We just witnessed a dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees on the question of paying the census tax. Every adult in the Roman Empire under the age of 65, regardless of gender or status had to pay this tax, which for many people equaled a day’s wages. They gave back to Caesar something that already belonged to the emperor, a coin bearing his image. For the Jews, this tax was scandalous for unlike the Romans, they did not see Caesar as a deity. With their question, the Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus one-way or the other. But instead of saying yea or nay, Jesus replied with one of his unforgettable lines, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
What belongs to Caesar is easy enough for us to know. Many government agencies, from the county auditor to the IRS, find ways to tell us what we owe in taxes. But what do we repay to God? That is a question a fair number of us pay little attention to.
At the moment I suspect you are thinking, “Ah, there goes Father, talking about money again,” but we owe God much more than the loose change in our pockets. We owe God our very being. All that we are is God’s gift to us. This gospel passage invites us to look deep within ourselves and ask, “What are we really giving back to God?” Many people think of stewardship simply as a means for the parish to raise money. I won’t deny that, but more importantly, stewardship should be seen as a personal and spiritual journey, not just a fund-raising technique. Stewardship reflects our attitude of gratitude toward God.
The contrast between Caesar and God is a timeless reminder of
the clash between earthly and spiritual powers that compete for our attention. As people of faith, we are continually challenged to take the road less traveled by. That means seeing our relationship with God as an ongoing daily journey, fully mindful of the many spiritual and worldly blessings that we have been given. Such a lifestyle is a dramatic departure from our society’s consumer mindset with its emphasis on wealth, materialism, and individualism.
As people of faith, we are called to share what we have, to
serve others, and be actively engaged in our faith community, striving to build the kingdom of God. In the typical family setting, for example, its members usually come to realize that each person has an important role to play if the family is to thrive. In the family setting, we can see stewardship at work. When everyone pitches in, life on the home front is richly blessed.
Fifty years ago at Vatican II, the Church expanded that vision, making the point that every person should be proud of the many opportunities to carry out their mission in ways that give glory to God. The more we glorify God in what we do at work, home and in the parish, the more we are able to show others around us how life in Christ really does raise up the dignity of every person.
Occasionally some parishioners complain that our parish is becoming too political, lamenting that politics do not belong in a church setting. Actually, Jesus was quite political. He came to build a better world and politics plays a vital role in creating the society in which we live. Both religion and economics are embedded in politics and kinship. In this gospel scene, Jesus is challenging us to discern how the actual use of political power should relate to the sovereign authority of God.
Recall the point we heard in our first reading when the Lord reminded Cyrus, the king of Persia, “I am the Lord and there is no other, there is no God besides me.” Moments ago, in our response to the psalm, we sang, “Give the Lord glory and honor.” And rightly so for our life span on this planet is a mere microcosm of the time God gives us. Once we take our last breath, ideally we will spend eternity in God’s presence.
What we do in this lifetime reflects what we desire most to do in the next. Thus, our overriding commitment has to be to God. Of course, we must accept lawful civil authority; as Christians we are called to be good, responsible citizens, working for the common good of the community.
However, we cannot look to the state as our moral guide. There are too many laws that are immoral in the sight of God that diminish the dignity of some people or the world we live in, hence they fail to respect the sanctity of life. Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong. Whenever there is a genuine clash between our duties to the state and to God, there should be no doubt in our minds where our duty lies. We must put God and his laws first even if doing so puts us in conflict with the state.
As Christians we are citizens of both this world and the next. We have obligations toward both that we must honor. Hopefully the obligations we have toward each will never clash but when they do, we cannot afford to surrender our conscience if the choice before us violates the moral principles of our faith. We are urged to follow the example of countless saints who placed God first in their lives for that is what is expected of every citizen of heaven.
One such saint was Thomas More. As he was being led to his execution for refusing to recognize King Henry as the head of the Church, he said, “I die the King’s good servant, but God’s first.”
Every Christian living in the modern world is faced with difficult decisions at times since the state no longer bases its law on God’s laws and that can pose serious dilemmas for Christians. There are so many little “Caesars” always vying for a piece of our conscience, trying to draw us away from God and divine authority. Thomas More shows that we must give God the first and highest claim on our loyalty. When giving whatever else we must to Caesar, let us make sure that we do not surrender our conscience, the most precious thing we have.