Christians live in two realms at the same time – the earthly city and God’s city. How do we navigate these overlapping spaces? Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.
Readings for Tuesday of the 9th week of ordinary time can be found here.
Imagine living in a town where walking across the road means entering a different country. Your neighbour’s house is governed by different laws. The shop on one side of the street pays taxes to one government, while the shop on the opposite side pays them to another. There is actually such a place. The twin towns of Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau on the Belgian-Dutch border are so intertwined that the national boundary runs through streets, shops and even houses. You might drink your morning coffee in one country, then cross the shop and into another country to pay for it!
St Augustine of Hippo said that Christians are in a similar situation. We inhabit two cities at once. There is the earthly city, where we are involved in society, obey the laws and pay taxes. But we’re also citizens of the City of God, which has different rules, different values, and a different destination. This is the point Jesus is making in today’s Gospel as he cleverly avoids the trick question from the Pharisees and Herodians about whether people should pay taxes to Caesar. If he answered ‘yes’ he would be portrayed as a collaborator; say ‘no’ and he could be reported as a revolutionary. Jesus notes that the coin belongs to Caesar because it bears his image – so no harm in letting him have it back. What, though, bears the image of God and therefore belongs to him? Well, everything in all creation, including you and me. God’s realm, his city, which we Christians are part of, is therefore vastly superior to that of Caesar or any earthly ruler.
What does it mean to live as people who bear God’s image and are citizens of his city? Our reading from 2 Peter says that “we are waiting for and hastening the coming day of God” and urges us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” By all means let us render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. But let us keep our eyes firmly fixed on the heavenly kingdom, live out its values day by day, and so hasten its final coming.
Mass today is in St Mary’s at 6.30pm.
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