Homily for 29th Sunday, cycle A, Making God’s Kingdom present through our participation in the public sphere

To listen to this homily go to my Buzzspout site or look for the show Deacon Ron's Ramblings on your favorite podcast site.

In today’s Gospel today Jesus answers whether it was lawful for a Jew to pay the census taxes with: "Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." The Pharisees and Herodians thought they put Jesus in a no-win situation by their question, but he turns the tables on them, with an answer they did not expect. Why would these two groups might be working together? The Pharisees were the Jewish religious leaders who would act pious, but in their hearts were far from God. They were constantly trying to accuse Jesus of violating the Jewish laws so they could get rid of him. The Pharisees were opposed to the Romans, because their emperor claimed to be a god, which was against their faith. The Herodians were Jews, but they weren’t so worried about their faith.  They supported the Romans, so they could receive favored treatment, and would inform the Romans of anyone who opposed them. The Herodians and Pharisees seemed to be at odds, but they joined together because Jesus was a threat to their power. So, they used the issue of paying the census tax as ammunition to trip up Jesus. If Jesus said it was ok to pay the census taxes, the Pharisees would accuse him of not being a faithful Jew. But if he said paying taxes was unlawful, the Herodians would inform the Roman authorities, and he would be hauled off to prison or even killed. They both thought this difficult question was a trap to trip up Jesus.

Jesus knew the Pharisees put up a front of being righteous, but their hearts were far from God. True to their form Jesus, reveals the Pharisee’s hypocrisy in asking for a coin used to pay the census taxes. They gave Jesus a Roman coin, but if they were practiced what they preached, they would not have any. Roman currency had Caesar’s image on one side and the claim of his divinity on the other. The Pharisees thought the coins were a form of idolatry and would not permit the Jews to use them, only allowing unmarked copper coins for trade in the Jewish community. So, Jesus’ answer was not what they expected: to pay what’s due to both Caesar and to God. The Pharisees were living under Roman occupation and had to coexist with them.  If they did not pay the tax, they would be subject to punishment by the Romans. So, paying the census tax was necessary to peacefully coexist with them. Jesus knew that living in the world required cooperating with civil authorities, whose ultimate power came from God, even if they did not seem to always be following the His ways.  The point Jesus was trying to make his adversaries: That it’s possible to be loyal to both a civil power and to God, for the good of humanity. 

The Herodians and Pharisees were both Jews. As Jews they were to love God with all their heart, mind, and soul and to love their neighbor as their self.  They owed everything to God because he is author of life.  But in being only concerned about themselves, their hearts weren’t open to making the Kingdom of God present in the world by following Jesus.

We are blessed to live in the United States where we are free to worship God and to participate in civil society by electing those who govern us to bring about the common good. Unfortunately, some of the people who serve as elected official enact policies and laws that don’t always follow the ways our faith teaches. But God has allowed these leaders to be in power. We are called to pray for them, so their hearts are open to govern justly, respecting human life at all stages, supporting families, health care, education, social justice, and religious liberty.

As Catholics, we live in the world, but we are not of the world. While we are citizens of the United States, our ultimate citizenship is the Kingdom of God. If there is something contrary to God’s ways in our government, we can promote for changes to help bring about the Kingdom of God.  How can we do this? By learning about what our Catholic faith teaches about the moral and social issues that affect the common good. The
Indiana Catholic Conference is an organization that can help us learn about these teachings and is the public policy voice of the Catholic Church representing all the dioceses in the State of Indiana. They advocate for policies that promote Catholic moral and social teachings to those who serve in our government to promote the common good. School choice vouchers which have benefited many of our school families is one of the policies advocated by the Indiana Catholic Conference. Their website has a wealth of information, and you can sign up for a newsletter or listen to podcasts, to keep informed of legislation at the state and national level they are advocating for that support of Catholic teachings. They also have the US Bishops document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, which is an excellent resource to inform us on what issues are important to keep in mind when selecting public officials to vote for.

As citizens of the United States, we are subject to taxes just like the Jews were to the Romans. As citizens of heaven, we’re called to help bring about the Kingdom of God here on earth. We can actively do this by promoting for moral and social issues that are consistent with our faith, through our participation as citizens of our country. The currency we use has images of those who have served our country and the phrase “In God we trust.” This is a reminder for us that we can support both our civil authorities and most importantly God, who is the ultimate source of our country, homes, families, and our own life.  As we come forward for the Eucharist, let’s thank God for all he has given us and for civil leaders to answer the call to serve by following His will in promoting the common good for all.