This election season reminds us that no matter who wins at the polls, God remains King of the universe. No matter who wins this season, we are called to pray for those in government. God uses foreign leaders to carry out his purpose. This is apparent in the first reading from Isaiah, when God used Cyrus to restore the Jewish people to their land. Cyrus was the new emperor of the Persian Empire that conquered the Babylonian Empire and restored the Jews to their homeland. Cyrus worshipped the one true God even though he did not know him. The LORD said to Cyrus, “I have called you by your name, giving you a title, though you knew me not.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples of the Pharisees and the Herodians that they should repay Caesar what belongs to Caesar and God what belongs to God. Jesus commands us to perform two acts of justice for the service rendered to us: one to Caesar and one to God. Caesar, representing the modern government, gives us roads, an economy, and military protection; therefore, we should pay what is owed with the coin that bears the image of government.

So to what do we owe the Almighty God? God has given us life, existence, countless joys and pleasures, salvation, and the eternity ahead of us. Created in God’s image and etched with His likeness, we offer Him everything we are. Yet, our everything is only finite compared to the awesomeness of who God is. This is where we all need Jesus, who leads us to the Father.

In baptism, we receive the light of Christ, so our lives shine with his presence in a world that has forgotten the Kingdom. Our lives become the living reminder that God loves us and loves every person in our own communities. Through baptism, we can come to the Sunday liturgy and “worship the LORD, in holy attire.”

Psalm 96 in today’s responsorial reveals God’s kingdom, which governs with justice, equity, fairness, and truth. Three times in its opening verse, we are commanded to sing a new song that spreads to all people, day after day. God’s Kingdom is a song that reaches every corner of the earth. We will hear of the heavenly courts who assist the Lord in governance: “For great is the LORD and highly to be praised; awesome is he, beyond all gods.” These gods were believed to be angelic powers that helped direct the movements of the earth. Yet, the God of Israel remains the One who created heaven and earth. This psalm reveals how all creation blesses the God of Israel. This cosmic God has personally etched his loving presence in our lives, so that we might love him in return. May a Christ-centered love be the offering with which we render unto God what is rightfully His.