All Souls Day (A)

 

All Souls Day (A)

(Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed)

02.11.2026

Readings: (1) Wis 4:7-15 (2) 1 Thess 4:13-18

Gospel Reflections by Fr. Freddie Santhumayor SVD

A reading from the gospel according to Jn 11:17-27

N.B.: These reflections need to be adapted to any of the optional readings given for this day in the Lectionary or Liturgical Calendar [‘Ordo’].

Main Focus: Jesus gives the gift of divine (or eternal) life to those who put their trust in him, and those who receive this gift shall never die spiritually, even if they die physically.

In brief: Living for ever despite physical death

SYNOPSIS

For many Catholics, All Souls Day is a day of prayer for the ‘eternal rest’ of all the dead in their families. If we ask any of them, the reason for such prayer, naturally many of them would say that their prayer helps the dead to go to heaven from a state of purification called purgatory. Of course, this is true according to the teachings of the Catholic Church. But besides this, there are other reasons – not sufficiently emphasized or known to many – why we should pray for the faithful departed:

Our prayers for those who have died marked with the sign of faith are an expression or sign of our close relationship or bond that connects us with them even after death. All the faithful departed, though dead are still spiritually living with us. Since our communion with them is essentially spiritual, we express it by praying for them and offering the Eucharistic Sacrifice for their repose and purification from all imperfections before seeing the face of God. The saints in heaven also keep up this spiritual relationship with us by continually interceding with God on our behalf. Thus, “whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom 14:8); we are one spiritual family; one in the Lord. Does this thught console you when you remember them in prayer and Holy Mass?

Secondly, today’s solemn commemoration of the faithful departed, should generate in us thoughts about our own death and the hope of eternal life that Christ has given us. This hope is not based simply  on a wish that we should continue to live after death, rather firmly founded on our faith in the resurrection of Christ. Because he has conquered death, now death cannot separate us and the faithful departed permanently from the love of God. The Church reminds us that when we die, we too, like the faithful departed, shall complete the process of dying with Christ and rising to new life begun at baptism. She invites us to reflect on this paschal character of our death and gives us the hope that we shall be with Christ and share in the glory of his resurrection forever.

This hope helps us cope with life’s challenges, since it can sustain and support us in times of suffering and crisis. It gives a meaning to all the suffering, sorrow, pain and struggles of life. We firmly believe that our sufferings will not be in vain and an unimaginable reward is awaiting us. As St. Paul says, they are not worth comparing with the glory to come (Rom 8:18). If we hope for the ‘Gold Medal’ (heavenly reward) in life’s race, we have to go through a rigorous exercise of trials, suffering, struggles and hardships. Suppose we have no hope of getting any reward, why should and how can we suffer with serenity at all? It will be a harsh and horrible suffering with nothing to hold on.

By raising Lazarus from death in today’s gospel text, Jesus promises that he has the power to free those who believe in him from the bonds of spiritual or eternal death, that is, “an alienation from the life of God” for ever (Eph 4:18). When Jesus says in the present tense “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25), he means that he is the source of our resurrection now because, by his divine power he can give spiritual and eternal life to those who are spiritually dead and raise them at the final resurrection of all the dead. The power which death holds over people to separate them from God and his divine or eternal life is defeated by Jesus’ resurrection. On All Souls Day we pray that this wonderful promise may be fulfilled in the lives of our dearly departed. Since they believed in him, even though they have died, will live for ever (11:25). This thought consoles us when we are saddened by the loss of our dear ones.

But there is a condition – put by Jesus to Martha and to each of us today – if this experience has to become applicable: "Do you believe this (11:26)?" In John’s gospel “to believe” means to put one’s trust in Jesus. Faith in Jesus creates such a close communion with him that divine life which is in him flows into believers. And physical death cannot cut off that life. One who has faith lives even after death, in fact never dies in spirit (11:25-26). The believers share not only Jesus’ divine life here on earth but also resurrection because, death cannot defeat the life of God (1 Cor 15:53-57). Hence, death’s curse and sting is removed by Jesus by his resurrection.

