| When, as a boy, I received my first paycheck, I was shocked. The government had taken some of my pay! “I cannot afford this,” I said to my sister Maureen. “I need that money for me.” But my sister helped me to understand all about taxes. She explained it this way: “If you had five pennies to buy a five cent candy bar, but the store was far away, what would you do?” I told her, “I would ride my bike.” Then she asked, “What if there were no road to ride on?” I thought for a moment and realized that it might be an ordeal to walk, or even be too far. “Well,” she said, “what if the government would take one of your pennies and build you a road with it?” I said, “Then I could go and buy my candy bar, but I would now have only four cents.” “That is right,” said Maureen. “But you could still go and buy some candy that costs only four cents. That is taxes!” she concluded. The government takes some of my money to do things that I could not do with the money. I will of course have less money. But I owe taxes to the government to do things like roads, lights, fire and police people. They won't do these things for nothing. In the Gospel, Jesus says to give Caesar what is his. Caesar takes taxes and builds roads. The Roman roads were the ones that Jesus very likely traveled when he went about doing his ministry. The people owe Caesar for the roads. He is the government. Now what do we owe to God? I owe God my life. I cannot give myself life any more than I can build a highway. Life is a free gift from God, but I do owe something and that is gratitude. I owe a “Thank You.” The Eucharist is a meal of Thanksgiving. When I go to church to celebrate the mass, I am saying thank you. I am giving to God what is God's. Gratitude. I think that the government takes more of a percentage of our money than God takes of our time. But each day when I pray, I am saying thank you to God for my life and for the eternal life that is offered to me. I cannot give myself eternal life. Only God can do that, and has offered it by the Incarnation, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. I have been given time. Some of that time belongs to God. In some ways all of it belongs to God! |
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