29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

INTRO: I grew up on the west side of Cleveland, and most of my young formative years were in Lakewood, Ohio.

It was in that BIG old colonial home that we children learned:

All things have a certain place.
Our father’s car was always parked in the same spot.
Our toys had to be IN THE BASEMENT, and not lying around where anyone could trip over them.
We each had a certain spot for our bicycles.

So you see EVERYTHING HAD ITS CERTAIN PLACE. Our mother would say: “PUT THINGS BACK WHERE THEY BELONG!”

In a motherly way Jesus is possibly saying “PUT THINGS BACK WHERE THEY BELONG” by saying:

Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar!
Give to God what belongs to God!

As citizens and as Catholics, we are registered to both a government and a Church. This story IS NOT about one or the other.

Giving of ourselves is WHAT WE DO on a day in and day out basis. That’s life on earth; whether we are following civil laws or the laws of Jesus.

I have mentioned this before that these are crazy “citizen times” and we; as citizens, really need to keep embracing the laws of JESUS, incorporating them into our thoughts, words, and deeds, so that other citizens see us as:
Noble
Respectful
Loving
Accepting
Amiable to all

Not violent and pushy; cruel and malicious; destructive and damaging.

AS in all of the Gospels, JESUS wants citizens of that time and HIS FOLLOWERS TO both BE UNIFIED, COHESIVE, and INTEGRATED; to work together in harmony; giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and likewise, giving to God what belongs to God.

He wants all to get along with each other.
We should be a country where people are happy within the confines of being a citizen and a Catholic.

CONCLUSION

Obviously, being citizens in the time of Christ was just as politically “crazy” as it is today. I guess the citizens of our country haven’t learned to embrace the LORD, as if there is no other.

AS you make a spiritual communion today at home or as you receive CHRIST here and now, check in on your citizenship behaviors which should be incorporated by your Catholic behaviors.