“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God” --Matthew 22:21
Jesus said those words in the Gospel of Matthew as a clever response to people who wanted to get Jesus in trouble with Caesar’s Roman authorities or with religious leaders. I feel that he was able to acknowledge the realities of government taxes while also teaching that we should reserve a portion to give to God.
Jesus’ words remind me of a time when I was listening to a guest speaker talk at Mass at Saint Anne about the importance of stewardship. Do you spend more on coffee each week than you give to the church? I don’t recall if those were the speaker's exact words but the meaning of the question got my attention.
I was in my twenties at the time, recently graduated from college and recently married. I didn’t have a lot of money (still don’t), but I was in my first professional job and I had more steady money coming in compared to when I was in my teens.
In the years since, I’ve pondered similar questions. Do we spend more on our cellphone or our monthly car loan payment than we give to the church and charity? Do we set aside more money for our vacation (to a theme park or tropical island) and spend more time researching transportation, where to stay, and fun activities than the money and time we give to God?
Those types of questions came to my mind when Saint Anne was struggling during the COVID pandemic, when someone pointed out that if it is important to our community to have our parish around to provide services and minister sacraments, then the parish needs everyone to contribute time, talent, and treasure. That is still true.
Unlike other religious groups that require 10% of what one earns, the Catholic church does not stipulate a set percentage of our pay to contribute. Some can give a bigger percentage of what they earn and others less. We, as Catholics, are encouraged to put thought and prayer into reflecting on what each of us can give. The speaker at Saint Anne, on that Sunday years ago, suggested that we consider contributing one hour of our 40 hour work week pay to the church as a starting point and go up or down from there. I know most who read this are teenagers without a lot of your own money, but that will change in the years to come.
This weekend at Saint Anne, we are holding a ministry fair so that all in our parish can come and see the different groups that pray and serve our community. It will be an opportunity for interested people to join these groups.
I pray that every one of us at Saint Anne this weekend considers new ways to repay God with our time, our unique talent, and our monetary treasure now and in the future.