October 22nd, 2023 - Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Ave Maria Parish

In his famous one-liner: "render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and render to God what is God’s," Jesus is simply clarifying for his disciples that everything ultimately belongs to the one true God -- every human relationship and activity -- and that we owe God everything we are and have -- our whole heart, mind, soul, and life. As creatures and children of God, we do have civic responsibilities yes, but we must carry out these duties with diligence and respect, never forgetting our faith, our ultimate allegiance to the God of Jesus Christ. The episode of Caesar’s coin teaches us that we can’t have a split personality: thoroughly secular Monday through Saturday and spiritual on Sunday. We are called to be full-time Christians. We have to take care of our everyday responsibilities and duties as family members, employees, consumers, and citizens in the light of our Catholic faith, and do so with a firm belief that Jesus alone is the Lord of our lives.