"Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God." (2)

Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time (Year A)

"Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God."

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Once, a man asked me, "Why don't Catholics just focus on what belongs to this world but focus so much on spiritual things? In other words, why do we not just fulfill this earthly life?

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How would you answer him? Which is more important to you: material or spiritual, earthly kingdom or heavenly kingdom, Caesar or God?

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Christian faith shows us that what belongs to the earth is lowly and only remains on the earth. However, what belongs to God is beyond and divine. We, human beings created in the image of God, carry in ourselves what is divine and above. Therefore, if Jesus says, "give to God what belongs to God." Then, our highest duty is to give ourselves back to our Creator, who made us in his image.

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The image of Caesar is imprinted in roman coins, which are material, earthly, and corrupted, but God's image, which is reflected in every human being, is eternal, and divine. God's image is for eternity. We are created for divine eternity.

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Today's Gospel invites each of us, who bears the image of the living God, to fulfill our highest obligation: giving ourselves back to our Creator regardless of nationality, language, and race.

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We give back to "God what belongs to God" by allowing ourselves to be fully transformed by the grace of God.

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We give ourselves back to God by thinking and seeking what is above, uncorrupted, and divine.

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We give back ourselves to God by allowing God's grace to work through our faith, laboring through love, and enduring in the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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"Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God."