October 18, 2026

Dear People of St. Patrick Parish,

Some thoughts we might want to pray over and reflect upon as we journey through life and hear the scripture readings today.

In the First Reading from Isaiah, God tells Cyrus, “I am the Lord and there is no other, there is no God besides me.” As we look at the history of the world, we see how people have made themselves a god and ignore the one and only true God who made them and all other things. We remember how many countries in the world have been ruined by such people and how many innocent people have died because of them.

Today, St Paul tells the Thessalonians that he, Silvanus, and Timothy give thanks to God for them always. Paul praises them for their faith and efforts of love in following Jesus and His teachings and actions for all people. Can we substitute the word Thessalonians for, We the People of Rodeo – Hercules, California?

In the Gospel today, we hear Jesus call the Pharisees hypocrites as they approach Him to say something that will allow them to put Jesus to death and get rid of Him. They are liars, cheats and cannot bear to hear the truth.

If Jesus says you should not pay taxes to Caesar, Caesar will condemn HIm to death. Remember, Caesar does condemn Jesus to death on the cross because he could not stand the truth that Jesus taught.

This Gospel brings to mind the terminology of, ‘separation of church and state’. This concept teaches that there was to be no interference by government in citizens’ relationships with their God.

If we are to pay Caesar, what belongs to Caesar and to God, what belongs to God, we have a hard time understanding why Christians and other people who believe in one God have been killed for their faith. Many have been persecuted and made slaves.

Let us pray for those who think they are a god and that they will change and repent before they die.

God Bless ,
Fr. Larry Young
Your Pastor