All Souls Day is a great day of remembrance and loving gratitude. Our prayers and Eucharistic Sacrifice are signs that we have not forgotten the love and service of our departed family members and other brothers and sisters in the Church when they were with us, and are united with them with an unbroken bond of love and unity even after their death. As Jesus has said to Martha in today’s gospel, the faithful departed, who believed in Jesus, even though have died, their love and service, the values they lived and proclaimed, the sacrifices they made, and the positive influence they exerted on us continue to live forever in our hearts and in our memory (11:25-26).. Therefore, today we raise our hearts in gratitude to God for what he has done for us through them and say “How great are you O Lord; you have done wonderful deeds for us through so many loved ones from generation to generation!”

Today, the Church makes us realize that this world is not our permanent home, and our earthly life is a pilgrimage to God. The impermanence of earthly life makes us ponder about the meanness or foolishness of getting excessively attached to worldly possessions, and putting our full trust in them, instead of God who alone is our security. This thought should motivate us to live qualitatively different type of life, different from merely working and slogging, earning and spending, eating and drinking and making merry, because it is a preparation for eternal life with God. If we do not live a life of purpose, we die several times before we actually die, and will be guilty of living a wasted life. Is it not?

A prayer

Remember our brothers and sisters, O merciful God, who have fallen asleep in the peace of Christ. Admit them to rejoice in the light of your face and in the resurrection give them fullness of life. When our earthly pilgrimage is done, grant that we too may live with you for ever in communion with all the saints. Amen.

To read the full text of my Gospel Reflections for All Souls Day, please go to my Blog by clicking on the following link:

 

http://freddygospelreflections.blogspot.com

 

 

Feast of All Saints (A)

 

Feast of All Saints [Mt 5:1-12]

01.11.2026

Readings: (1) Rev 7:2-4.9-14 (2) 1 Jn 3:1-3

1.    Focus Statement:   

All of us are called to lead a life of holiness by our baptism itself and grow into it by following the path laid down by Christ in his Beatitudes.

2.    Theme in brief

Our call to holiness

3.    Explanation of the text

According to today’s gospel text, traditionally called the Eight Beatitudes, true and internal happiness does not lie in wealth, success, pleasure, power, prestige and popularity, but in living or putting into practice the values of God’s Kingdom. The blessedness mentioned in this text is about serenity and inner peace and joy that is independent of what happens to us externally – a joy which cannot be taken away by sorrow, loss, pain and even death. Whereas worldly joy can come and go with fortune and success, this joy cannot be lost with the change of fortune or failure of our plans.

This sort of internal joy comes from acquiring the following attitudes:

1) Acknowledging one’s utter helplessness and putting one’s whole trust not in possessions or material things but only in God. It means acquiring a spirit of detachment from worldly wealth and becoming conscious of one’s total dependence on God (5:3);

2) Expressing solidarity with the broken-hearted of human society by weeping with those who weep, and by expressing sorrow for one’s own sins (5:4);

3) Keeping one’s passions and aggressive or violent instincts under control, and cultivating non-aggressive behaviour or action (5:5);

4) Longing for justice/ righteousness and holiness just as one longs for food when very hungry (5:6);

5) Feeling one with the feelings/ pain/ joy/ troubles/ problems of others with a compassionate heart (5:7);

6) Purifying one’s motives and intentions so that they do not become totally selfish, dubious, ulterior and adulterated (5:8);

7) Promoting and building up peace and reconciliation among people (5:9);

8) Suffering for justice or righteousness and for Christ’s values; as well as willingness to undergo persecution for the sake of Christ (5:10).

4.    Application to life                     

Today we rejoice in the Lord because innumerable of our brothers and sisters have achieved their life’s dream to be saints. We rejoice because we too share their joy and express our hope of reaching one day where they are. The saints are not a small caste of chosen people. Actually they are so innumerable that the Church may find it impossible to enlist all of them in her calendar. That is why today is a day to remember not only canonized saints but also innumerable saints who are not officially canonized by the Church. They are our brothers and sisters who lived an ordinary life in an extraordinary way and became models of Christian life and holiness in their own life-situations. Saints are our ‘heavenly heroes and heroines’. We do not imitate their external appearances or styles as people imitate film stars, but their virtues and example in living a holy life in the midst of ups and downs of life.

