Sunday Gospel
Prepare for Sunday in prayer.
Matthew 22:15–21
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
About this artwork
The Sermon on the Mount. A general meditation on listening to Christ’s teaching. This painting depicts the Sermon on the Mount, not necessarily the event in today’s reading.
Asked about paying taxes to Caesar, Jesus points to the image on a coin and calls his listeners to give God what belongs to God.
Gospel
Matthew 22:15–21
Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entrap him in his talk. They sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and teach the way of God in truth, no matter whom you teach; for you aren’t partial to anyone. Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me the tax money.”
They brought to him a denarius.
He asked them, “Whose is this image and inscription?”
They said to him, “Caesar’s.”
Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Official readingsRemember whose image you bear
The question is intended to trap Jesus, but he refuses to let the trap define his answer. He asks his listeners to notice the image on the coin. Civic responsibilities matter, yet they do not exhaust the meaning of a human life. We belong first to God, whose claim reaches deeper than money, status, or political allegiance.
The coin bears Caesar’s image; every person bears the image of God. This invites an examination of how we use our resources and how we treat our neighbors. It is possible to meet an outward obligation while withholding our compassion, honesty, or attention. Giving God what belongs to him means offering our whole selves, including the parts of our day that seem ordinary.
Before Mass, consider one responsibility you face and one person you find difficult to respect. Ask Christ for wisdom to fulfill the first honestly and to see his image in the second. Prayer does not remove us from the world. It teaches us to live within it with a conscience shaped by love of God and neighbor.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, all that I am belongs to you. Guide my conscience, make me honest in my responsibilities, and help me recognize your image in every person. Receive my work and my care as an offering of love. Amen.
Where can I honor God’s image in another person through my choices today?