“…repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God”
There is a saying that we should never bring up religion, politics, or money when speaking to strangers, friends or family that may have differing opinions. The Gospel reading today touches on all three of these. Jesus gives a response to their twisted questions so profoundly that they must relent their hypocrisy at that time.
What does the Church teach about taxes? The Church teaches what the Scriptures teach. “This is why you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Pay to all their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, toll to whom toll is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.” (Romans 13:6-7) This is all in the context of a lawful government.
Why should I pay taxes? Jesus Christ paid taxes. “If the Son of God Himself paid duty and tax,” says St. Ambrose, “Who art thou, O man, that thou wouldst free thyself from it?” In other words, if Jesus Christ paid taxes, what makes you so special that you would not? The government must protect peace and property. St. Ambrose goes on to speak of how the government is responsible for roads, crime, disasters and temporal welfare, and we must be able and willing to help through our taxes. “If you oppose these laws, you oppose God, for ‘by Him princes rule, and the mighty decree justice’ (Proverbs 8:16)” [1] “Let the payment of duties be done willingly, because you pay them for love of God, and resigned to His holy will as the early Christians did, who even served their heathenish government with pleasure, in all that was not contrary to God’s will, and cheerfully paid the duties.” [2] We see God using a pagan king, Cyrus, to bring his people back from exile in the first reading. (Is 45:1; 4-6) “The Lord uses political authority to do good. There is nothing in the universe that lies outside his paternal dominion.” [3]
As for the government, they are to work towards the common good of the people they are serving and not for personal gain. “They have to legislate and govern with the greatest respect for the natural law and the rights of people. This includes the protection of life from the moment of conception, defense of the family, religious liberty, the rights of parents regarding the education of their children.” [4]
Who was Caesar? The Caesar of Rome was Tiberius (14-37 A.D.). (Matt. 22:21 footnotes ) Jesus’ answer about repaying Caesar was not a response about politics but about whether we serve the emperor or God. No man can serve two masters. (Matt. 6:24) Those who willingly use the coin that is Caesar’s should repay him in kind.
What about serving God? We must remember that we owe everything to God. “The Lord is the life of every person from the moment of conception… Our entire life is for the Lord, and everything in it. How is it possible that we could reserve some area of it for our sole personal domain? Let us ask Our Lady to give us the joy of knowing that we are children of God. She will help us to realize our personal responsibilities in society at large.” [5]
What does the Church say about earning wealth? The Church has always seen money as a tool and resource within cultures. As Christians, money is just a resource to purchase items that are necessities. It also can be used to achieve good works in the world. The distinction here is whether we in the world or of the world. To live in this world, we must have currency to make exchanges, but living of this world brews selfishness and the desire to amass the wealth to purchase elaborate things. This is something God does not want for us. God blesses people with great wealth, but asks for much in return. He asks them to look beyond the huge amount of money and continue to love and serve Him. God looks for them to do great things with the wealth they have been able to acquire.
What is a good personal finance strategy for a Christian? Financial strategy for us is simple; do good works. Pope John Paul I wrote, “Today all seem frantically directed toward material conquests: make money, invest, surround oneself with new comforts, live the ‘good life’. Few think also of ‘doing good’.” As mentioned earlier, there is nothing wrong with amassing wealth as long we are directing our life to God and choosing to do good with the money. Is it used to pay off loans and debt, or to buy a PlayStation 3? Are we saving to purchase a bigger home that we do not need or putting money aside to give to a charity or Catholic organization? We must strive to do good in the world. This starts with stewardship in our parishes. “God, who should fill our life, has on the contrary, become a very distant star, to which people look only at certain moments. People believe they are religious because they go to church; but outside of church they want to lead the same life as many other, marked by small or big deceits, acts of injustice, sins against charity; and thus they totally lack coherence.” [6]
One strategy is to have a 10/80/10 plan; ten percent would go to savings, eighty percent goes to paying bills and ten percent goes to tithing. We should all try to save in order to avoid falling into debt. “Be not one of those who give their hand in pledge, of those who become surety for debts; for if you have not the means to pay, your bed will be taken from under you.” (Proverbs 22:26-27) By putting a little money aside, we are able to avoid debt and pay for things when our expenses may be more than eighty percent of our budget. Ten percent for tithing is a common number and is seen in the Old Testament (cf. Deut. 14:22-29), but the specific number of ten percent is not a requirement. However, we are obligated to help the Church under the fifth precept of the Church, “You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.” “The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his own abilities.” [7] We should look to help the church in any way we can. Scripture says, “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:6–7) The 10/80/10 strategy is just a strategy and not the sole option for financial planning. If we are able to give more, we should, out of the love of God and neighbor.
Lastly, we must remember that whether we only have one dollar to our name or a billion dollars, Christ is free of charge. He does not hold a debt over us; in fact, He paid our debts on the cross. The God of everything comes down in the Eucharist free of charge. We too must open ourselves to the generosity of God and others.
A question to ask ourselves is, whose image are we working for: A president’s image on our currency or God’s image?
[1] St. Ambrose
[2] The Church’s Year pg. 455
[3] In Conversation with God 5, 46.1
[4] In Conversation with God 5, 46.1
[5] In conversation with God 5, 46.3
[6] A. Luciani, Illustrissimi, pg. 179
[7] CCC 2043