This weekend, Jesus turns a would-be trap by those who oppose Him into a deep spiritual lesson on the nature of human life. Taking a look at a denarius which bore the image of the Roman Emperor, Jesus says, “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” As Tony explains, with this simple line Jesus teaches us what has always been, but is especially so in our own time and place, the most radical teaching of Christianity. Namely, all that we are and have as human creatures is owed to God.
Mass Readings:
Reading 1: Isaiah 45:1, 4-6
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10
Reading 2: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b
Gospel: Matthew 22:15-21
Tony Crescio is the founder of FRESHImage Ministries. He holds an MTS from the University of Notre Dame and is currently a PhD candidate in Christian Theology at Saint Louis University. His research focuses on the intersection between moral and sacramental theology. His dissertation is entitled, Presencing the Divine: Augustine, the Eucharist and the Ethics of Exemplarity.
Tony’s academic publications can be found here.