"Show me the coin that pays the census tax." Then they handed him the Roman coin. He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?" They replied, "Caesar's." At that he said to them, "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God" (Mt 22:19-21).
We are dual citizens of Heaven and earth. We must strive to live holy, Christian lives, giving God what we owe Him. As part of that Christian life, we must pay what we owe our country, striving to act as model citizens, and following the rule of law as much as our conscience allows. In His response to the Pharisees, Christ emphasizes the importance of weighing our conscience in making political decisions. If we discern, with the assistance of grace, that certain law requires us to do something that violates our Christian principles then we have a duty to dissent, and even to disobey it. On the other hand, if a certain law is in accord with Christian principles, and does not require us to violate those principles, then we have the clear duty to support and follow it. Christ did not lay down detailed rules regarding how we ought to govern, and neither does the Church today. Instead, the Church lays down principles and asks us to discern, in our own hearts, how we ought to affect civil society. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops lists the following four principles, based on Catholic social teaching, to help Catholics make sound judgements when voting. These four main principles include the following: 1. Promoting and defending the dignity of the human person 2. Supporting the family and subsidiarity in local, state and national institutions 3. Working for the common good where human rights are protected and basic responsibilities are met 4. Acting in solidarity with concern for all as our brothers and sisters, especially the poor and most vulnerable (Faithful Citizenship, Nos. 40-52). As we approach election season, we must focus on forming our consciences in line with these principles. With the assistance of the Church and the grace of the Sacraments, we must examine our politicians to discover what they stand for. Then, even if those elected are not ideal Christians, we can be comforted to know that God has historically used unholy figures, like King Cyrus, to accomplish His will. In the end, no matter who is in office, we must never stop praying for our elected officials. In doing so, we become united as a people, helping our own land prosper, while rendering unto God what is His. Readings for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time