TO GOD AND TO CAESAR
First Reading: Isaiah 45: 1 and 4-5
Second Reading: Thessalonians 1: 1-5
Gospel Reading: Matthew 22: 15-23
*First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. King Cyrus the King of Persia liberated the people of Israel from their exile in Babylon. Isaiah envisages the return of the chosen people from exile not merely as a sign of the Lord God's love for His people but also of His lordship over all the nations.
*Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Thessalonians. In his opening lines to the Christian community at Thessalonica Paul expresses his deep love and concern for them. He acknowledges the Holy Spirit the success in His preaching ministry.
"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The question put by Pharisees to Jesus on that day was : "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" Jesus cleverly answers this question by taking a Roman coin and subsequently asking them about the image and the inscription on the coin. By His answer, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's", Jesus tells us the need to recognize the two fold authority - namely the secular authority, at the same time that of God's authority. Jesus makes a fine distinction between the two. In many of the countries in the world there is complete separation between the Church and the State. For us Christians, how to live in the world without having conflicts between 'Caesar and God' is the question. There are also so many little 'Caesars' we have to deal with in our daily lives. There is the party, the company, the local community and personal groups all vying for loyalty and support from us. In all these situations we have to acknowledge and respect the legitimate secular authority at the same time keeping God's authority in its rightful place.
"The main problem of the twentieth Century : Is it permissible to commit one's conscience to someone else's keeping?" - Solzhenitsyn.
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