As stars in the world, you shine, / announcing a message of life to the world; / of life the Word, with faith, you proclaim, / like shining stars in the world you shine *** 71

First Reading: Isaiah 45,1.4-6

Reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah – 1This says the Lord about Cyrus, his anointed: “I took him by the hand to subject the peoples to his dominion, to bend the pride of kings, to open all the gates to his march and not to let the gates. 4For the sake of my servant Jacob and my chosen Israel I called you by name; I reserved you, and you didn't recognize me. 5I am the Lord, there is no other: apart from me there is no god. I armed you as a warrior, without you recognizing me, 6so that everyone may know, from east to west, that apart from me there is no other. I am the Lord, there is no other.” - Word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm: 95(96)

O family of nations, give the Lord power and glory!

1. Sing to the Lord God a new song, / sing to the Lord God, O entire earth! / Manifest his glory among the nations / and, among the peoples of the universe, his wonders! – R.

2. For God is great and very worthy of praise, / he is more terrible and greater than the other gods, / because the gods of the pagans are nothing. / It was the Lord and our God who made the heavens. – R.

3. O family of nations, give to the Lord, / O nations, give to the Lord power and glory, / give him the glory that is due to his name! / Offer a sacrifice in his courts. – R.

4. Adore him in the splendor of holiness, / entire earth, tremble before him! / Publish among the nations: “The Lord reigns!”, / for he judges the peoples with justice. – R.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5

Reading of the first letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians – 1Paul, Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians, gathered in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: to you, grace and peace! 2We give thanks to God for you all, remembering you always in our prayers. 3Before God, our Father, we remember without ceasing the action of your faith, the effort of your charity and the firmness of your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4We know, brothers loved by God, that you are among the chosen ones. 5For our Gospel did not come to you only through words, but also through the power of the Holy Spirit; and that with all abundance. - Word of the Lord.

Gospel: Matthew 22,15-21

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

As stars in the world, you shine, / announcing a message of life to the world; / of life the Word, with faith, proclaim, / like shining stars in the world you shine (Phil 2,15s). – R.

Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Matthew – At that time, 15 the Pharisees made a plan to catch Jesus in some word. 16Then they sent their disciples, along with some from Herod's party, to say to Jesus: “Teacher, we know that you are true and that you indeed teach the way of God. You don't let yourself be influenced by the opinions of others, as you don't judge a man by appearances. 17Tell us, then, what you think: is it lawful or not to pay taxes to Caesar?” 18Jesus saw their wickedness and said, “You hypocrites! Why do you set a trap for me? 19Show me the tax coin!” They then took the coin. 20And Jesus said, “Whose figure and inscription is on this coin?” 21They answered, “Caesar’s.” Jesus then said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” – Word of salvation.

Reflection:

Pharisees and Herodians unite with a well-defined intention: “to catch Jesus in some word”. The Pharisees were against the rule of Rome; the Herodians, in favor. The initial words they address to Jesus correspond to the truth (“We know that you are true”), but on their lips they reveal falsehood and irony. In fact, if they wanted to be disciples of Jesus, they would not lie in wait for him! Paying taxes to the emperor was accepting him as a deity. How could a Jew, a worshiper of the one God, pay this tax? Jesus introduces something new: the absolute power of God. Tribute is paid to the Roman emperor (“Return to Caesar…”), since the people are under his rule, but the people cannot be sacrificed with heavy tributes, because the people belong to the almighty God (“Return… to God what belongs to God”).

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