Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin
Today’s Gospel from Matthew begins with a debate about taxes and then takes a bizarre twist. In order to obtain a coin to pay the tax, Jesus tells Peter to go fishing and that he will find a coin to pay the tax in the mouth of the first fish he catches. Jesus is God. He has the ability to work miracles. Why not just make a coin appear out of thin air and save all the time and trouble of catching the fish in the first place?
The reason is that Jesus, as our Lord and Creator, knows that we are shaped by the process of experience. Peter’s initial reaction to Jesus’ command was quite possibly something like, “that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” But he did it. And to his surprise, he probably found that he really enjoyed doing it. And to his even greater surprise, he found that everything occurred precisely as Jesus told him that it would.
So often, we are focused on getting to the finish line of whatever tasks or processes we are faced with so we can return to a place of familiarity, comfort, and control. The reality is that real growth, purification, and interior transformation occur in those times when we are forced out of our comfort zones into experiences in which we have very little or no control and in which we must rely entirely on the Lord. But if we are willing to trust in Him completely, we will find (often to our great surprise) that things will always turn out precisely as He has promised.