Give to God the things that are God’s.
My dear brothers and sisters,
We receive lot of gifts and blessings from God in our daily life. Many times we do not recognize that the gifts came from God and we do not see that something happened in our life because of God. We have to remember that everything that happened in our life after our Baptism is from God. Through our Baptism, God gave us all a new creation and He opened the doors to Heaven. He gave us our salvation through Christ.
Christ died for us. He gave us the Holy Catholic Church to continue the apostolic work of Jesus. He gave us the Sacrament of Baptism so we may be born again through faith in Christ, water and the Spirit. He gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation so we may change our life. He gave us the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist so we may enjoy the Living Bread that leads us to the Kingdom of God. And the list continues… How numerous are His Divine blessings for each and every one of us!
From the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians, we learn more about the greatness of God. Saint Paul gives thanks to God in prayer for all the blessings that the Thessalonians had received from God. Paul emphasized that it was not just his words that transformed the Thessalonians, but the “power” of the Holy Spirit. “For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.†The Holy Spirit was responsible for all the spiritual manifestations of righteousness.
In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus was asked, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Jesus asked for a coin and said, “Whose image is this, and whose inscription?” They answered, “Caesar’sâ€. So Jesus told them: Then repay Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. Give to God the things that are God’s.
Today’s message my brothers and sisters is, let us appreciate what God has given us. By the power of the Holy Spirit, let us preserve our gifts and blessings with all our souls, our minds, our spirits, our hearts and our strength. In the Most Holy Name of Jesus, let us keep these gifts stainless so one day, when we will appear before God, we will proudly give Him back what He gave us. Then, we will rightfully inherit the assurance of our salvation.