Divine Peace in the Face of Panic - Weekday Homily Video

 A friend of mine once received a phone call that began with three words nobody wants to hear: "This is the IRS." His heart stopped. His life flashed before his eyes, not his good memories, but receipts, tax returns, and charitable donations he may have slightly rounded up. Within thirty seconds, he was mentally confessing crimes he hadn't even committed. Then, to his relief, he discovered it was a scam.

What fascinated me was that the caller never asked for money immediately. He simply created panic. He wanted a reaction before reason had a chance to show up for work.

Creating Emotion

Remember, there was a time when we seemed to be the luckiest person on earth. Every week we received an email saying, "Congratulations! You have won $2 million in an International Lottery!" The only problem was that we had never bought a lottery ticket. Apparently, we were winning competitions we had never entered, in countries we had never visited.

Then came the generous donors. "God has inspired me to donate $10 million to your ministry. Kindly send your bank details immediately." It was touching that the Holy Spirit seemed so interested in wire transfers.

These days, scammers are deeply concerned about our packages. FedEx can't deliver them. UPS is holding them. Amazon urgently needs us to click a link. The only problem is that sometimes we haven't ordered anything at all. Yet somewhere out there, an imaginary package is desperately trying to reach us.

And then there are the phone calls: "This is the IRS." "This is Social Security." "This is your bank." The message is always the same: Act now. Click now. Scammers seem to know a great spiritual truth: fear can make people stop thinking. Every scammer knows the same secret: if they can make you emotional, they can make you irrational.

Pressure to React

But not all scams arrive by email or text message. Some happen right at home. A careless comment, a misunderstood text, an old family disagreement, a spouse's remark taken the wrong way, suddenly we feel the pressure to react immediately. "Answer back now. Get offended now. Win the argument now." Just like the scammers, these moments try to provoke a response before wisdom has a chance to speak. Jesus reminds us today that sometimes the holiest thing we can do is pause before we react.

The people approaching Jesus are not seekers. They're running a first-century phishing scheme. They open with flattery, "Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity" which, if someone says that to you, before asking a question, hold onto your wallet. Then they construct a trap where every possible answer blows up in Jesus' face. These guys rehearsed this moment for days.

Divine Patience

And that is exactly why Jesus is so remarkable in today's Gospel. The trap is carefully designed. The question is loaded. The pressure is real. Everyone around Him is waiting for an answer that will get Him into trouble, like the scammers. But He doesn't panic. He doesn't take the bait, Jesus refuses to be rushed. He refuses to let someone else dictate the terms of the conversation. He pauses, asks for a coin, and sees through the scheme immediately.

That may be the most important lesson in the Gospel today. Not every question deserves an immediate answer. Not every demand deserves an instant response. Not every crisis is actually a crisis. The people who trapped Jesus were counting on a reaction. Instead, they encountered wisdom.

Wisdom in Slowing Down

The same principle applies to our lives. Fear, anger, anxiety, outrage, wounded pride, these are often the emotional scammers of the soul. They arrive with the same message: "Act now. Decide now. Respond now." But wisdom usually speaks more slowly. Faith is rarely found in panic. Good decisions are seldom made in a hurry.

Perhaps that is why Jesus appears so calm throughout the Gospels. He is never controlled by the urgency of others. He is guided by the will of His Father. In a world full of traps, pressure, and manipulation, today's Gospel invites us to do what Jesus did: pause, think, pray, and see clearly before we respond. Because the moment we stop reacting and start discerning, the scam loses its power.

So we pray today, that May our faith be strong, our wisdom be sharp, and may all our packages from Amazon be real.

• Today’s Readings
  
  
• Father Boby’s inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center today. You can watch the entire Mass on the Family Rosary Video streams channel on YouTube.
  
  
• Join the Rosary (11:30 am ET) and Mass (Noon ET) livestreams on the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page, Monday – Friday. Invite your friends and family to pray with you as well.