“Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” What is it that we give to God? Jason Quino McCreery, SJ, reminds us that whatever we give to God, we must do with great love. Based on the readings for Sunday, October 18, 2020.
No one really enjoys paying taxes, but what if what we were giving was not to a government, but to God?
Hi, I’m Jason Quino McCreery, and this is my One-Minute Reflection.
Jesus today is challenged about paying the census tax – a tax that reminded the people of Jerusalem that they were occupied by Rome. And even today, taxes are considered at their best only a duty. But when Jesus asks us to repay to God what belongs to God, he is speaking beyond duty or obligation.
In the Spiritual Exercises, when Ignatius encourages the retreatant to give back to God, this giving happens in the context of love. There is no tax spreadsheet, no calculation that reduces who we are to numbers and percentages.
Every single one of us, through prayer and conversation, must discern what God is calling us to give. Sometimes it’s doing something good for a neighbor. Sometimes it’s a financial gift to an institution. But it all only makes sense if we recognize that we are giving and receiving in a context of love.
