[__01__] The
answer is Yes. Repay.
[__02__]
With “repayment”, there is often
a celebration, joy, rejoicing.
The
celebration may not necessarily be manifested publicly as a toast with
champagne glasses. Yet, there is often some relief, gladness in repayment and
the satisfaction of one’s debts or obligations, isn’t there?
For
example, if a person or famly were able to pay off his or her mortgage …or
their mortgage, there would be relief.
Some
people are known even to put the mortgage document into the fireplace for
burning.
In
this way, their debts also go .. earth to earth… ashes to ashes … dust to dust.
It disappears.
[__03__]
Another example of repayment
would be a student’s completion of a
final exam, term paper, or thesis. As
students, we are called to render and surrender unto the teacher what we have
learned. And, once we handed in our work or homework, we are relieved. We may
also celebrate.
A
student repays “academically” to the professor teacher.
A
family or person repays monetarily to Chase, to Bank of America, to Wells
Fargo.
[__04__]
Repayment is cause for celebration, for joy.
In
the Gospel, this Sunday, a question is about money is brought to our Lord and
Savior. At least, this may appear to be a question of liabilities (i.e., to the
government…what we must pay) and a question of assets (i.e., to ourselves, what
want to keep).
Is
this just accounting? Economics?
The
question is brought by the Pharisees. The Pharisees ask Jesus, “Should we pay
the census tax to Caesar or not?” (Matthew 22:___)
With
this question, they were testing our Savior, to examine/investigate his loyalty
to the Roman Empire. They are asking …
- Should we pay this invoice?
- Should we pay this bill?
- Should we be in this tax bracket?
In
other words, they ask what every taxpayer may wonder –
- How much do we pay?
- Is it really necessary?
- What has the government done of us lately? (“What
you have done for me lately?”)
It’s
interesting that Jesus does not answer in terms of what the Pharisees or you
and I are supposed to …
- GIVE ..or … PAY
Rather,
he responds saying what we should
- “re-pay”
- Or in other translations of the Bible what we
should “render unto Caesar”
Well,
if we were to “repay”…. Or “render” unto Caesar, this would be a bit different.
That
is, Jesus is suggesting we have a responsibility to repay…to support the
government…to support the communal needs for all of us…
[[ Submission to authority and co-responsibility for
the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right
to vote, and to defend one's country:
Pay to all of
them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due,
respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.(Romans 13:7)
[Christians]
reside in their own nations, but as resident aliens. They participate in all
things as citizens and endure all things as foreigners. . . . They obey the
established laws and their way of life surpasses the laws. . . . So noble is
the position to which God has assigned them that they are not allowed to desert
it.( Ad Diognetum 5,5 and 10; 6,10:PG 2,1173 and 1176.)
The Apostle
exhorts us to offer prayers and thanksgiving for kings and all who exercise
authority, "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and
respectful in every way."( 47 1
Tim 2:2)]] à Catechism of the
Catholic Church, n. 2240
[__05__] On
the other hand, this doesn’t necessarily mean that we agree with every action
taken by the government or by every office holder in …(locations? Governments??)
In
fact, we are also called to pray for our leaders that they would use the money
and authority entrusted to them for good, for the protection of the
defenseless.
By
our taxes,we pay for many things in Caesar’s image …or made by Caesar’s
strategies.
But
by our meditations and petitions – whether at church or home – we pray for what
is in God’s image that his kingdom will come, his will be done.
[__06__]
Our repayment to Caesar or the IRS (or USA) is also a celebration, an
act of hope and trust – not necessarily in “Caesar” … but an act of hope in God
and that the prayers of many for our elected leaders will help all things to
work for good. (cf. Romans 8:28)
[__08__]
Repayment is a celebration. Jesus speaks not only of what we render or
hand over to Caesar – but also what we hand over and render to God.
Thomas
Merton writes that “infinite sharing is the law of God’s inner life. He also
made the sharing [gift - surrender] of ourselves the law of our own being, so
that it is in loving others that we we best love ourselves.”[1]
Merton
and other writers characterize this, spiritually, as “being disinterested“ …
“being
indifferent”
This
is a spiritual approach towards indifference…and spiritual approach to toward
love and charity that is distinct from ordinary indifference.
That
is, if I were to experience ordinary indifference in my life, I would (might)
walk by you without saying hello … you might bump into someone without
acknowledging his or her presence.
But
spiritual indifference does not mean I do not care about someone else’s
welfare.
Rather,
spiritual indifference means that I render – or surrender – my love, my service
as a repayment, a repayment of mercy, of charity, of fidelity
[__09__]
I render it is a repayment beside
someone in a hospital, or by permitting someone to share his or her sorrow with
me.
On
the other hand, we also repay by allowing someone to share his or her joy – and
good fortune with me. Isn’t this sometimes a sacrifice…to do as St. Paul says
..not only to weep with those who weep but to rejoice with those who rejoice. (cf.
Romans 12:15).
Sometimes,
we may not feel like rejoicing. To do so…. To love in this way…is a repayment.
Yes,…
go ahead a repay. And, Render unto God the things that are God’s.
In
all of our listening and compassion, there is repayment.
And,
repayment calls for celebration.
[1]
Thomas Merton, No Man Is An Island, “Ch.
1, Love Can only be kept by being given away,” New York: Harcourt Brace, 1955, p.
3.
