The Pharisees regularly appear in the Gospels as they do today. Their name means, “separate ones.” The members of this sect of Judaism were such scrupulous observers of the Law they were often self-righteous and smug—an attitude denounced by Our Lord. While they despised Roman rule, they tolerated it and sought to subvert it covertly.
We hear much less about the Herodians who are mentioned in today’s Gospel. They supported Herod, a ‘puppet king” who collaborated with the Roman occupiers. They benefitted from that alliance in many ways.
These opposing groups join forces for one purpose—to entrap and discredit Our Lord by posing a question: “Is it lawful to pay the tax to Caesar or not?” If Jesus said, “Yes” he would be condemned as a collaborator with Rome.
If his reply were “No,” he would be denounced as a threat to the established order. Jesus eludes the trap with his response: “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what belongs to God.” Our Lord teaches us that we have a “dual citizenship.” We should be “Pro Deo et Patria” [For God and Country]
We are obliged to support the State in its pursuit of the common good, of justice, security, and peace. We must pay taxes, vote, and defend our nation. St. Paul enjoins us to pray for all civil authorities. For their part, civil authorities should be servants of the people and not seek personal gain.
We also have duties toward God. This obedience has many aspects, e.g. observance of the Commandments, prayer, worship and living a sacramental life, but it also means having the courage to challenge those proposals and laws that are contrary to God’s law. We should ponder the words of St. Thomas More facing his martyrdom, “I die as the King’s good servant, but God’s first.”
Daniel O’Connell, Mayor of Dublin in the 19th century warned “Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong.” We should then be informed on what our leaders are deliberating, what they propose as legislation, and then to write, email, or phone them to make our opinion known.
The distinction that Our Lord made was not intended to relegate religion to the temple—to the sacristy—so that civil life would develop apart from natural and divine law. Quite the contrary, Jesus challenges us to be “salt and light” in the world. Pope St. Paul VI liked to speak of building a “civilization of love.” Love is what moves us to fulfill our duties toward God and one another.
Love makes us a voice for those have no voice in society, a voice for the most vulnerable and downtrodden. If we truly love, we cannot out of “a misguided sense of manners” or “habit of self-censorship” remain silent on vital public issues. This is always an important reminder but especially as we approach Election Day.
A Catholic should always be, ‘Pro Deo et Patria,” a position that is motivated by love. I like the way Stephen White expresses it: “I can’t be a good citizen if I don’t love my country. That doesn’t mean ignoring the country’s flaws and failings. That doesn’t mean making excuses for it. It does mean that I strive to do what’s best for my country: to make her better, to heal her wounds, to strive against her vices and work to promote her virtues. All of that is work best accomplished in love.”
