Give what is due, fight when needed

October 16, 2011 

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Is 45,1.4-6 . 1Thes 1,1-5b

Mt 22,15-21

===

Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?

Jesus lived during the Roman occupation of Palestine. Taxes were being given for the Emperor's 'projects.' Of course, some people tend to disagree with this idea of government, since it oppresses the poor of the land while the rich and greedy gain from ill-gotten wealth. They tend to turn to Jesus to ask him, with some malice on the side,  if it is alright to pay taxes to the Emperor. Of course, when they see some 'holes' in Jesus's words, chances are they my accuse him of treason against the Empire. They may take him out of their way.

But Jesus is  more than a political leader, he is the Son of God. For him, God matters more than every other temporal thing; however, being a member of the community, he is also concerned with the matters of the local turf. Aside from this, he knows that they are after his answer and, eventually, after his own destruction. So he gave an answer which defied their ideology and still glorified God.

Give me a coin. What do you see?

Caesar's face. Now what?

Well, then. Give to Caesar what belongs to him, and give God what is due to Him.

For Jesus, a true follower does not only do things which are beneficial to the soul, he also works for the betterment of the society and the community. What's important for the Christian is that he is doing ways and means so that God's Kingdom may also be experienced in the world of tears, sadness and exile. Like St. Therese of Lisieux said, Let us spend Heaven doing Good on Earth!

So let's go to the society. For how many months, we have this grappling battle which, they say, is for the betterment of out future as a country, but for us enlightened is against the Divine Law and morals. While the gurus of the world show up scientific and logical evidences for most of the mob to believe in their ideologies, we depend on conscience and good morals to defend our good side: Life is God's best gift to us! Lately, we are informed of an estimated Php 13.7 Billion of the 2012 National Budget to be used for promoting their own interests which - actually - is  against God's gift of life! This bunch of money comes from our taxes, and it will be used for buying contraceptives and anti-life items. That is, if the Bill is passed.

So, we go back to the question of the Herodians, Is it lawful to give taxes (to the Government) or not?

We can still see Jesus answering, Give the government what belongs to them, and give God what is due to Him! 

What does that mean? We should still pay our taxes and become all the more involved in the development of the community. But when the law of man goes against the Divine Will, then we should also stand up for God and His Divine Providence which is put in the pit of destruction. We should clearly see God in every temporal idea that man's government is going through. It is not bad - it never is - to support the bureaucracy of the state and the nation, as long as it is not against God's plan for each one of us.

We ask ourselves in this juncture, do we give what is due to our government and to God? In ties when these two forces clash, for whom do I stand?

Again, the words of St. Therese... Let us spend Heaven doing good on Earth! God is with us!