Fr Paul reads from Mark’s Gospel (12: 13-17) in which Jesus responds to a question asked by the Pharisees saying, “Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” Afterwards, Fr Paul shares a little about St Justin, whose memorial we celebrate today.

Justin was born in Nablus, Samaria, at the beginning of the 2nd Century into a pagan Greek family. He studied many systems of philosophy before he came to Christianity.  He was a layman but travelled from place to place preaching the Gospel. In the year 151AD he travelled to Rome where he began a school of philosophy and wrote defences of Christianity.  These are the earliest writings of this kind that still exist to this day.

In the persecution of 165AD, Justin was denounced as a Christian, arrested and beheaded.  The transcript of his trial can still be read today.

For our reflection today, Fr Paul says we continue the tradition of our Church, as we pray ‘St Justin, Martyr, pray for us’.