Is 45,1.4-6
; 1Thes 1,1-5b ; Mt 22,15-21
Give to God what belongs to God
In
today's Gospel, did Christ call for conformity and blind agreement towards
illegal and illegitimate political power? After all, the Roman emperor was not
a legitimate ruler of Palestine. The Romans were the occupants and imposters. What
mean the words, "repay
to Caesar what belongs to Caesar"? Is Christ
preaching (?) that we have to pay the taxes to an illegal political power, and
in this way is He urging us to conformism and blind obedience? Does He even oblige
us to pay taxes?
I
think that in today's Gospel there is not at all a question about paying taxes
and political issues. Christ doesn't want to be mixed or involved in any
political issue and do not want to get involved in politics because this is not
the purpose of His mission. He rather asks us to note that since we are so diligent in
fulfilling our civic duties, why then do we forget so often and so easy about our
duties towards God? His evasive answer is neither encouraging to
conformity, nor provoking to a rebellion against the government (even illegal
and illegitimate). No He is far from all this political playoffs.
Of
course, we do not have to live a life isolate and alienate of worldly and
political affairs, because we do not live on the moon or in the desert, because
we are the members of a human society, each human society is inherently
political (as Plato says "man is a zoon
politikon - social animal") . But that's not the purpose of Christ's
statement. If we were to translate His words into contemporary language, they would
be: "Do not neglect your civic and
social responsibilities, be anxious about your earthly life (render unto Caesar that, what belongs to Caesar), but above all
do not forget about your obligations and duties toward God, about your eternal
life, about of your soul (Give to God
what belongs to God)."And I, do I really give to God what belongs
to Him?
Jesus'
statement that we have to give to Caesar
what belongs to Caesar is certainly not demanding that His disciples should
always be subjected to any political and even tyrannical power. Sometimes it is
just immoral to submit to the illegal and illicit political power. Especially
when the government enters into the prerogatives of God, trying to put a man on
the place due to God alone. How many examples in our recent history do we have,
when human laws are in stark contrast to divine law (eg. God's fifth commandment
to not kill and the human "right" for abortion!!!). Respecting human
rights (which are only and ONLY!!! conventional), we must always remember that
it is more than that. Above the conventional
human rights there is the RIGHT of a well-formed conscience, or objective
natural law, Divine law inscribed in the human nature: "You will not kill, you will not commit
adultery, you will not steal …"
In my everyday busy life, do I not forget
about this what belongs to God?
Is not so, that I am more diligent in giving
to Caesar even what he should not have, while I don’t give to God what belongs to
Him?
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