Homily for 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A 2026
Introduction
“Have you stopped beating your wife?” That
is a classic no-win question.
· If you answer “Yes,” you admit that you used to beat your wife.
· If you answer “No,” you appear to admit that you are still doing it!
It is the kind of question designed to trap
someone, whatever the answer.
In today's Gospel, the Pharisees and the
Herodians try to do exactly that to Jesus.
Scripture and Theology
They ask him: “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” It is a loaded question.
· If Jesus says, “Yes, pay the tax,” the Pharisees can accuse him of collaborating with the Roman occupiers and betraying God's people.
· But if he says, “No, do not pay the tax,” the Herodians, who support the Roman authorities, can accuse him of rebellion and insurgency.
Either answer could get him into trouble.
But Jesus refuses to be trapped. He asks
them to show him the coin used to pay the tax. Then he asks whose image and
inscription are on it. They answer, “Caesar's.”
And Jesus gives his famous reply: “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God.”
To Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.
Jesus does more than escape a trap. He
teaches us something fundamental about the relationship between our faith and
our responsibilities in society.
Some people behave as though we must choose
between God and the world, between the Church and the state, between the
cathedral and the town hall. Others would like the Church to take over the
functions of government. Of course, none of you fine people of this wonderful parish
would ever think that way!
But Jesus does not ask us to choose one at
the expense of the other. He tells us to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar,
and to God what belongs to God.
Of course, there is an important
qualification: everything ultimately belongs to God. Even Caesar's authority
exists within God's providence and is subject to God's moral law. Civil
authority has its legitimate responsibilities, but it is not absolute.
Think of two boxes, one inside the other.
The smaller represents legitimate civil authority; the larger represents
everything that belongs to God. Civil government has its proper sphere, but it
remains subject to God's authority.
The first reading gives us a striking
example. God speaks through the prophet Isaiah about Cyrus, a pagan king, whom
God calls his anointed instrument. Cyrus does not even know the Lord, yet God
can use him to accomplish his purposes. This reminds us that God's providence
can work even through political authorities who do not share our faith, while
all authority remains subject to God's moral law.
So how should we, as Christians, as
Catholics, live as citizens of both the earthly city of Caesar, and of the
Kingdom of God?
Christian Life
Let us reflect on three responsibilities in
our engagement with public life: rejecting dirty politics, participating
responsibly in partisan politics, and upholding the moral principles that
should guide our society.
First, we must reject dirty politics. When Jesus
tells us to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, he certainly does not
condone dirty politics. Politics becomes
dirty when we abandon truth, fairness, charity, and civility in pursuit of
victory. It happens when we spread falsehoods, attack people's character, or
treat those who disagree with us as enemies rather than fellow human beings.
As Christians, we must remember that our
political opponents are made in the image of God. We may condemn their actions
or ideas without denying their dignity.
That is why I personally try to never call anybody evil, even though,
sometimes, I have to admit, the temptation is very strong! I might call what
they do, or their ideas, evil, but never the person, who is still a child of
God.
Our goal should be to seek what is true and
good, persuade others when we can, and work for the common good. We cannot
claim to serve God while using methods that contradict the Gospel.
Second, lay Catholics should participate
responsibly in partisan politics.
Partisan politics involves supporting a
political party, candidate, or platform because we sincerely believe it offers
the best way to govern society. For lay Catholics, this can be a legitimate and
even noble vocation, one way to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.
Lay Catholics should not withdraw from
public life, which is their sphere of apostolate. We should pay our taxes,
vote, attend town civic meetings, serve our communities, and, when called to do
so, stand for public office. We should bring our Catholic faith and a
well-formed conscience into these responsibilities.
Of course, no political party or platform
perfectly represents the whole of Catholic teaching. Catholics may legitimately
disagree about particular policies and the best ways to address complex
problems. We must never knowingly
endorse evil simply because it is part of our preferred party's platform.
Rather, we must examine our politics in the light of the Gospel and the demands
of a well-formed conscience.
Is there a role for the Church’s ordained
ministers in partisan politics? Not in the sense of endorsing political parties
or candidates on behalf of the Church. The
Church, as a Church, does not endorse political parties or candidates. Bishops,
priests, and deacons have a particular responsibility to teach the faith and
must be careful not to identify the Gospel with a particular political platform.
Archbishop Shelton Fabre of Louisville,
whom many of you will remember from his years here in New Orleans, speaking on
behalf of the conference of bishops, recently expressed this principle
beautifully. He said that we must “put faith before politics.”
He reminds us that, whether we are voting
or making everyday decisions, our first concern should be to become the best
disciples of Jesus Christ that we can be. Our participation in public life
should advance the common good and uphold the human dignity of every
person. In other words, our political
loyalties must serve our Christian faith, not the other way around.
Third, all Catholics, lay or clergy, have a
responsibility to uphold the moral
principles that should guide public life.
The Church must speak about the dignity of
every human person, the protection of human life from conception to natural
death, the care of the poor and vulnerable, the rights of immigrants and
refugees, the treatment of prisoners, the responsibilities of public officials,
and the pursuit of peace and justice.
These are not merely party-political
issues. They are moral questions that affect human dignity and the common good.
And in speaking on these matters, the
Church does not impose the Gospel on society. Rather, it proposes the values of
the Gospel, explains why they matter, and invites people of every faith and
none to help build a more humane society.
Conclusion
There is a beautiful prayer in the Missal
during Advent in which we ask the Lord to teach us to judge wisely the things
of earth and to hold firm to the things of heaven.
That prayer captures our situation as
Christians. We are citizens of this earthly world, with real rights and
responsibilities, but our ultimate citizenship is in heaven.
We cannot neglect our earthly
responsibilities, because this is the world God has entrusted to us. Nor can we
become so absorbed in earthly affairs that we forget our eternal destiny.
So let us give to Caesar what belongs to
Caesar, and to God what belongs to God. Let us participate responsibly in civic
life, put our faith before our politics, and never allow partisan loyalties to
replace our allegiance to Christ.
As we now celebrate the Eucharist, we come
together not as members of different political persuasions, but as members of
the one Body of Christ, nourished by the same Lord and called to recognize his
image in every human person.
May we work faithfully for the good of this
world while keeping our eyes fixed on the Kingdom of God, where we hope to live
with him forever.
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