October 22 (29th Sunday in Year A for EMC on the coin of Caesar versus God in 2023)
English Mass Community (EMC)
Communion Service
Father Ken’s Message:
Good afternoon, everyone and welcome to our English Mass Community at the Catholic Kita 1 Jo Cathedral Parish in Sapporo Diocese.
Most Sundays when we come to church the readings from the Gospel seem rather boring and distant from our personal lives. But this Sunday is different. Today Jesus is talking about a problem that faces all of us in our daily lives, paying taxes. And we all are just like Jesus, Mary and the religious leaders 2000 years ago belong to two countries, our native country, or our ex-patriate country for those of us working in Japan. For those of us working in Japan, our national income tax is taken out of our salaries so we have to pay it. On top of that we pay 10% tax on everything we buy like food and every year in Japan we have to pay a tax on our cars, and a city tax for living in Sapporo. Sometimes it just seems too much especially now with the cost of living so high. Don’t you all agree? But for me life in Japan is beautiful, safe, healthy, the roads are in good shape and people seem happy, so I think my taxes to Japan seem to be working to raise the quality of life for all of us living here. I am very satisfied with my life in Japan.
Actually, the situation in the Gospel is different from us. Before the Romans arrived in Israel, it was a theocracy, a religious country basically ruled by faith in one God the Father in Heaven. But the Roman Empire invaded Israel 50 years before Jesus was born and changed everything to their way of life. The Roman Empire was a complicated political system with some aspects of democracy, but mostly an Empire ruled by wealthy royal families who were considered to be like gods on earth. For the Jews living under Roman rule in Israel paying taxes to Caesar was a violation of the First Commandment of Moses, “not to worship other gods.” In this complicated dilemma Jesus gave a very clever answer to satisfy the religious leaders who enjoyed being Roman citizens (the Herodians) and also to those who did not enjoy having the Romans living in Israel (the Pharisees). He famously told both groups, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” Of course, 2000 years ago, the people living under Roman rule were forced to pay their taxes or they would be sold as slaves to get money to send to Rome. It was a cruel existence for most poor people.
My friends, this Gospel for us Catholics living in 2023 gives us a lot to think about. Because we each in this church today belong to two countries, Japan, or maybe you are a visitor from the Philippines, Singapore, Korea or some place else, plus we all are also citizens of Heaven by way of our Baptism. Our bodies live on Earth but our souls live both on Earth and in Heaven. For me as a Catholic and as a priest this message of Jesus “to pay to Caesar what is due Caesar, and to pay to God, what is due God” is very challenging. I mean, God does not send me a notice in the mail telling me to pay the Heavenly Tax, nor is there a door-charge for coming into Catholic churches, it is all free. Today’s Gospel reminds me of another short saying of Jesus about money told to his disciples going out to do human service. At that time Jesus encouraged them saying, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you received these talents, then give without expecting pay in return.” (Matthew 10:8). God does not force us to do anything. Through the Sacraments and living our Catholic culture of love of God, love of self, and love of our neighbor, all God would like from us is to also to live unselfish lives like his own to us. The currency in the Kingdom of Heaven is not the Dollar, or the Yen, or the Euro, it is Love.
This Gospel today also makes us think therefore of rights and duties as citizens of Japan and the Kingdom of Heaven. Do our human rights come from Caesar or God(?) this is the question? The image on the coin in the Gospel today was the face of Caesar, but what does the image of the face of God look like? It is the image of our humanity, of Jesus and Mary, and us. Caesar, presidents, queens are seen on currency, however God is known and seen only through human beings. 1700 years ago, St. Augustine wrote in his book The City of God that human rights are rooted in our common divine origin as children of God. All of us human beings are called to God’s divine life through our life in the Sacraments of the Church, and death and resurrection with Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my friends each of us must really try to recognize in our fellow human beings that they too are equally loved by God and sent into human existence by God. 80 years ago, the United Nations following the terrible atrocities of World War II wrote the beautiful Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 to promote a human race based in mutual rights, but it was not really implemented across the planet because of politics.
So, I think the most valuable currency to make real significant change in the world is the other side of Jesus’ coin, the God-side. The power of God’s love is perhaps our strongest power to change the world to restore peace, brotherhood and sisterhood.
Like Jesus and Mary, it is our vocation and our mission to not be selfish with our supply of love, but to use it to make Heaven on Earth. This week let us try harder than last week to love one another. Thank you very much. Father Ken