The Essenes

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A: 18 October 2026 Isaiah 45:1.4-6; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5; Matthew 22:15-21

Fr. Prior Simon

Today we get a very entertaining passage from Matthew's Gospel, short but full of tension and drama, sarcasm and wit. It all happens after Our Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the cleansing of the Temple. Riding on the wave of popular support, as it were, Jesus has swept right into what was the very centre of political power and religious devotion for the Jewish people.