“Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”. I think the first part of this verse we can all relate to, although rather than Caesar today it is more like Federal Income Tax, Social Security, Medicare, etc. We all do this without even thinking. It comes out of our paycheck and we accept it. Sure, we grumble about it, how much it is, and what it is used for, but we still pay it. What about the second half of the verse? I think many of us probably think of the collection plate and tithing when we read that. And while that is part of it, I think the second part of that verse says so much more. After all, what do we have in our lives that is God’s? The answer is quite simple, everything. If you truly stop and think about it, everything we have in our life is from God. Either by providence or allowance. Our money comes from our work, which we can do because of the talents God has given us. Our faith, our family, our friends, our possessions, everything we have can be traced to the time, talent, and treasure God has bestowed on each of us. When we stop and ponder all the blessings in our lives, even the hardships that we have had to go through, they were all provided, or allowed to happen, by a loving God. A God who loves us so much he sent his only son to willingly die on a cross to pay for the mistakes we made and will make. He paid it all up front, before we had even committed the sin, he paid. This gift, this treasure handed to us is something that can alter our entire life if we let it. If we take stock in God’s gifts and treasure it, like we treasure our 401k, retirement account, or other possessions, we will start to come to that realization. For some this change in thought happens instantaneously, an epiphany if you will, where their life is radically changed in a single moment. But for many, like me, it is a slow growth. A tender sprout that grows over time. The more it is watered and fed the faster it will grow, but it still needs time to mature and blossom. But that will never happen if we don’t tend to it. Start small, make a commitment this week to spend 5 minutes a day reading scripture, the daily readings are a great way to start this habit. Or maybe commit to praying the Rosary every day. Don’t have time? Turn off the radio on your commute and do it then. Maybe commit to reading one of the daily offices each day. There are so many wonderful things you can do to grow closer to God, just be creative. I promise you, God will not ignore the time you spend with him. You will start to see a change in yourself as you go deeper with God. Your thinking will change as the relationship deepens and you start to become what we are all called to be, a disciple of Christ. What that means for you is as unique as you are, God made you, knit you together in your mother’s womb, and has provided for all that you have. He has planted the seed, now it’s our turn to water and feed it so God can in turn provide the increase.

Pax Christi,

John Mihalko