“Jesus asked, ‘Simon, what do you think: The kings of the earth charge taxes or fees from whom? From the children or from the strangers? Peter answered, ‘Of strangers!’ Then Jesus said, ‘Then the children live in freedom’ “(Matthew 17: 25-26).

When we listen to this Gospel today, the connotation may seem strange, because if, in fact, the children are free, they owe nothing to anyone. We owe nothing to this world, because we are not children of it, we are children of Heaven and we must live in the freedom of children of God. We understand the contrary, we think that “the free” are those who live for the world, do what they want and what they can. It is an illusion and a mistake, for whoever does what he wants, does what he should not, and then he loses himself, and gets corrupted.

God does not deprive us of anything, on the contrary, He gives us the grace to have access to the Kingdom that He has prepared for us, who believe in Him, who are His children and want to live as His children.

The kingdom of God is not deprivation of the world, but it is deprivation of the depravity of the world, of the feeling of wickedness and malice in the world, that we may be kept and preserved from evil to live the good. Then, as children, we can not behave like slaves.

There are people who feel annihilated: “I am of God, what sorrow! Who is of God can not do anything.Who is of God lives deprived of everything. Whoever is of God does not drink, does not smoke. “ But since when is it to drink and smoke is freedom? What we have more are people slaves of the drink, the cigarette and all the evils of this world. Freedom is knowing that we can drink and do not drink; We can smoke, but let’s not smoke. Freedom is the power to make choices.

Freedom is not to surrender, and then we can no longer free ourselves from these evils. We are children, and children are free, and not to scandalize, children do even what they should not do. I will be clear, just as the Word is by telling Peter to throw the hook and open the fish’s mouth to get coins.

Paying taxes is one of the most unjust things in the world that we should not pay, but we pay. And why do we pay? To be examples, lest we cause scandal to the world.

The disciples of Jesus do not follow the orders of the Law. We must be the first to obey the orders and the laws of the world, we must be the first to set an example, to obey the traffic laws, to pay taxes, tolls of life , Fulfill our obligations.

We are free, and in the freedom we have, we set an example. We do not follow the evil inclinations of this world.

God bless you!