"Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God".

The Pharisees and Herodians seek to ensnare Jesus into either denying the authority of the Law or that of Caesar. Jesus, however, is able to effectively avoid their trap because He is not swayed by secular authority and has a clear focus on God's truth. Like the people of centuries past, today, we too have certain civil duties to fulfil, but none of these can transcend our call to be faithful to God. The coin is made in Caesar's image and it belongs to him. Human beings are made in God's image and we - our very selves - belong to God.

St. Charles Lwanga and the 21 other Ugandan martyrs give a poignant witness to this truth. From 1885 to 1887 these resolute Christians were tortured and killed for teaching catechism, baptising others and refusing to submit to the whims of a perverted and violent king. Undaunted by such persecution, and urged on by the sacrifice of Charles and his companions, the local Christians secretly continued the work of evangelization. After the corrupt king passed away, exiled priests returned to Uganda to find even more Christians and 1000 catechumens awaiting for them. The faith and courage of these Christians embody Jesus' exhortation to render to God what belongs to God.