Homily for the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Whose Image?

29th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                  October 18, 2020
Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette

“Whose image is this?” With this question, Jesus sets up his brilliant response to the trap set for him. The pharisees and Herodians, who are normally enemies, team up to ensnare Jesus with this question about taxes. If he opposes taxes, he is guilty of treason. If he simply says to pay taxes, the Jews could accuse him of siding with the pagan Roman empire against God’s chosen people and the promised land.

You see, for ancient people, religion and government were closely connected and often run by the same people. For the Jews, the king of Israel was also an important agent of God. For the Romans, the emperor was sometimes considered divine and he had direct control over which gods were allowed to be worshiped in the empire. It was roman soldiers who would force people to offer sacrifice to the roman gods and would arrest those who refused.

It is true that God works through government leaders. The first reading speaks of God using the Pagan ruler, Cyrus, to do his will, and the Church has always taught that we should obey legitimate leaders and pray for them. We’ll honor our leaders, but we must not put them in place of God; A faithful Catholic will go from good citizen to stubborn martyr if necessary. That’s the meaning of Christ’s distinction: “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

Jesus’ answer does mean that we should vote, pay taxes, and otherwise take seriously our civic duty, striving to create a society that aligns with the truth and goodness of God’s design. When we inevitably find ourselves with sinful and even openly pagan rulers, they still deserve some measure of respect and cooperation. Even when a leader is great and Catholic, our devotion still belongs primarily to God. St. Louis, though he was king of France, would never have tolerated his citizens pitting him against the Pope or the Church or using his example as a justification for their own disobedience to the Church.

In a democracy, this means we vote based on the truth revealed in Scripture and Tradition, not just our private interests. The Church, like Jesus her bridegroom is not primarily concerned with who wins elections and who is in power. She is concerned with the souls of the people in that society. Of course we want peace and justice and freedom to serve God. This is why the Church will sometimes endorse policies – like the love life amendment to our state constitution – but why we generally do not endorse candidates. And the good we strive to do cannot come from doing evil. The ends do not justify the means. You will be judged by your effort to see the truth and remain loyal to it. Who wins the election is really the byproduct of that effort. Remember that before you judge a person’s soul based on who they vote for.

Jesus’ question about the image on the coin is important because it reminds us of what belongs to God. We are made in the image of God. This image should show in how we inform our conscience, which does not start with knowing laws and policies, but with first repaying to God what belongs to God. If you do not already have radical loyalty to God above all, then no amount of political study and activism will get you to the right priorities. The right vote for the wrong reason is still sinful.

That is why, rather than focusing how you should vote, I am calling for some reflection how well we repay to God what belongs to him, on how well we give ourselves to him. We love to talk about our rights and the rights of the oppressed. Well, God has rights too. He has the right to be worshipped, adored, and obeyed. We owe God this devotion. It’s not a “nice thing to do,” it is a responsibility. And if we cannot bring ourselves to honor God’s rights, why should anyone believe we really care about anyone else’s rights?

God does not require the impossible nor is he cruel, so the requirement to go to Mass does have exceptions: illness, lack of mobility, and significant risk of harm. Even if we cannot get to Mass, we are called to offer him our very selves. Likewise, just being at Mass is not enough unless we’re sincere and whole-hearted in being there. When we look at our lives, does it look like we believe we owe God everything?

As we repay Caesar with taxes, votes, and activism, how does our financial and personal investment in the Church compare? Going all the way back to Cain and Abel in Genesis, God has always demanded that we give him the best. Cain gave what was left over, so God was not pleased. The prophets often rebuked the Israelites for sacrificing animals that were sick or weak or less valuable. God requires the best, the first fruits, the unblemished lamb. The old covenant required 10% off the top, not what was left over after the harvest and the party. Do you plan your donation with love? Or absent-mindedly toss in the extra change you happen to have on you at the time?

At the same time, God is not fooled by people who hide behind their money. A sacrifice in poverty is worth more than the wealthy who give much but have much more to spare. Giving extra is not good enough if it lacks sincerity in pursuing goodness and holiness. God wants people who lead holy lives to make generous gifts and to worship with sincere devotion.

That attitude of giving everything to God is also proven by how we treat the parish. Is it merely a sacramental vending machine? A place where you go get absolved, to get the Eucharist? Or do you look for ways to invest in the community? We’re getting by on our income and volunteers for now, but declining fast and the trend is against us. At the moment, we don’t have enough to do much outreach or expansion to work against that trend.

God yearns to make himself known and loved more in Jeanerette; He calls every one of us to help him do that. I do hope you’re passionate about the elections, but I hope you are even more passionate about what belongs to God. Take this week to evaluate how well you repay to God what is his. Spend time in prayer asking him what more you can do or give. Look at yourself and your life. I ask you, whose image is this? When others look at the image that is stamped upon your life, do they see love, generosity, and zeal? Do they see God, or something else?