In today’s First reading (Isaiah 45:1-6), God reminds us through the Prophet Isaiah that He is not merely the Lord of our private prayers, but the sovereign Lord of all creation. There is no earthly king or ruler, government or ideology that can take His place. He is Lord of all history and of every nation, regardless or not of whether mankind acknowledges it. He wants all peoples to know, “that there is none besides Me.”

Religion today is so often treated as a private matter. “It’s fine at home or at church, but keep it out of public life,” as if God has nothing to say about public life. The truth is God’s Law is not a matter of personal preference. His Law is the very foundation of a just society. In 1925, Pope Pius XI in his Encyclical Letter “Quas Primas” taught that Christ’s Kingship extends not only over individuals, but also over civil society. It’s what we call the Social Kingship of JESUS Christ. This means that all nations, governments, institutions and individuals are subject to God’s moral law. This doesn’t mean the Church should take over the ordinary functions of the State, or that the Catholic Faith must be forced upon people. It means that the Church and State each have their proper sphere of authority, but neither can claim independence from the Law of God. So governments cannot make right what God forbids, or forbid what He commands. In fact, all political authority, legitimately constituted, comes from God, and must be respected as a reflection of the Divine Authority, provided it accords with His Law. But when human laws contradict Divine Law, “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).  St Thomas More (1478-1535) is an excellent example of this, and before being executed he said, “I die the King’s good servant, but God’s first.”

Pope Benedict XVI, during his historic speech in Westminster Hall in 2010 expressed this with great clarity. “Religion is not a problem for legislators to solve, but a vital contributor to the national conversation.” Pope Benedict was warning against the marginalisation of Christianity and the attempt of the State to relegate religion to mere private opinion. The Catholic Faith has something essential to contribute to public life, because She alone proclaims the full truth about God, the dignity of the human person, and the moral principles upon which a just society must be built.

The Gospel today (Matthew 22:1-21) focuses us on the same topic. When asked about paying taxes to Caesar, Our Lord answered, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” In other words, we have to fulfil our duties towards the State, and also pray for those who govern us. But there is something we should ask ourselves. If, as in the Gospel, the coin bears the image of Caesar, whose image do we bear? As we know, we are created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). He created us and we owe Him everything, and He holds us in being. It’s not enough to give Him just one hour on a Sunday or Saturday evening while keeping everything else for ourselves. The Social Kingship of Christ has to begin in our own hearts, guiding our family life, our work, and the way we treat others. We ought also to pray to have leaders and rulers who will uphold God’s Laws, and for our country to rediscover its Christian foundations. This is surely for the good of our own souls.

So the message in today’s readings is clear. God alone is the Supreme Lord, and JESUS Christ, His Divine Son, is the King. So let us render to earthly authority what is due to it, but give to God what belongs to Him – our hearts, our obedience, and our lives.   

Fr Paul Gillham, IC