Commentary on the Gospel of
Death and Taxes
“Death and taxes are the only two certainties in life,” we say. Well, Jesus mentions both in today’s gospel. The matter-of-fact manner in which Jesus mentions his death must make us think. Jesus can speak so because he knows that his death at the hands of his enemies is part of the grand design of God, and he is at home with it. It frees him up to live his life to such fullness that he is also at ease living the life of an earthly citizen with is “taxing” demands. Ernest Becker, in his brilliant book Denial of Death, argues that every undertaking of human being is an effort at denying death. Whereas this denial has given us great advancement in science and technology, how greater would our achievements be, especially at the service of human solidarity, if we can serenely accept the reality of death and live our lives accordingly!