By baptism, we are called to a life of holiness and are promised by God a heavenly reward. At that time we establish a spiritual relationship with all our Christian brothers and sisters. That is not broken even by death. Whether we live or die, we all belong to one spiritual family. Our relationship is continued by our prayer to saints so that they may intercede for us with God, and by their prayer to God for our salvation and protection. According to today’s gospel, who are the saints? Why are they rewarded and called “blessed?” Saints are models of an exemplary Christian discipleship lived according to the norms of the beatitudes. What is their reward? In today’s gospel we can find an answer to these questions:

1)    They lived a life of detachment from material possessions and relied totally on God, and now they enjoy the reward of the Kingdom.

2)    They mourned over evil in their personal lives as well as in the world, and now they enjoy the comfort of heavenly glory.

3)    They were meek in admitting their sins and failures, and now they have inherited the Promised Land.

4)    They were hungry for God’s values, and now he feeds them with the heavenly banquet.

5)    They were merciful towards the needy and the erring, and now they enjoy God’s infinite mercy on them.

6)    They were pure in their intentions and dealings, and now they see God face-to-face.

7)    They were peace-lovers and peacemakers, not peace-breakers; now they enjoy the full dignity of God’s children.

8)    They went through rejection, persecution, trials and abuse for Christ’s sake, and now they have received the reward of the Kingdom.

Today’s feast invites us not to place our full security in material possession but in God alone; to mourn for the sins of the world and share our neighbours’ pain and sorrows; to humbly admit our wrongdoings and faults and make amends for them; to hunger for peace and justice; to be compassionate towards the needy and the marginalized; and to stand for Christ’s values even when there opposition and persecution. If we live by these values, we too have the hope of receiving the heavenly reward like the saints. If no, it is high time to strive to walk on the path of the beatitudes. If we remain faithful to our call as God’s children, we have the hope of achieving our ultimate destiny, i.e. a share in God’s glory. In other words, if we strive to live by the norms of the beatitudes, we shall get the reward promised in them.

The saints are those who showed the way how to live these values, though they too had their human weaknesses.  The values and ethical demands advocated by Christ in the beatitudes reverse the mentality and values of the world. The world considers plenty of money, wealth, power and bodily pleasures as the paths to real happiness. Jesus reverses this mentality in his beatitudes. We often think saints were extraordinary people who could practice these seemingly unattainable ideals of the beatitudes. Though in theory we know that we are called to a life of holiness from the day of baptism, in reality who of us wants to stand in front of the mirror and sincerely say: “I want to be a Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Lawrence, St Monica or Mother Teresa?” We find these ideals too hard to practice and do not even give it a try.

Actually, nobody is born a saint. All of us have to strive to become one by following the path of the Beatitudes. Whenever we put these values into practice we should be happy that we too are following the path of holiness. But since as humans we often fail to live up to these high ideals, we should always regret for not having done our best to advance in holiness. We walk on the road to holiness by not trusting totally in wealth, admitting our mistakes or sinfulness, comforting those who weep and suffer, not compromising with worldly standards, becoming peacemakers instead of peace-breakers. To be holy is to realize day after day that we are children of God. He is looking at each one of us with love, he is looking for each one of us even when we go astray, and he is looking after us with a providential care. Sadly enough, today, we have so many short-cut methods or ways contrary to those followed by the saints to attain momentary happiness and temporary relief such as habitual or addictive use of drugs, alcohol, sex, T.V., cell phones, internet, etc.

5.    Response to God's Word

Do we place our full security in God? Do we mourn over the miseries and sins of the world and share our neighbours’ pains? Are we humble enough to admit our sins and mistakes? Do we have a hunger for justice and righteousness? Are we compassionate towards the deprived and the marginalized? Do we have honesty and integrity of heart? Do we work to build bridges and bring reconciliation between warring and divided groups or persons? Do we stand for Christ’s values even when there is criticism, opposition, ridicule and persecution? Are we faithful to our baptismal call to holiness? Do we struggle to live a holy life in the midst of an unholy environment?

