God’s Currency
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 45:1, 4–6 / Psalm 96:7b / 1 Thessalonians 1:1–5b / Matthew 22:15–21
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Reflecting on the Word
By Rev. James A. Wallace, C.Ss.R.
In a country that has a strong commitment to separation of church and state, it is noteworthy that our money, both bills and coins, is inscribed with the words “In God We Trust.” The history of this motto and its relation to our currency goes back to the Civil War. Changing it has never gotten much support. It serves as a helpful reminder about where our true security lies.
In the Gospel, the Pharisees, along with some supporters of the Roman regime called Herodians, get into the act of trying to trap Jesus into taking a stand that would get him in trouble with either the Roman authorities or his own people. But Jesus, as much the fox as Herod was reputed to be, slips out of their net by noting that there can be different loyalties without a loss of priorities.
Jesus calls on them to produce the idolatrous coin that no devout Jew should carry, since it declared Caesar to be a god. Then he advises them to return to the emperor the coin that bears his image but to return to God what bears God’s image, that is, themselves, made in the image of God.
A new order is revealed when we give God’s image back to God by our words and deeds, showing God’s image to others. When this happens, the motto “In God We Trust” becomes not merely stamped on paper or branded on copper, but encountered in living flesh and blood.
Consider/Discuss
- Do you ever reflect on the words stamped on the money in your pocket?
- When have you experienced the tension between “repay[ing] to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God”?
Responding to the Word
We pray to recognize what it means to be a good citizen, giving to our country what is needed for the support of the common good. And we pray to discern wisely when loyalty to Christ and the building up of the kingdom of God may call for a response that challenges what civil authorities propose.