Twenty-ninth Sunday of the Year: A: October 22, 2023

           GIVE 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. Cyrus, the King of Persia, liberated the people of Israel from their exile in Babylon. Isaiah envisages the return of the chosen people from their exile not merely as a sign of the Lord God's love for His people but also as a sign of His lordship over all 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 and praises the Holy Spirit  for all the success he has 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 Pharisees put a tricky question to Jesus: "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" Jesus cleverly answers this question by showing them a Roman coin and 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 clarifies to us the need to recognize the two-fold authority: The secular authority and the authority of God. Jesus makes a fine distinction between the two. In most of the countries in the world, there is a complete separation between the religious domain and that of the State. For us Christians, how to live in the world without having conflict between 'Caesar and God' is the question we have to face. 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 the personal groups all vying for our loyalty and support. 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 (a Russian writer)