6.    A prayer

Lord, I do believe in the communion of saints. In the midst of all trials and temptations, grant me the grace to remain faithful to you so that I may attain the heavenly reward promised by you. Amen.

Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)

 

Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A) [Mt 22:34-40]

25.10.2026

The Greatest Commandment

Readings: (1) Ex 22:20-26 (2) 1 Thess 1:5-10

1.     Theme in brief

Inter-relation between love of God and neighbour

2.     Focus Statement  

If our love and worship of God is genuine, it must be authenticated by our service to the needy.

3.    Explanation of the text

According to this gospel text, a lawyer from Pharisees asks a question with a hostile intention; that is, to test Jesus (22:34-35). He wants to know which commandment among so many in the Law of Moses is the greatest (2:36). Probably the lawyer wants to know whether all the statutes of the Law (totalling 613 as per Jewish tradition) are equally important for Jesus, or whether some are more important and some less. Or by using the word “greatest” probably the lawyer wants to know the summary of the whole Law or its central law.

Though the lawyer asks about only one (the greatest) commandment, Jesus gives two without being asked. Actually both of the commandments cited by Jesus are already found in the OT. First one is found in Deuteronomy 6:5 which says: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might,” and the second one in Leviticus 19:18, which says: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” What is special about Jesus’ teaching is that he links together or combines these two widely scattered commandments in two different Books of the OT and makes both of them the greatest. He does this by saying that the second (that is, loving one’s neighbour as oneself) is like the first (22:39) or equal to the first in importance. In other words, he regards the second as of the same value or rank as the first.  Thus, he gives both the commandments a new and radical meaning. By doing this, he emphasizes the relatedness of these two commandments, and wants to tell his questioner that he cannot practise real love of God without loving his neighbours.

Jesus teaches that both commandments are not exclusive of or unrelated to each other. What he means is that one cannot love God exclusively without showing that love to one’s neighbours. Thus, he gives a social slant to one’s religious or spiritual duty to love God. At the end he states that these two commandments are like the threads on which both the Law and the prophets (that is, the entire OT) hang (22:40). In other words, the whole Law rests on these two pillars. Whereas the Jewish Rabbis used to say that the whole world hangs on the Law, Jesus says that the Law itself hangs on love of God authenticated by deeds of mercy done to the needy. The two commandments not only summarize all other laws but also provide the key for interpreting and understanding the meaning of all other laws.

Jesus’ combination of two commandments indicates that there is no hierarchy (that is, higher and lower rank) among two types of love: of God and love of neighbour. What is new in it is his redefinition of what love of God is – it not only means devotion to and worship of God but also service to one’s neighbour done out of love for God. According to him the greatest commandments, though two, are in fact one – to love God by loving our neighbours. In Luke’s gospel Jesus explains that our “neighbour” (Lk 10:25-37) could be anybody in need or is suffering.

Some even say that there are three commandments in this text: (1) to love God; (2) to love our neighbours; and (3) to love oneself. But the fact is, love of self in this context is presumed as natural and we are commanded to love our neighbours just as we love ourselves naturally. Self-love does not need a commandment.

4.    Application to life                     

Ever since Jesus combined or linked together the two OT commandments to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and to love our neighbour as we love ourselves, various ways of understanding this teaching have emerged. These twin commandments are among those most misunderstood by many interpreters and preachers throughout Christian history. Which is the greatest commandment: to love God or to love neighbour? For the Jews (and for many Christians even today) love of God is more important and superior to love of neighbour, since it is mentioned as the greatest and first commandment by Jesus himself (22:38). But many Christians forget that according to Jesus, love of neighbour is also the greatest commandment, because he says that the second one is like or of the same rank as love of God. Some say that both love of God and neighbours are two separate commandments and mean different things. They say that love of God includes praising, thanking, worshipping, adoring and offering oneself to God, or faithfully fulfilling one’s religious/spiritual duties. This, they say, is our first duty. According to them, love of neighbour includes whatever service we render to others. But it comes in the second place after fulfilling our duties towards God. There seems to be no basis for this argument in the present gospel text, since the word ‘first’ in this context, as explained above, does not imply first in rank, but only first in a list. Moreover, Jesus says that the second is exactly like the first (22:39).

