John Henry Newman was born in England in 1801 into a middle-class family, the oldest of the six children. He entered Oxford at the age of 15 and was ordained as an Anglican priest at 23. He was appointed as pastor of St. Mary’s Church, Oxford, and ministered to countless university students. He had undertaken a study of early church fathers, and it became a turning point in his life. He was attracted to Catholicism. There was a drastic change in his understanding that the Catholic Church was evil. Newman was known for his well-known sermons that he delivered at St. Mary’s Anglican Church. He started to revive the Anglican church, but he was more convinced that conversion to the Catholic Church was necessary for him. He was received into the Catholic Church in 1845, and he was ordained as a priest in 1847. However, his fellow Anglicans could not accept his conversion experience, so they ostracised him, and eventually he was sent out of Oxford. He established an oratory at St. Philip Nery, Birmingham, England. In Oxford, he was serving elite students, whereas in Birmingham, he was serving poor migrants. He could manage to establish a Catholic university in Dublin and a school in Birmingham. Pope Leo XIII raised him as a cardinal in 1849. After his death, a century later, when Pope Benedict XVI visited England, he beatified Newman on September 19, 2010.

In the gospels, we see an answer to the question, ‘Which is the greatest commandment?’ Jesus says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Mt.22:37) The prime place in our lives should be for the Lord. Then a question that can come to our minds is: as citizens of this world, do we need to obey our earthly authorities? Do we need to place earthly authorities over our relationship with God? Sometimes, it can happen to us that our extreme admiration for our charismatic leader can lead to adoration, and we place that person and his or her words above God and all our religious convictions.

In today’s gospel, we see Jesus encountering such questions from Pharisees and Herodians: Is it lawful to pay tax to Caesar? In fact, the Pharisees and Herodians did not enjoy cordial relationships. The Pharisees were against Roman imperial rule and took a public stand against imposing heavy taxes on Israel. Whereas, the Herodians were supporters of King Herod, who was loyal to Julius Caesar, the emperor, so naturally, the Herodians would show the same loyalty to the emperor. However, these two opponents came together with a hidden motivation to trap Jesus. Their hearts were filled with cunningness and malice. When we hear their words of introduction before the question, we may feel that they have great admiration and respect for Jesus. Anyhow, it was a mere lip service with the intention of entrapping Jesus.

If Jesus would have said it was lawful to give tax to Caesar, then the Pharisees accuse Jesus of being a national traitor who supported the Roman empire and remained blind to the perils and hardships of the people of Israel caused by the tax system. If Jesus says ‘no,’ then the Herodians would have reported to Rome that Jesus was a political rebel who gathered people against Roman imperial rule. This accusation can cause a trail for Jesus.

Having realised their crookedness and hidden agenda, Jesus told them to bring a denarius and ask them to explain what they saw on the coin. ‘Caesar’s image,’ they answered. When Jesus asked for the coin, immediately the Pharisees provided it. This act of the Pharisees reveals their hypocrisy because it explains that, though externally they criticise the tax system, they use the same coin for paying the tax. They created the impression that they were against Roman imperial rule, but by paying the tax regularly, they kept themselves safe before the law.

All the same, Jesus also points out the narcissistic attitude of Caesar, who declared himself an icon of worship and exhorted his people to worship him. Jesus wanted to tell his disciples that the power Caesar enjoys will come to an end one day, especially with his death. He is no more equal to God; he is only a mere creature, and the power that he exercises is received from God. So, when Jesus says, ‘give what belongs to Caesar’ which means giving tax is not a sin, it is one’s own duty. However, we have to give what is due to God, which indicates that each one of us who is created in the image and likeness of God; therefore, we belong fully to God. We see once Jesus asks Peter to fish and instructs him to find money inside the fish and pay the tax. Jesus challenged the laws concerning the Sabbath and tried to revive their understanding of the Sabbath. However, he never violated the laws implemented by the Roman authorities.

As we reflect on this gospel passage, let us reflect and see: do we follow both the laws of the state and the laws of the kingdom? We should obey all the laws of the state, which uphold human dignity and the good of the country. All the same, we need to keep in mind that we should not obey a law that asks us to go against Christian moral teachings because our relationship with God takes precedence over all the other laws, political ideologies, and laws of the state. Let us continue our faith journey, looking forward to the reign of Jesus and the establishment of his kingdom here on earth.