Daily Mass is celebrated:
Monday through Saturday at 8 a.m.
The Sunday Mass schedule is:
Saturday at 5 p.m. in English
Sunday at 7:30 a.m. in English
Sunday at 9 a.m. in English
Sunday at 11 a.m. in English
Sunday at 1 p.m. in Spanish
Please contact the parish office at
949-494-9701 to schedule.
We commit ourselves to: being a welcoming sanctuary and a place of prayer and worship.
Saint Anthony's daily calendar🙏
Our greetings from the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua.
Peace and all good❤
𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒚.
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
✝️“GIVE TO CAESAR WHAT BELONGS TO CAESAR, AND TO GOD WHAT BELONGS TO GOD”- A MISINTERPRETED VERSE IN THE BIBLE 😳🤔
(Mark 12:17; Matthew 22:21; Luke 20:25)
__________________
Many Christians have heard Jesus say this, but few understand the full depth of its meaning. It is far more than a clever answer to a tricky political trap, it is a radical teaching on loyalty, vocation, and the authority of God over all creation.
✝️ 1. THE TRAP JESUS FACED
The Pharisees and Herodians approached Jesus with a question designed to destroy Him:
“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
They thought:
If Jesus said yes, He would lose favor with the people, appearing to support the Roman oppressors.
If He said no, He could be accused of rebellion against Rome, which could lead to arrest or death.
Jesus’ response is brilliantly strategic. It shows not just wisdom, but divine insight: He speaks truth without falling into human traps.
✝️ 2. ROMAN AUTHORITY AND JEWISH LIFE
To fully understand, we must see the world He lived in:
Caesar was the emperor, the symbol of political and military power.
The Jews were subjects under occupation, paying taxes that often burdened them and symbolized foreign domination.
The coin they used for tax bore Caesar’s image and inscription, a daily reminder of political subjugation.
In that context, Jesus’ words were shocking. By saying “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar,” He acknowledges legitimate earthly authority without surrendering spiritual freedom.
✝️ 3. A BIBLICAL DEEP DIVE: COIN VS. PERSON
Jesus takes a coin and asks whose image is on it.
The coin: belongs to Caesar. Material, temporal, earthly. It symbolizes worldly power, wealth, and governance.
The person bearing the coin: belongs to God. Spiritual, eternal, sacred. Your heart, mind, soul, and life are God’s creation.
This is profound: Jesus separates the spheres of authority without negating either, showing that Christians can obey earthly laws without compromising allegiance to God.
Old Testament echo: In Genesis 1:26–27, God creates humans in His image. Every person carries the divine image, which cannot belong to any human authority. Just as the coin bears Caesar’s image, we bear God’s image—our ultimate loyalty is to Him.
✝️ 4. THE THEOLOGY BEHIND THE SAYING
Obedience to earthly authority: The Church recognizes the role of government as a legitimate instrument to maintain order (Romans 13:1-7). Paying taxes, respecting laws, and participating responsibly in society is part of our Christian duty.
Primacy of God’s authority: Everything spiritual, our conscience, worship, obedience, love, moral choices—belongs to God. No earthly ruler can claim dominion over the soul.
Balance of dual responsibilities: We are citizens of the world but first and foremost, children of God. This teaching prevents extremes: neither blind rebellion nor unquestioning conformity.
✝️ 5. JESUS’ STRATEGY: WISDOM IN ACTION
Notice His method:
1. Avoids the trap: He does not answer impulsively, showing discernment and divine wisdom.
2. Uses evidence from reality: The coin illustrates the point clearly.
3. Reveals a spiritual truth: He elevates the discussion from politics to divine law.
This approach is still relevant today: Christians navigate civic responsibilities, taxes, and laws without compromising God’s authority over their lives.
✝️ 6. THE CONTINUING APPLICATION FOR TODAY
Civic responsibility: Pay taxes, obey just laws, respect authorities. Doing so is part of our witness as Christians.
Spiritual allegiance: Worship, obey, and love God above all. Your heart, choices, and life are His.
Integration of faith and society: Live faithfully in the world without being of the world. The coin belongs to Caesar, but your life belongs to God.
✝️ 7. A FINAL SHOCKING TRUTH
Jesus’ teaching is revolutionary: He does not negate earthly authority, but He reminds us that God’s authority is supreme. Every human law, tax, or obligation is limited by divine law.
If a government asks what belongs to God, like a conscience violation or a sinful law, the Christian must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).
If earthly demands are just, Christians obey, showing balance, wisdom, and holiness.
✝️KEY TAKEAWAYS
The coin belongs to Caesar; the person belongs to God.
Obedience to authority is necessary but never absolute.
Our allegiance to God trumps all earthly powers.
Wisdom and discernment are crucial when navigating life’s challenges.