By combining two widely scattered statement of the OT, Jesus means to say that loving God with one’s heart, soul and mind, includes doing good, serving, caring and showing genuine concern for the welfare of our neighbours just as we do all these things to ourselves naturally. In our world, especially in the minds of the youth, love is equated with physical attraction between a boy (man) and a girl (woman) and is associated with intense feelings or emotion and natural attraction. But the whole of NT gives a special connotation to the word “love” (agape).  According to it, love is neither strictly emotional nor passive. It is not simply a happy feeling of friendliness or good will towards somebody. How can we look at the face of an enemy and have feelings of attraction? If we go by natural attraction, it is impossible to love such a person. Whereas natural attraction happens without our control or will, loving our enemy (that is, doing good to him/her) cannot happen without a decision of the mind, or making a conscious choice and acting upon it.

Love of neighbour is an active response to our experience of God’s love – a response shown in concrete actions, such as doing good to others, rendering service, showing compassion, performing deeds of mercy and doing self-sacrifice for the needy. It means doing these things even if we don’t have a good feeling or affection towards them as we have towards our friends and family members. In other words, it means primarily love of concern for the needy (Lk 6:32-33; 6:35), whether we have good feeling or natural attraction towards them or not. If we have, it is well and good; if we do not have also we are called to do good to anyone who is in need (Lk 10:29-37). Thus Christian love goes far beyond love of friendship or beyond our kinship circle, which is limited to a few persons. We return God’s love by loving our neighbour in whom he is encountered.

There is nothing wrong in the traditional understanding of what love of God means – praying, worshipping and adoring God or being faithful to one’s duties towards God. In addition, Jesus gives a new understanding of what love of God means by taking it far beyond its traditional understanding. He wants to tell those who try to seek God in prayer, fasting, renunciation, ritual worship, etc., they cannot find him if they have no concern for the welfare of others, or if they are not bothered to do good to the needy. Many of us are satisfied only by attending church on Sundays and going through some traditional prayers. But we do not allow our faith or religious practices to influence our behaviour in such a way that it overflows into genuine love for neighbours, especially the suffering and the needy. Actually, religious practices become meaningless if they do not lead us to show concern for human needs. If people claim to be Christians only for social identity and are concerned only with their own personal salvation, their claim becomes nothing but hollow.

There are people who do a lot of social service but do not believe in God or any Supreme Being. They call it humanitarian work or service to humanity. Sometimes practising Christians, including some priests and religious in the Catholic Church, are tempted to do social work purely for humanitarian motives. They are tempted to get immersed in material welfare and give God only a little corner. In his love commandment, Jesus combines spirituality with social concern. Actually, our social service is not purely humanitarian, but has its roots in the love of God. It flows out of our experience of God’s love through Christ. Spiritual minded people have to ask themselves whether their behaviour and actions match with their devotion to God, and social workers need to ask themselves whether their service is motivated by God’s love or something else. Jesus has made an intimate connection between our worship of God and service to neighbours. In John’s Letter this connection is more explicit: “We love (others) because he (God) first loved us. Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers and sisters are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen” (1 John 4:19-20).

