We belong to God

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A

Collect

Almighty ever-living God, grant that we may always conform our will to yours and serve your majesty in sincerity of heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen. 

Is 45:1, 4-6

A reading from the boom of the Prophet Isaiah

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whom he has taken by his right hand
to subdue nations before him
and strip the loins of kings,
to force gateways before him
that their gates be closed no more:

‘It is for the sake of my servant Jacob,
of Israel my chosen one,
that I have called you by your name,
conferring a title though you do not know me.
I am the Lord, unrivalled;
there is no other God besides me.
Though you do not know me, I arm you
that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
that, apart from me, all is nothing.’

The Word of the Lord.
℟. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 95 (96):1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10

℟.: Give the Lord glory and power.

O sing a new song to the Lord,
  sing to the Lord all the earth.
Tell among the nations his glory
  and his wonders among all the peoples. ℟.

The Lord is great and worthy of praise,
  to be feared above all gods;
  the gods of the heathens are naught.
It was the Lord who made the heavens. ℟.

Give the Lord, you families of peoples,
  give the Lord glory and power;
  give the Lord the glory of his name.
Bring an offering and enter his courts. ℟.

Worship the Lord in his temple.
  O earth, tremble before him.
Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’
  He will judge the peoples in fairness. ℟.


1 Thess 1, 1-5b

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians

From Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the Church in Thessalonika which is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; wishing you grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We always mention you in our prayers and thank God for you all, and constantly remember before God our Father how you have shown your faith in action, worked for love and persevered through hope, in our Lord Jesus Christ.

We know, brothers, that God loves you and that you have been chosen, because when we brought the Good News to you, it came to you not only as words, but as power and as the Holy Spirit and as utter conviction.

The Word of the Lord.
℟. Thanks be to God.


Gospel Acclamation
Phil 2:15d, 16a

Alleluia. ℟. Alleluia.
Shine like lights in the world
as you hold on to the word of life.
℟. Alleluia.

Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.
Mt 22:15-21

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

The Pharisees went away to work out between them how to trap Jesus in what he said. And they sent their disciples to him, together with the Herodians, to say, ‘Master, we know that you are an honest man and teach the way of God in an honest way, and that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you. Tell us your opinion, then. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ But Jesus was aware of their malice and replied, ‘You hypocrites! Why do you set this trap for me? Let me see the money you pay the tax with.’ They handed him a denarius, and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they replied. He then said to them, ‘Very well, give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.’

The Gospel of the Lord.
℟. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.


Reflection

Although the Pharisees and the Herodians were rivals, they joined forces to test Jesus. They approached him subtly, flattering him with their words before setting their trap through their question. The payment of taxes was a politically sensitive and contentious issue in first-century Palestine, since the pagan Roman Empire burdened the Jews with many taxes.

“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” they asked him (v. 17). In other words, was it right in the sight of God to pay taxes to a pagan emperor? If Jesus answered ‘yes’, they could accuse him of supporting the Romans and opposing the Jews; but if he answered ‘no’, it would seem as though he were inciting rebellion against the Romans.

But Jesus, the wise master that he is, uses the malice of their intentions as an opportunity to speak about the things of God and to teach them a lesson: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (v. 21). Since the image of the Roman Emperor, Tiberius Caesar, was engraved on the tax coin, by paying the tax they were returning to the emperor what belonged to him. Through his words, Jesus challenges them to honour their obligations towards God just as they honour their obligations towards Caesar as citizens. One is not opposed to the other; rather, they are distinct yet complementary, because God’s presence in our lives enlightens us as to how we should conduct ourselves in the affairs of this world. Let us give Caesar only what belongs to Caesar, and what belongs to God, let us give to God.

Caesar had ordered his image to be engraved on the coins, together with the inscription ‘son of the divine Augustus’, to demonstrate his absolute authority throughout the Empire. God, however, from the very beginning, has engraved his image upon the heart of every human being, giving us the identity and dignity of his beloved children. Therefore, we should give God the first place in our lives, because we belong to him. Rather than thinking of ways to test and trap one another, we should seek to draw one another towards the source of our life, who is the Lord.

By the way we are living, can we say that we are giving to God what belongs to God, or are our minds more occupied with the things of this world? Are we witnessing to our identity? In our daily lives, in our families, in our communities, at our place of work and among our friends, are we making visible the image of God that has been engraved within us? 

Prayer

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures for ever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his mercy endures for ever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his mercy endures for ever. (Psalm 136:1-3)

 

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