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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."
“Di dove sei?” “De donde eres?” “Where are you from?” Anyone who has done any international travel has encountered this question. How do you respond? I am from America, I am from Florida, I am from Tallahassee. The question and the way we answer it tell a lot about us, and maybe something about the person who is asking us. I remember being in the Kingdom of Jordan with my good buddy Kevin McQuone when there was a lot of anti-American animosity being openly expressed in the streets. As I a result we were reticent to talk much about our beloved country, and we spent one evening speaking Spanish to one another and worked out a story that we were students from Spain in case we got interrogated by any zealous anti-American factions. (Jordan was incredible, by the way, and I would go back in a heartbeat). So though I am the proudest of proud Americans, I myself would not want to be persecuted or killed for being American, and would probably even stretch the truth about my nation of origin in order to protect my life.
Now this mindset shifts when I consider my faith. If someone were to ask me my religion, even if there was a threat of violence or death, I would (with God’s help) proudly declare the truth: I am a Catholic, I am a follower of Jesus Christ. That is a truth that cannot be denied, obscured or avoided. No matter the cost. This week as we focus on our message of Christian Citizenship we are called to recognize the reality of what is required of us as followers of Jesus. Do we really give to God what belongs to God? Because what belongs to God is all of us. We belong to God. You belong to God. If we can give to “Caesar” what belongs to him, what are we giving to God this week? God bless you!