If not for God’s love, why on earth should we do good to those who hate, abuse, strike on our cheek and take away our belongings as Jesus teaches in Lk 6:27-35? Since it is not in our human nature, it becomes extremely difficult (if not impossible) even when we want to do it on humanitarian ground. When there is so much love of God in our hearts, we are able to rise above our normal nature with supernatural grace better than those who do not have such motives. We are not commanded to be affectionate or friendly towards these people but to do good to such people also by making a decision of the mind. To love God with all one's heart, soul and mind, is to choose to respond to God’s love as God has chosen to love us, in spite of our unworthiness. For example, in many traditional families there are conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, not because both of them know ‘law’ but because they do not have natural attraction towards each other as blood-related persons have. Even if they do not have natural liking, good feeling and attraction for each other, they can decide to serve, care for and help each other only if they are motivated by the love of God. In every situation (in family, neighbourhood, religious community or workplace) we have to daily decide to accept people as they are; to do good even if they do not; to make sacrifices for the welfare of others; to help even those who never help us; to forgive those who have offended us; etc. Loving is not a feeling but a choice.

Why is love, as taught by Jesus, a commandment? First of all, Jesus does not command emotional or affectionate love, but love in action. He commands active love or love to be shown in action such as doing deeds of mercy even when we don't feel like doing them towards those with whom we do not have a good feeling. Secondly, Jesus, our Teacher summons us (his disciples) everyday to obey his twin commandments. He will do so till the end of our lives. Since we can never exhaust the limits, scope and opportunities for love, the Master continues to command us (his disciples) every day to love selflessly, to serve the needy, to make sacrifices for the welfare of others, to share our resources with those who do not have, to forgive those who have offended us, etc. Since it is difficult to love those who do not love us, Christ’s command reminds us to make a decision to love such people with his grace. If we disobey our Guru every time, how can we be called his faithful disciples? Thus love, as taught by Jesus, is a decision of the mind to be made everyday.

5.    Response to God's Word

Do we consciously do good, render a service, show compassion, perform deeds of mercy and do self-sacrifice for the needy, by making a decision of the mind even if we don’t have a good feeling towards them? Do our faith or religious practices influence our behaviour is such a way that they motivate us to serve and do deeds of mercy to our neighbours, especially the suffering and the needy? Do we live our lives by choice – by making decisions of the mind daily to accept people as they are; to do good even if they do not; to make sacrifices for the welfare of others; to help even those who never help us in our family, neighbourhood, religious community or workplace? Do we always try to remain as faithful disciples of our Master (Jesus) by obeying his greatest commandment in this manner?

6.    A prayer

Dear and merciful God, grant that we may consciously do deeds of mercy and self-sacrifice for anyone in need out of choice.  May our faith and religious practices influence our behaviour is such a way that we get motivated to render service to the suffering and the needy. We are sorry for the times we lived as unfaithful disciples of our Master (Jesus) by disobeying his greatest commandment of loving God by loving our neighbours. Amen.

 

29th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)

 

Twenty-ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A) [Mt 22:15-21]

18.10.2026

The Question about Paying Taxes to Emperor Caesar

Readings: (1) Is 45:1.4-6 (2) 1 Thess 1:1-5

1.    Theme in brief

Obedience to God versus obedience to the State

2.    Focus Statement  

We must give to the State (‘Caesar’) the things that belong to it, and to God the things that belong to him; and only when the State goes against God’s laws, we are bound to disobey it.

3.    Explanation of the text

According to today’s gospel text, the Pharisees sent their disciples along with the Herodians to entrap Jesus about the question of paying taxes to the Roman government headed by Emperor Caesar (22:15,17). [Herodians were a group of people within Jewish society who were sympathetic to the Roman government]. Their question was whether it was lawful to pay taxes to a foreign government (22:17). If Jesus were to say: “You must pay taxes,” the Pharisees would accuse him of being a traitor who colluded with the foreign occupiers. In that case he would be branded as an enemy of the Jewish nation. If he were to say: “Do not pay at all,” the Herodians would bring a charge of subversion or sedition against him and report the matter to Caesar. For this crime he could be executed. For Jesus, the question was like a dead end!

