In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus reminded us of a truth that remains relevant even after twonthousand years. “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
These words recognize the legitimate authority of those who govern, administer, and lead. Yet they also establish a boundary that no human authority has the right to cross. Caesar may exercise power over earthly affairs, but he must never assume the authority that belongs to God alone.
This teaching applies not only to governments and political leaders. It also applies to anyone entrusted with authority, whether in public institutions, private organizations, or even within the Church. Authority is never a license to dominate others. It is a responsibility to serve them. The moment power becomes an instrument of intimidation, personal pride, or the suppression of what is right, Caesar begins to play God.
Recent concerns surrounding the administration of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick bring this truth painfully close to home. The hospital is a place where human life is most vulnerable, where suffering demands compassion and where the dying deserve not only medical attention but also spiritual care. No unnecessary restriction, personal disagreement, or administrative arrangement should ever become an obstacle to a sick person’s timely reception of the sacraments.
Certainly, order and coordination are necessary in every ministry. Responsibilities must be clearly defined to prevent confusion and ensure that the faithful are properly served. Yet rules exist to facilitate service, not to frustrate it. When procedures become more important than the suffering person they are supposed to protect, something has gone terribly wrong. No rule intended to serve the sick should become the very reason they are left unattended.
The priesthood itself is not exempt from this warning. We are ordained not to exercise ownership over God’s grace but to become instruments through which that grace reaches His people. The sacraments do not belong to any priest, office, or institution. They belong to Christ, who entrusted their celebration to His Church for the salvation of souls. No minister should allow personal authority, territorial concerns, or institutional pride to overshadow that sacred responsibility.
The same principle governs our treatment of human life. God alone is its author, and every person, whether healthy or dying, possesses a dignity that no earthly authority can diminish. We cannot profess respect for the sanctity of life while remaining indifferent to the spiritual needs of those approaching death. Compassion delayed by unnecessary obstacles can become compassion denied.
There is nothing wrong with exercising authority. What is wrong is forgetting why that authority was entrusted to us in the first place. Whether we are government officials, hospital administrators, or ministers of the Church, our responsibility is to protect human dignity, uphold what is right, and serve those who depend upon us.
Caesar begins to play God when he forgets that authority is a responsibility, not a privilege, and that no human rule should ever become greater than the person it was meant to serve.
In the end, God will not ask how much authority we exercised, how strictly we enforced our rules, or how successfully we defended our positions. He will ask whether we loved, whether we showed mercy, and whether we were there when someone needed us most.