"Give to God what belongs to God"

By Gustave Dore

Scripture: Mark 12:13-17

13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Hero'dians, to entrap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are true, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15 Should we pay them, or should we not?" But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why put me to the test? Bring me a coin, and let me look at it." 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said to him, "Caesar's." 17 Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were amazed at him.

Reflections: The Pharisees sought to trap Jesus with a clever question: "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" If Jesus answered yes, the Jews would accuse him of being disloyal to his own people, if he answered no, the Pharisees would report him to the Romans as a troublemaker and have him arrested. Jesus knew what was in the hearts of those who wished to get rid of him, and he answered with profound wisdom that he was able to impart a great truth.  The coins are stamped with an image of Caesar therefore it belongs to him according to the customs of those times. But a deeper meaning that Jesus wishes to share is that we are created in God's image. Just like the coins who bear the likeness of Caesar, we are images of God and we belong to Him.

We belonged to God from the beginning, but we chose to turn away from him. He was willing to pour out his most precious blood and send us his Spirit so that we may once again reclaim our true image as God's child.

"Whoever would be great among you must be your servant"

Scripture: Mark 10:32-45
32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles; 34 and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise." 35 And James and John, the sons of Zeb'edee, came forward to him, and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." 36 And he said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" 37 And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." 38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" 39 And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Reflection: Greatness is associated with positions of authority and power. The Apostles James and John asked Jesus to share with them his glory by giving them positions of power, one at his right and the other at his left. The Lord's answer was something they did not expect, that greatness is related to servant hood and humility. He gave them the greatest example of this, by the way he lived and died. Jesus, the King of kings, Lord of lords, the only begotten Son of God, came to this world in all humility as a servant of all. He spent his earthly life in service, giving to everyone he encountered what is most important: love, faith, hope, healing, and freedom from their sins.

Our mission in life as given by the Lord is not to be served but to serve and love. We have our God given gifts, and he wants us to use this for the good of others, not only for our own selfish agenda.When we give an account of our lives before God, he would want to see how well you used HIS gifts-- not only for your own good, but more importantly, for the good of others.

"Receive a hundredfold"

Scripture: Mark 10:28-31
28 Peter began to say to him, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you." 29 Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many that are first will be last, and the last first."

Reflection: Following the Lord could require us to give up someone or something important to us. But Jesus promised that whatever we gave up, we will receive a hundredfold. God's generosity cannot be surpassed. But we must also ask ourselves the reason why we give our lives to God. Is it for love or reward? God is generous to those who give for love.

Following Jesus would also mean that we should be ready for persecution. Those who hate the Truth that Jesus revealed would also hate those who proclaim and live it. What strengthens and inspires us is the promise of God's abundant blessings and graces for those who love him. Whatever we give up does not compare to what God could give us.

"You will have treasure in heaven"

Scripture: Mark 10:17-27
17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: `Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." 21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."


Reflection:  In the Gospel reading, the rich man felt that his life was not complete even if he lived according to God's law and with all the material possessions he had. He approached Jesus, asking him how he could live his earthly life and be worthy of the eternal one. Jesus immediately knew the root of his problem: attachment to material possessions. The man was looking for meaning in his life and Jesus knew what was holding him back.

Attachment to riches, possessions, power, and stature can blind us from following the true light that Jesus brings. Greed and selfishness clouds our judgement and we fail to see that what brings true happiness is generosity towards God and others. Building up our bank accounts and amassing material possessions will prove to be worthless if we use it for selfish ends. It cannot and will not make us truly happy.

Jesus does not say that being rich is bad in itself. Riches are God's blessings that are meant to be shared. What's bad is if money and possessions become more important than God that it would lead us farther from him into a life of selfishness.

Jesus invites us to follow him and realize that he is our real treasure. Only in Jesus can we find true and lasting peace and happiness. The truly rich man builds up treasures in heaven by being faithful to Jesus.

"Receive the Holy Spirit"

Depiction of Pentecost by Jean Restout

 Gospel Reading: John 20:19-23
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came  and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Reflection:  When the disciples received the power of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost an amazing thing happened to them. All of them were speaking in foreign languages that are previously unknown to them. They were preaching without fear in the streets when just moments ago they were locked up in a room not knowing for certain what they would do next. Thousands were converted and baptized on that day alone, which goes to show how mighty deeds could be accomplished with ordinary men possessing the power of God.

Jesus promised to give the Holy Spirit to his disciples after his Resurrection, and the same promise is given to us and fulfilled through our Baptism. The Holy Spirit gives us the right to be called children of God and to live as such. As God's children we are called to live a life of freedom from the slavery of`doubt, fear, and sin.       To live as true children of God is to live a life of peace and love, as powerful instruments of blessings to others.

May we always keep in mind that the Spirit of God lives in us. We are made God's children through Jesus in the Holy Spirit. This is the Truth, and this is the Destiny God wants for us.

"For God, nothing will be impossible"

Scripture: Luke 1:26-38     

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." 34 And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" 35 And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36 And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible."38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

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Reflection: Today the feast of the Immaculate Conception we honor Mother Mary as one conceived without sin. Being "full of grace" means that she has been singularly blessed with grace to be born without sin.This should be so because the Son of God is to be in her womb. But more than honoring Mama Mary, we give praise and glory to God for His wonderful work of giving us the Blessed Mother as an instrument of bringing His Son to us.  

We could find inspiration in the faith, courage and obedience that our blessed mother has shown in the Annunciation. What the Angel Gabriel said has caused her to be "greatly troubled". This could mean that she was filled with fear because she does not fully understand what was about to happen to her. This is a natural reaction for anyone, because we all fear the unknown. But her faith and love for God gave her courage to obey, and her obedience paved the way for God's plan of redemption to fully unfold. Mary believed that God's ways are truly wonderful, and nothing is impossible with Him. 

Obedience to God will cause us to experience His grace and power in our lives, in the same way disobedience will separate us from it. Mary's faith, courage and obedience is a model for all of us. If we want to bring good into this world and our lives, it is necessary to have faith and courage to obey God's will.

"Take my yoke upon you and you will find rest for your souls"

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

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Reflection:  A yoke is a device fitted on two oxens to join them at the neck so they could pull a load together, this makes their work easier and more productive. A yoke is usually used as a symbol of a burden or a load. When Jesus invites us to take His yoke, He does not mean for us to be burdened but rather so He could join us in carrying our burdens! What a wonderful invitation from the Lord! We could all be sure that in the midst of the trials of life, as long as we lift up our burdens to God, all will be well, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

The yoke of Jesus can also mean following His will, which is difficult at times. But then we know that we carry it with the Lord, and if you carry it out in faith and love, life would be much more joyful and peaceful than if you followed your own will. To trust in Jesus is to know that His will is perfect for us and His yoke is fitted well to make life much more beautiful for us.

The Lord wants you to bring your burdens to Him so He could help you carry them. What will your answer be?