Jesus answered their question in such a way that he could escape from their trap. He found it unsafe to clearly say either yes or no. He innocently asked them to show him a coin with which they paid their taxes (22:19). They quickly took out a denarius from their pockets which, as devout Jews, they were not supposed to carry, because it had the Emperor’s image on it. He asked them, "Whose head is this and whose title” (22:20)? In other words, whose image was printed on that coin?  And they had to admit that it was Caesar’s (22:21). He answered them by saying that they should give back to Caesar what is Caesar's due, and to God what is God's due (22:21). Greek philosophers in ancient days said that real justice implied "giving back to everyone what is their due." If so, what Jesus probably meant was, as per the principle of justice, all people, including Caesar, should get what was due to them. In other words, they must give to the State (‘Caesar’) the things that belonged to it, and not things that belonged to God (22:21). Even the State (‘Caesar’) must render to God what belongs to him and must be subjected to his laws. Thus, Jesus accepted the legitimate claims of the State over its citizens, but refused to give it divine rights. He insisted that God’s claim over us was far superior to the State’s.

By giving such an answer Jesus acknowledged that there were things that were properly under the jurisdiction of the government, and things that were not. To render to Caesar what is Caesar's, is to return his own coin to him by paying taxes and fulfilling one’s duties towards the State; to render to God what is God's is to worship and serve him alone (cf. 4:10). Jesus probably meant that the Pharisees were confusing others about what belonged to God and what belonged to the State; they were rendering to neither what belonged to them. They were not giving government its due, and were refusing God his due since they rejected Jesus’ message of God’s Kingdom.

Since they were carrying and using the offensive coin, Jesus called them hypocrites who were putting him to the test (22:18). Both the groups were paying the taxes by using the Roman coin. Thus they indirectly acknowledged the Roman authority over them. Jesus’ shrewd reply did not give any chance to either party to catch him. Though they failed in their plot at this point and faced a great deal of embarrassment, they never gave up this charge till the last moments of his life. At the time of his trial later on, one of the charges they would bring against him before Pilate would be that he forbade paying taxes to Caesar (Lk 23:2).

4.    Application to life                     

Today’s gospel text deals with some interesting questions: How to deal with the issues of conflict that may sometimes arise between God and Caesar (that is, worldly rulers and governments), the Church and the State, citizenship of this world and of the Kingdom of God. Caesar or worldly kings and governments have their own legitimate authority. All authority comes from God (Jn 19:11) and Caesar (the State) is also responsible before God for his decisions or actions and for the proper exercise of his authority. But Caesar is after all Caesar; he is not God, because he does not have almighty powers. Let him continue to rule as Caesar only, and not as God. He himself must be submissive to God and render to him what belongs to him. When some of the modern Caesars overstep their authority and put themselves in God’s place, we need not obey them. In other words, when the laws of the State go against the laws of God or against our faith and moral principles, we have to obey God and follow our conscience rather than the State.

A Christian must decide what Caesar’s domain is rightfully and what can be claimed by God alone. Who has sovereignty – government or God – over which matters? What is truly God’s, what is State’s? Let us see what we should render to God. As per our faith, "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it" (Psalm 24:1). Since all that we are and have are God’s gifts to us, we are bound in justice to give back to God our gratitude, faithfulness, trust and submission. Our constant acts of praise and thanksgiving to God, especially in the Eucharistic celebration, are nothing but our way of paying back what we owe to God. We are called to serve and worship him with single-minded devotion and holy lives. In faith we hold that our bodies, souls, intellects, will and values are God's gift to us. We owe God all these things so that we may use them for his purposes or according to his will and for the service of our neighbour.

Similarly, all natural laws, natural justice, human and fundamental rights, freedom of speech and freedom of faith and conscience belong to God’s domain. Suppose a government denies these rights or tramples upon them, then it oversteps its limits and takes the role of God. In such matters we need not obey the State. Similarly, the mother earth and her natural resources are a gift from the Creator for our sustenance. If her resources are overused and abused by over-exploitation either by the governments or the corporate/business world, they overrule God’s own design and care for humanity. They cannot say they have a right to do what they want with God’s creation and cause ecological imbalance that threatens human existence. This is exactly what Peter and other apostles proclaimed even in the midst of persecutions in the early Church: “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29), because the Jewish religious authorities were denying them the right to speak what in conscience they held to be true. 

