Daily Archives: 18 October, 2026

Living with integrity. Reflection for married couples. Matthew 22:15-21

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From the Gospel according to Matthew 22:15-21
At that time: The Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle Jesus in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’ They said, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’
Living with integrity

The Pharisees act deceitfully and maliciously, allowing themselves to be led by hearts blinded by sin, which prevents them from seeing God.
And You, Lord, knowing how closed their hearts are, take this opportunity to show us how we must live in truth. We cannot be good disciples of yours unless we are also good citizens, acting with integrity according to what You teach us. But living in truth also means giving God everything He asks of me, so that I may give Him all the glory and live for Him. In this way, my life becomes a unified whole, and I offer all the gifts I receive from God in every situation of my life.
Marriage is where I must live with the greatest integrity. Work and my duties as a citizen are important. But what matters most is my vocation: my spouse. From all eternity, God intended me to give myself to Him through my gift of myself to my spouse. My love for God takes concrete form above all in my love for my spouse. Then everything falls into its proper place, my life takes on the meaning for which I was created, and peace enters my heart. Little by little, God makes my life increasingly full.
It would hardly be consistent to be a bad citizen and then claim to be a good Christian, nor would it make sense to be a good citizen but a bad husband or wife at home. And I cannot do either of these things well unless I allow myself to be filled with God’s grace, so that He may act through me, because without Him we can do nothing.

Brought into married life:

Simon: Reading today’s Gospel reminded me of how badly we used to live, how disordered our lives were and how we were heading straight for disaster.
Sophie: Really? I don’t see the connection between our past and paying taxes… apart from the fact that we used to try to pay as little as possible, like everyone else.
Simon: Well, yes. We used to act as though we were such good people. We’d leave the house to go to Mass and look like saints. Some days we’d even go to pray or spend time in Eucharistic Adoration. But then, at home, we were practically strangers. We treated each other badly and lived parallel lives. In short, we were hypocrites.
Sophie: It’s true, we weren’t living with integrity. But the Lord’s mercy reached us, and everything gradually began to fall into place.
Simon: Yes, even at work, wouldn’t you say? I used to try to get away with doing as little as possible, and now the Lord helps me to do my work as well as I can, to give glory to God.
Sophie: Exactly. Giving glory to God through the gifts He has given us, offering them to those around us, especially to you, my dear husband.
Simon: How could we ever repay You for all the good You have done for us? Blessed are You, Lord!

Mother,

Help us to live in the Lord, so that we may bear witness to Him and give glory to God in every area of our lives, especially in our marriage. Praise be to the Lord!