Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus told a parable of a vineyard owner whose tenants killed servants and the owner’s son who came to collect a due share of the produce. Religious leaders understood it as a warning that they could be replaced. Pharisees (religious leaders) and Herodians (a political party) formed an unlikely team when asking Jesus’ opinion about paying the Roman census tax. Supporting the tax would alienate the Jewish people. Opposing it would pit Jesus against the Roman emperor. The Lord said to pay to God and Caesar what belonged to each of them. A poor widow putting two small coins into the Temple treasury gave a remarkable tribute to God. When it comes to loving God and neighbor, when do we hold back?