Now the question comes: Is committed Christian discipleship opposed to being a good citizen of the State? Not at all. Practising our faith in a committed manner does not excuse us from our social and civic responsibilities, especially when they do not conflict with our total allegiance to God. Which are the things that are Caesar's? Generally speaking, the things that are Caesar's (or the State’s) are what Caesar says they are, under his legitimate authority such as taxes and public order. Whichever be the government, it is our duty to pay legitimate taxes, since they are meant for common good. We have to respect and obey lawfully constituted authority of the State (Government). On the contrary, sometimes the laws of the State may clash with God’s laws, or with Christian faith and morals. Take for instance, legalization of euthanasia, abortion, homosexual marriages, etc., by some States. In these matters, we are bound to follow our conscience rather than the State.

When a government provides needed goods and services, then we must give back to the government our loyalty and support. We should also protect public property out of concern for public good. Certain misuse/ abuse of services provided by the Government noticed in some regions are not so much against the Government or its property (as people commonly think), but against human society. For instance: directly hooking electricity from the overhead wires and using it freely to the extent of burning all the lights at daytime also; travelling freely without tickets; destroying public property, especially during riots and protests; using dubious means to evade taxes; bypassing all established rules by bribing the officials; etc. But where a government is a dictatorship that imposes itself on the people's will, the principle of justice does not demand that people give their loyalty and support. Mahatma Gandhi had launched a movement of civil disobedience against the British government that ruled India. He believed that it is morally right not to pay taxes to such a foreign government that occupies one’s nation.   

Some use this gospel text to justify unconditional loyalty and support to corrupt and totalitarian governments. When the Church criticizes such rulers or governments, they accuse her of interfering in politics. They say that all civil, economic and social affairs should be exclusive realm of the Sate and the Church as well as her ministers should stick only to spiritual affairs. When a government commands people to do what God forbids, or commands them not to do what God commands to do, should the Church or her ministers not stand for God and perform their prophetic role of raising voices in protest? Should Christians co-operate and collaborate with the government’s unjust, discriminatory and immoral decisions, policies and actions? In such instances, Christians must obey God rather than human authority, exactly as Peter had declared before his religious authorities in his days. (See above).

There is a possibility that our disobedience to Caesar in order to be faithful to God will cost a lot: We may be accused as anti-national or unpatriotic, or may have to face heavy sanctions by the government, harassment from the officials, brutality of the police, arrest, imprisonment, or even death – as it happens in some parts of the world. Christians employed in government services may not be able to go against a government’s unjust policies for the sake of safeguarding their jobs. But does it mean they should prevent their own people from protesting against violations of human rights by their government by threatening them with dire consequences? They have to answer this question before God.

It is clear that God alone has absolute claims over our lives. But, besides worldly rulers/ governments/ regimes as mentioned above, there are other powers that vie to make their claims over us or try to rule over our hearts. In modern world, consumerism and materialism can compete with our absolute loyalty to God. If not guarded, money and possessions can become our lords that dilute our absolute allegiance to God alone. We can divide our property, but we can never divide our loyalty to God. Many of our currency coins or notes are bearing the image of past political rulers or national leaders who are dead. But we should not forget that we bear the image and likeness of the living God to whom alone our life and everything else belongs.

5.    Response to God's Word

When the laws of the State go against the laws of God or against our faith and moral principles, whom do we obey: God or the State? Do we render to God what belongs to him by showing our gratitude, single-minded devotion, faithfulness, trust and submission to him? Do we render to the State what are its legitimate rights? Are we faithful to our social and civic responsibilities? Do we pay legitimate taxes to the government or try to evade them by dubious means? Do we misuse and abuse public property and public utility services?

6.    A prayer

Father, the supreme Governor of the universe, we render you all praise, honour, glory, thanksgiving and worship. All that we are and all that we have comes from you and belongs to you. To you we return everything with total gratitude and trust. Grant that we may work for common good by faithfully fulfilling our civic and social responsibilities. Bless all governments and political leaders that may govern their States with justice and truth. Give us the courage to stand firm on your laws even at the cost of disobedience to the State when it negates them. Amen.