Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection June 02, 2026
Tuesday – 9th Week in Ordinary Time
02nd June 2026 (Tuesday)
Psalter: Week 1
Readings of the Day
First Reading: 2 Peter 3:12-15a, 17-18
Beloved: Waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Psalm 90:2, 3-4, 10, 14 and 16 (R. 1)
R/. O Lord, you have been our refuge, from generation to generation
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts that we may know what is the hope to which he has called us.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel: Mark 12:13-17
At that time: They sent to Jesus some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marvelled at him.
Daily Gospel Reflection
Tuesday – 9th Week in Ordinary Time
Main Point: They tried to trap Jesus with a trick question about taxes, but His answer cuts deeper than coins. The real question is not what we owe Caesar, but what we owe God.
1. There is a certain kind of question that is not really a question at all. It is a trap, dressed up in polite words, designed to corner you no matter how you answer. That is exactly what walks up to Jesus in today’s Gospel.
2. The Pharisees and Herodians come with flattery first. “Teacher, we know you are honest and teach the way of God truthfully.” It is sweet talk meant to lower His guard. Then comes the blade: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
3. It is a perfect trap. Say yes, and He betrays His own people under Roman rule. Say no, and He is a rebel against the empire. Either answer should finish Him. They are not seeking truth. They are hunting for a way to destroy Him.
4. But Jesus asks for a coin. “Whose image is this, and whose inscription?” They answer, “Caesar’s.” And then He gives the reply that has echoed for two thousand years: “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.”
5. Notice the brilliance of it. The coin carries Caesar’s image, so let Caesar have his coin. But there is something that carries another image entirely. We do. We are stamped with the image of God, and so we belong to Him, completely.
6. Here the question turns toward us. We are usually careful to pay what we owe the world. Our taxes, our bills, our dues. But are we as careful to give God what is His? Do we hand Him our coins and quietly keep our hearts?
7. Many of us live divided lives. We give God an hour on Sunday and call the account settled. But God did not ask for a slice. He stamped His image on the whole of us. He wants our work, our words, our weekends, and our wounds, not just a religious corner.
8. Peter, in the first reading, tells us how to live while we wait for the Lord. Be found “without spot or blemish, at peace.” Grow in grace. Do not be carried away by error. In other words, do not let the world quietly mint its image over God’s.
9. Saints Marcellinus and Peter knew where the line was drawn. When the empire demanded what belonged to God alone, their worship, their faith, their very souls, they refused. They gave Caesar his coins, but they gave God their lives.
My Practice: Today, look honestly at the account between you and God. You are quick to pay the world, but what have you been withholding from Him? Stop handing God your spare change. You bear His image, not just on Sundays but in every hour. So give Him the part of your life you have been guarding, and give it to Him today.
