Render to Caesar...Render to God

10-22-2017Weekly ReflectionFr. Chauncey Winkler

Rendering anything to Caesar gave him some degree of homage. This is one reason many pharisees objected to paying the census tax. Since it was such a sticky issue, they wanted to get Jesus trapped into taking a side on it. Despite Jesus' very straightforward answer, people still get sticky over it today.

Jesus answers his challengers with his own challenge. The pharisees were looking for an "either or" answer, Jesus made clear that a "both and" answer is required. "Render to God whatever belongs to God". The Roman coin bore Caesar's image and inscription. But, we human beings bear the image of God. We must, therefore render ourselves to Him. But how?

Do you ever feel pulled in different directions? This is an experience common to many of us. We desire to give ourselves to God, but with so many obligations, we feel as if we are not offering ourselves to Him well enough. Throughout scripture, making an acceptable offering to God means to give him our first and best as a habit and commitment of our life. God gives us every good gift for our use. He never intends for us to walk around feeling obligated to give it all back to Him and feeling inadequate when we cannot. But, due to the selfishness of our fallen human nature we truly must make some acceptable sacrifice to God for our own sanity's sake. Therefore God rightly demands the first and best of every gift He has given us. If we offer God the first and best of everything we hold dear, we offer our heart to Him as well. If we withhold the first and best of anything we hold dear, then we withhold our hearts from Him as well.

Every day is a gift from God to acknowledge Him in prayer, praise and a quiet time with an open heart. When we fill our day with every other thing first, God gets the leftover time, energy and attention if He gets anything. Rendering ourselves to God is to remember who we truly are by coming to Him first and giving Him our best. God will polish up His image in our soul and restore us newly every day. Begin by choosing a time and making it His.

What about space in our homes? Where is the best place to hang a picture in your house? Does that picture direct everyone who sees it toward God? Where is the best place for a well loved book? Is that where you keep your Bible? Do you have a place reserved for prayer? Is it arranged so that you look forward to being in that place? Is Jesus the Lord of your home? or, is it the TV, the food, the dog, the hobby, the Packers? Giving God the first and best gives direction and proportion to everything else. Begin by choosing a prominent place and making it His place.

All of us are given the duty and privilege to work in cooperation with God's creating hand. Where do we offer our best work? The job, the hobby, the boat, the golf swing? Probably we give most of our work to the job and or the home. But where do we give our first and best work? Or, does God get what is left over? Begin by choosing one offering of your labor and make it a regular practice. Think of St. Vincent de Paul, cleaning the church, becoming a catechist.

The pharisees in today's Gospel asked Jesus about a coin. Jesus never avoided the topic of money, because He knew that our fallen nature would either try to keep it from Him or else try to buy His favor. Both of these mean that money holds the wrong place in our hearts. God has given us everything, but only in rare and unique cases does God want all of our money back. Instead, he rightly requires only the first and best of it. Throughout the Old Testament the tithe (1/10) is rendered to God as a matter of justice. The New Testament builds on this when charitable collections for the needy (giving alms), and persecuted Christians (St. Paul's collections for the church in troubled cities) are given over and above the tithe. Just like our time, our home and our work, we may be unable to begin with a tithe. But where to begin? Begin by being deliberate about giving God a percentage rather than just a dollar amount. Then, watch how God is faithful to you and changes your heart to be more like His own.

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