Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Tuesday of the 9th week in ordinary time
Memorial of Saint Justin, martyr
June 1, 2021
Reading is delivered Ajay Vardhan Singh and meditation delivered by Shalaza William, from the Church of Saint John Bosco in Jakarta, Indonesia
The reading is taken from the holy Gospel according to Mark (12: 13-17)
Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent
to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech.
They came and said to him,
“Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion.
You do not regard a person’s status
but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?
Should we pay or should we not pay?”
Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them,
“Why are you testing me?
Bring me a denarius to look at.”
They brought one to him and he said to them,
“Whose image and inscription is this?”
They replied to him, “Caesar’s.”
So Jesus said to them,
“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God.”
They were utterly amazed at him.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Our meditation today has the theme: Taking the Image of God. We followers of Christ are like coins. The image of God has been stamped on us since the moment of our baptism. We have been sealed and bound by the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation. These ways of justifying us to be Christians reveal to the world that we belong to God. We are truly men and women of God. Holy persons like Saint Justin provide us with examples of how to live in God’s image and likeness.
Like the cows and buffaloes marked on their bodies by their owners, one who looks at the Roman coin would immediately tell what anyone really looks like or belongs to. On Roman coins people saw the face of the Emperor. Therefore, when Jesus saw the coin that the people were asking for His opinion, He immediately said that it belonged to Caesar, therefore, all obedience and dedication should be given to Caesar.
From our part, as we have been branded and sealed in the image of God, we should always give attention, dedication and worship to God in our entire life. This means that we possess and show the image of God to the world: especially in the faces of emperors, rulers and powers of this world that there is an image of God which has a quality so different and even higher than those of this world.
Coins can be seen and wanted everywhere, and it depends on human activities. They have prices from the cheapest to the most expensive, from buying a sheet of paper to billions of dollars to buy land or house. Like those coins, we who are branded in the image of God should also spread anywhere in the world, in various places and situations to become the salt and light for the world.
For example, let us say about the face of God as the forgiving Lord present in you as a follower of Christ. There can be the act of forgiveness is very much needed even though a particular establishment of law obviously will challenge your right for justice and truth, while the due process of law will go its way because the dictation of the law cannot be retracted.
If the world or most people pay less attention to or they even ignore forgiveness, patience, understanding and peace, it may be because the “emperor” of this world has captured them and leading their souls away from the way of God. In such condition of the world, the followers of Christ with coins of the face of God should shine and give their true testimony of faith. The light from the face of God should rule over the whole world and every human face should radiate that power and light of the Lord which is the truth that sustains life.
Let’s pray. In the name of the Father … Our God Almighty, may we continue to be enthusiastic and diligent in wearing Your face in every moment of our lives, now and throughout the ages. Amen. Glory to the Father … In the name of the Father …