties and activities in each of the seven deaneries. On a local and national level, he coordinated the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) diocesan board for 14 years. CCHD is the domestic social justice arm of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) which distribute parishioner’s donations for non-profit organizations to empower the impoverished, marginalized and disenfranchised who have social justice needs. In his early career he was a writer/reporter for a well-known Chicago newspaper, as well as owning a public relations/advertising firm. He is now semi-retired and works parttime in two professional practices he owns. On a personal note, he is married 57 years, helped rear four children with his wife, a grandfather to 10 grandchildren and a great grandfather to six great grandchildren.

BLOG INTRODUCTION

Scripture is like the eyes into God’s soul. Whether from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) or the New Testament, we can garner, as best we can, who God is (what He feels and how He thinks in human terms). The original and current purpose of this blog, which began in 2019, is to take a three-year cycle of A, B and C Gospels and readings from each Sunday and provide a perspective as it pertains to our current lives as seen through the eyes of a Catholic clergy who serve Catholics in words and deeds per their ordination. Since completing the three-year cycles, it has been expanded to investigate the areas of Commentaries, Scripture and Theology. It is because of that the blog will now have writings from Bishop Kevin Vann, Ordinary of the Diocese of Orange, California, Father Glenn Baaten, a former Anglican priest, ordained into the Roman Catholic Church as a priest, and Deacon Jim Merle, who recently celebrated his 20th year ordination and started this blog. Bishop Vann and Father Glenn will author articles on a periodic basis based upon the time they have to devote to the blog. Deacon Jim will continue to offer weekly articles, still based on the three-year cycle along with various current events that challenge us to balance our humanity with our spiritual lives. The hope is that you, our subscribers, will see this as something of value to help you grow closer to the Lord.