Every Christian is called to live in the tension of dual citizenship: citizen of the world, child of God.
#catholicsonlineclass
__________________
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
✝️ WHY DID JESUS ENTER JERUSALEM ON A DONKEY? THE ANSWER IS FAR DEEPER THAN MOST PEOPLE REALIZE
Many people know the story.
Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey.
The crowds waved palm branches.
They shouted:
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
And within a few days, the same city would cry:
“Crucify Him!”
But here is the question many Christians never ask:
Why a donkey?
If Jesus was truly the King of kings, why not a horse?
Why not a chariot?
Why not arrive surrounded by soldiers and royal guards?
Why enter the most important city in Israel riding on an animal usually associated with ordinary people?
The answer reveals one of the most beautiful and shocking truths about Jesus.
✝️ JESUS DID NOTHING BY ACCIDENT
One of the biggest mistakes people make when reading the Bible is assuming events simply happened.
They did not.
Jesus carefully chose the donkey.
In fact, He specifically instructed His disciples to bring it to Him:
“Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tied, and a colt with her.” (Matthew 21:2)
This was not a random transportation choice.
It was a public announcement.
A declaration.
A prophecy coming alive before the eyes of Jerusalem.
✝️ THE DONKEY WAS A MESSAGE
To modern ears, a donkey sounds humble and insignificant.
But in the ancient world, kings sometimes rode donkeys.
Especially when they came in peace.
A horse was often associated with war.
A king riding a war horse came ready for battle.
A king riding a donkey came as a ruler of peace.
Jesus was telling the world:
“I am indeed a King. But not the kind of king you expected.”
The people wanted a military leader.
Jesus came as a Savior.
The people wanted someone to defeat Rome.
Jesus came to defeat sin.
The people wanted political freedom.
Jesus came to bring eternal freedom.
✝️ JESUS WAS FULFILLING A PROPHECY OVER 500 YEARS OLD
Many in the crowd probably remembered the words of the prophet Zechariah:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)
Think about this.
More than five centuries before Jesus was born, God had already revealed how the Messiah would enter Jerusalem.
Not on a horse.
Not in a chariot.
On a donkey.
The moment Jesus mounted that animal, He was publicly declaring:
“I am the King Zechariah spoke about.”
The people understood the message.
That is why they began shouting messianic praises.
✝️ THE CROWDS EXPECTED ONE THING
BUT JESUS OFFERED SOMETHING GREATER
The crowd was excited.
They believed the Messiah had finally arrived.
But many misunderstood what kind of Messiah He would be.
They expected a conqueror.
They expected a revolution.
They expected Rome to fall.
But Jesus did not come to conquer Caesar.
He came to conquer death.
He did not come to establish an earthly empire.
He came to establish the Kingdom of God.
That is why the same people who welcomed Him with palms would later reject Him.
They wanted a Messiah who would change politics.
Jesus came to change hearts.
✝️ THE DONKEY REVEALS THE HEART OF GOD
This is where the story becomes deeply personal.
God could have come with overwhelming power.
He could have appeared with armies of angels.
He could have forced the world to obey Him.
Instead, He came in humility.
The Creator entered His own city riding on a borrowed donkey.
The King of Heaven chose simplicity.
The Lord of the universe chose meekness.
The One who owned everything entered Jerusalem on an animal He did not even own.
That is the humility of God.
✝️ MANY PEOPLE STILL REJECT JESUS FOR THE SAME REASON
Even today, many people want a different kind of Savior.
They want a Jesus who guarantees wealth.
A Jesus who removes every struggle.
A Jesus who fulfills every earthly ambition.
But the real Jesus still comes riding on a donkey.
He still comes in humility.
He still calls us to repentance.
He still asks us to carry our cross.
He still offers a kingdom that is not of this world.
And many people still miss Him because they are looking for something else.
✝️ THE DONKEY ALSO TEACHES US HOW TO FOLLOW CHRIST
The Christian life is not about pride.
It is not about self-exaltation.
It is not about making ourselves great.
The road to glory passes through humility.
The road to resurrection passes through Calvary.
The King rode a donkey.
His disciples should not be surprised when they are called to walk the path of humility too.
✝️ THE CONCLUSION
Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey because He wanted the world to understand exactly who He was.
He was the promised King of Zechariah.
He was the Prince of Peace.
He was the Messiah.
But He was not the Messiah people expected.
He came not to destroy Rome but to destroy sin.
Not to take lives but to save them.
Not to rule by force but by love.
The donkey was not a sign of weakness.
It was a sign of the kind of King Jesus chose to be.
And two thousand years later, the question remains:
Will we accept the King who comes in humility?
Or are we still waiting for another?
Because the King who entered Jerusalem on a donkey is the same King who reigns forever.
And His throne is not built on power.
It is built on love.
#CatholicsOnlineClass ✝️
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
