A Homily for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost

​+ Contemporary western civilization boasts of a longstanding separation of the Church from the State. Indeed, as a result of what is deftly and deceptively called “the Enlightenment” and of the revolutions that were undoubtedly its bitter mutant fruit, we live in a world that worships secularism with more dogmatic determination, seemingly, than any realm of what was once known as Christendom worshiped our Blessed Lord. For in this epoch of the reign of secularism the Church, those who seek to follow her teaching (and those who dare even to preach and teach it) and even Almighty God Himself, are increasingly consigned to a cultural and intellectual ghetto from which there is no legitimate intercourse with the rest of society. The Church may be a curiosity and the God of whom it speaks may be of occasional cultural or mythical interest, but the world and its affairs are secular. Full stop.
 
At first glance, Our Lord’s teaching in this morning’s Holy Gospel which instruct us to "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God’s” may seem to support this demarcation. They certainly teach—in principle—the legitimacy of worldly power in and of the duty to support it through taxes, etc. The Sacrament of Holy Baptism does not exempt a Christian from involvement in and engagement with the world, its organisation, government, etc. Rather the opposite: Baptism empowers us to be “the salt of the earth…the light of the world” (Mt 5:13, 14) especially in the important fields of administration, the law, government and politics at all levels. The noble vocation of the Christian politician, lawyer and civil official is a difficult one in our times, carrying with it the risk of ostracism if not social martyrdom, as well as the temptation to compromise too far once too often.
 
For whilst Our Lord most certainly teaches us to render unto Caesar that which is justly his, He did not worship Caesar as god. Nor did He place the edicts of the secular authority on a par with the commandments of Almighty God. For while we must indeed render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, we must first and foremost give unto God the things that are God’s.
 
The working out of this twofold principle in history has seen many martyrdoms of those who have sought faithfully to uphold it, and innumerable compromises that have violated it. The lust for power is an ever-present temptation in men, as is the desire to avoid conflict with authority that can cost much in terms of personal comfort, career and even one’s liberty. How can we forget the shining example of St Thomas More, the renowned Chancellor to King Henry VIII of England, who was executed in 1535 protesting that he was ever “the King’s good servant, but God’s first.”  So too, we must not forget the holy bishops whose fidelity to Christ and the defence of His Church in the face of the overreaching of secular power earned them the martyr’s crown—foremost amongst whom we must count St Thomas Becket (†1170).
 
Our own times, however, do not so much see a simple overreaching of authority by secular power, as they do the arrogation of all authority to the secular state—including the power to dictate what may or may not be said to belong to the competence of Almighty God. Secular governments worldwide forbad Christian worship in the past two years, even depriving the dying of the last sacraments. At times the manner in which they enforced their ban manifested a mindless, godless zeal that reminds one of the persecution of the early Christians.
 
It is now commonplace for secular governments to presume to overrule the God-given right to life of the innocent in their societies, or to encourage their citizens to kill themselves legally through euthanasia. Not only have governments become ‘tolerant’ of relationships contrary to the order of creation, some have begun to make the assertion of the truths about human sexuality and relationships a so called “hate crime”. This charge can also be levelled against anyone who expresses the belief that there is One True Faith and that other religions are false—well, at least against Christians who dare to make such a claim!
 
In the face of this increasing marginalisation, derision and ghettoisation of the things of God, Our Lord’s teaching remains true: we are to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God’s.” If in order to be faithful to this precept we must suffer, so be it, for the life of God given to us in the Sacrament of Baptism cannot be taken away by secular authorities, even if they can sanction us in this world in various ways. For He who teaches us this Himself suffered and died on a cross rather than compromise the Truth. And He rose victoriously from the dead in order that we too might have that life which the world cannot extinguish—if we are but faithful to Him.
 
As we enter more intimately into this renewal of Christ’s sacrifice in this Holy Mass, let His victory in which at this altar, give us the courage and the strength, in our families, in our places of work, amongst our friends and in our society, always, and without compromise, to render unto Almighty God the things that are God’s +