Alberic Jacovone OSB
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YEAR A
TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY - 16.9.05
Is 45,1.4-6; 1 Thess 1,1-5; Mt 22,15-21
Bearing the imprint of a Divine Emperor
Religion
& Politics.
Today we reflect on Mt. 22,15-21. In it, some leaders tried to trick Jesus, with
a question: should people pay taxes to Roman Emperors or not? Jesus asked for a
‘tribute coin’ & gave his famous reply: “whose head & whose
inscription? give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar & unto God what belongs
to God”. We in Australia could easily re-create the scene, by showing one of
our coins with the the Queen’s image on it; we can explain how the Queen
represents Government authority to collect taxes that in turn are used to pay
for projects, like schools, roads, hospitals etc. But this is not all; it doesn’t
get to Jesus’ astute reply & to the perennial contrast between Church
& State.
As we read, we can’t help admiring how astutely Jesus side-steps his
opponents’ trap, confuses the issue, & avoids being caught into a net
where he would not escape blame, had he said yes or no. Picture this: Jesus is
in Jerusalem, in the Temple area. He has caused an uproar by expelling from the
Temple the buyers & sellers, trafficking with imperial coins. Everywhere in
strategic places around the Temple, dominated large medallions of the Roman Emperor, to remind
worshippers what would happen if anyone dared defiance or revolt. Jesus is
questioned for the sole purpose of exposing him as a political agitator, &
this in the end was the accusation placed
on him, when he was brought before Pilate. No matter how Jesus answered, he
would stand condemned: had he said it’s OK to pay taxes to Romans, they would
condemn him for supporting the enemy. Had he said it’s not OK, they would
accuse him of promoting defiance to the empire, & this is what they did in
the end. However, today’s Gospel has its own perennial meaning and logic. It
has touched the life of millions for 2000 years & it’s relevant in our
life.
Obligations
to State & to God. In past Centuries the phrase: “give unto Caesar... & unto
God...” has been quoted in all sorts of conflicts between civil &
religious authority, in controversies among Orthodox or Catholics or Protestants
& even now in our society. Today, there is no common vision between Church
& State: to hold God as a priority in life is a private matter. The
separation of Church & State is almost complete. Religious Leaders have no
jurisdiction in any areas apart from faith, but still the Church exerts great
moral influence in matters of human dignity. Sadly, Christian Churches are not
united in matters of jurisdiction. Vatican II was right when
it referred to our divided witness as ‘bearing some responsibility for
atheism in our contemporary society’. As we close the “Year of Eucharist’,
let us approach the ‘Sacrament of unity’, & pray with Jesus at the Last
Supper: ‘may they be one’. Jesus’ famous words: ‘give to Caesar...&
to God...’ have meant many things to many people. At first they meant:
“Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, so that his officials will allow you
to render unto God the things that you believe are God’s, which in any case
include prayers & sacrifices for the Emperor”. But then they became the
key-text of political thought & action, in the long & occasionally
bloody, conflicts between Church & State, Popes & Kings. Constantine was
the first to accept Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire in
313AD. But while Christianity stopped being a persecuted religion, it did not
unify the Empire, nor save its society from splitting & disintegrating. The
Key massage is this: we, each of us, are that coin that Jesus wants to see
as ‘tribute money’: we bear the image & likeness of a divine Emperor: we
are God’s imprint - at Baptism, are con-formed to the image of God’s Son.
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