Today’s Gospel is built around the saying in verse 21, “Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” It is a “wisdom saying” and the passage invites us to enter into it with our feelings.
We would not be able to properly grasp the meaning of this sentence without bearing in mind the context in which Jesus said it. Often, it is said that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” In other words, two people who are enemies will often come together if they see an opportunity to jointly attack a greater enemy. This is what was happening in today’s Gospel. The Pharisees were strict observers of the Law of Moses. It was their view that the people should not pay taxes. The Herodians on the other hand supported the payment of taxes supported the policy of arresting anyone who did not pay their taxes. Jesus was considered the greatest enemy of the Pharisees and the Herodians, and both groups joined together in a plot to trap Jesus even though they greatly disliked each other.
Let’s consider the question they brought to Jesus- Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? If Jesus said the people should pay taxes, the Pharisees could turn the people against Him. If Jesus said it was unlawful to pay taxes to Caesar, He could be arrested by Herod’s soldiers. The question to us is: If you were in Jesus’ position – what would be your response? Would you most likely give two contradicting answers to each group just to please each party? Would you shy away from the confrontation, manipulate the truth, or speak the truth firmly?
The trap that the Pharisees set for Jesus presents what could be a challenge to personal loyalty. What is owed to Caesar and what is owed to God? Jesus did not defend Himself irrationally, He did not shy away from the confrontation, or manipulate the truth to His own advantage. In response, Jesus spoke the truth in a simple way and refused to engage his opponents in their tricks. Jesus’s response challenges us to consider the standards by which we owe things to an authority, in other words, where our loyalties lie. How do we respond when we feel as though another person is trying to trap us or challenge us? Do we become more concerned about our defense than with speaking the truth or are we tempted to twist our answers rather than speak with sincerity and honesty? Are we more like the Pharisees and Herodians whose goal was to trap and win?
In our lives, the truth may require that we admit our mistakes and faults and apologize when confronted.
Jesus’s response also helps us acknowledge that while we owe our loyalty ultimately to God, we often must honor that by respecting our duties toward the community to which we belong i.e. the society, and the government of our country. But if we are to take our faith seriously, we are also concerned about others who are far away from us.
This Sunday presents us with another profound opportunity to renew our commitment to the Great Commission. The World Mission Sunday, celebrated globally serves as a call to mobilize faith, resources, and action in advancing the Gospel to our brothers and sisters living in the different parts of our world. Importantly, it is the only collection mandated by the Code of Canon Law.
As the theme for this year’s World Mission Sunday, Pope Francis has chosen: “Hearts on Fire, Feet on the Move.” It is based on the narrative of the disciples’ encounter with Jesus on their way to Emmaus, as narrated in Luke 24:13-35. This passage of the scripture vividly reminds us that when our hearts are set ablaze by the living Christ, our feet naturally move in mission, spreading the warmth of His love and the light of His Word.
The Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of four Pontifical Mission Societies, was founded by French laywoman Blessed Pauline Jaricot in 1822. She planted the seed for what today is the World Mission Sunday Collection by asking her friends to pray daily and donate a penny a week for the missionaries working on spreading the Gospel to all nations. Let us join our Holy Father Pope Francis in praying for the young, persecuted, and poor Churches in over 1,100 dioceses around the world that benefit from the World Mission Sunday collection this weekend.
As we reflect on our baptismal promise to be disciples and missionaries, to embrace the call to have our “Hearts on fire, feet on the move.” I invite you to live simply, care deeply, love genuinely and give generously, speak kindly, and bloom where you are planted!
We come before the Lord, asking Him to fuel our passion and direct our steps as we bear witness to His love throughout the world.
~ Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB
This is World Mission Sunday and our week’s reflection is presented by our monastery guest: Sister Elizabeth Ogbu. Sister is living with us and serving in the Accounts Receivable Office of the Pontifical Mission Society’s National Office based in St. Petersburg. Sister travels 3 days a week to the office in downtown St. Petersburg. She works two days remotely (and spends weekends) here at the monastery. We pray God bless her labor for the church and, please God, travel with her as she makes that long trek on I-75 three days a week. We wish her good luck as she seeks to secure partial-week housing closer to her place of work.
