What Belongs to God June 5

On entering my house the goat began to bleat. I called to my wife and said: “Where did this goat come from? Perhaps it was stolen! Give it back to its owners; we have no right to eat stolen food!” But she said to me, “It was given to me as a bonus over and above my wages.” Yet I would not believe her, and told her to give it back to its owners. I became very angry with her over this. So she retorted: “Where are your charitable deeds now? Where are your virtuous acts? See! Your true character is finally showing itself!” Tobit 2:13-14

They brought one to him and he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They replied to him, “Caesar's.” So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.' They were utterly amazed at him. Mark 12:16-17

Piety

Let us pray: God, you provide everything for us…sometimes it is wealth and sometimes it is poverty. Sometimes it is health and sometimes it is illness. Grant us strength when we face poverty and illness. Open our minds to accept the charitable acts people perform for our sake. Open our hearts to the needs of others so we can repay God for all the good gifts He has provided to us. Amen.

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/060507.shtml

What do we do when misfortune comes our way?

Do we accept Christ’s love that comes to us from others? At first, Tobit did accept help with the charity offered by his friend and kinsman Ahiqar. However, he turned his back when his wife’s colleagues gave them food to eat. He did not want to accept it and instead thought the goat had been stolen. Despite his condition, Tobit was very skeptical of the help offered. He did not give them a chance to fulfill God’s commandment.

The reading from the Gospel according to Mark further challenges the viewpoint of our faith and charity. Do we hold up our side of the bargain? God has given us his only son to redeem us for our sins. Do we repay God for what he has given to us? How much more do we give the government in taxes at the federal, state and local level than what we give to our Church and to charitable causes?

God doesn’t have a team of auditors for us to fear like the IRS has. However, the IRS auditors are watching for any misstep that we might make. God’s auditor is our conscience.

Action

How is your relationship with God? Are you having an equal exchange? Or is the relationship more one-sided? Is all the giving being done by one party – God? How are you in supporting your brothers and sisters in the family of God?

Examine the ratio of taxes paid to charitable gifts made on your last Form 1040. Which amount is higher? Are you o.k. with what you found or would you like to change the situation?