Jesus had an infuriating capacity to ‘not answer’ the questions asked of him - Or at least of not giving an easily applied, black and white answer to the questions asked of him.    Part of that was because of the motives of the people asking him the questions.  They were inevitably trying to trap him between the proverbial rock and a hard place.  If they could find the ‘perfect question’ – and they tried many times – then they could undermine Jesus’ authority at worst or have him thrown in jail at best.  Today’s gospel is an example of one of those trick questions.  And sadly enough, Jesus gives one of the infuriating answers to the question – repay to Caesar what is Caesar’s – and to God what is God’s. 

It is the perfect answer to the trap.  It gets him off the hook – no problem.  But two thousand years later, in the face of the complexities of this election year and the moral issues that are before our country, I wish he had given a more obviously applicable answer.  “Vote for Proposition A” – reads the billboards – fund our schools and our children.  Who could possibly vote against that?  Until you realize that Prop. A is about taking away the loss limits on gambling and reducing the commitment of the state to education by subsidizing education on the backs of people who are addicted to gambling.  “Repay to Caesar what is Caesar’s – and to God what is God’s.” 

Today’s Newswatch in the Post Dispatch continues the presentation of the two candidates for Governor:  Hulshof and Nixon.  Today’s issue is around health care benefits.  One candidate wants to reinstate Medicare benefits that were cut in 2005, but it still leaves people off the roles who had been on them.  Another wants the state to pay premiums for low income people, but would require that they contribute to a health savings account.  Even less people would be covered.  [read the highlighted section in the article] “Repay to Caesar what is Caesar’s – and to God what is God’s.” 

Then you get to the presidential campaign.  Neither candidate completely stands with the Catholic Church’s view on the ten issues that Bishops say we must weigh as we form our consciences around voting.  One candidate comes close with the abortion issues, but is not so good around the death penalty and embryonic stem cell research issue.  Another candidate does much better on the social policies that might help women have the support they’ll need to choose to carry a child to birth, but completely supports the right of that same woman to end the life of that child growing within the womb at any time, included the partial birth abortion proceedure.  “Repay to Caesar what is Caesar’s – and to God what is God’s. 

When Jesus responds to the trick question, though, he does gives us a guide to do the weighing of the issues – repay to God what is God’s.  And what is God’s – is it not our time, our talents, our gifts, our very life that belongs to Him?  Is it not all that we are and all that we hope to do and be and become as individuals and as a nation that we return back to Him?  Since everything is God’s - then it puts the burden of all the decisions I’ll face in the ballot box in the realm of my conscience.  Conscience is formed of ‘three things’.  First is the turn inward to find a norm that obliges me (synderesis).  It is not just my view on a proposal or candidate – but upon an objective truth that calls to me.  Secondly, the turn inward to find a norm requires a turn outside the self called intellectus – the looking to God as the author of truth.  It is to consult the truth of the nature of things in themselves, what they reveal to me, not what I bring to them.  Life in the womb tells me what it is – a human being with potential, and not a politician who defines it as a potential human being. That is a huge difference.  My conscience looks within and then looks without to order itself aright.  Finally, conscience is the last, best judgment as to the good action based on the turn inward and the turn outward.  It is the last, best judgment I can make.   

“Repay to Caesar what is Caesar’s – and to God what is God’s.”  I wish that Jesus’ answer would have been more specific, more black and white, more easily translatable to the election process I find myself in.  But to escape the trap before him, it couldn’t be.  What he did tell us, though, is the great truth that will guide us through all the choices we have to make:  Repay to God what is God’s – use that turn inward and that turn outward – that gift of your heart and your intellect – and make the last, best judgment as to the good action that is before you…