“…Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God,” says Jesus in today’s gospel from Matthew. The Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus, which they tried to do many times. Jesus asks for a coin with Caesar’s image and inscription, and gives the response quoted above. The Pharisees should have known better; we are created in God’s image and likeness. We belong to God, not to Caesar, but in order to survive in the culture of that time, payment to Caesar was a necessity whether they liked it or not. There were so many times that Jesus uses these moments to teach his values and his truth. This is a good reminder to all of us that first and foremost, we belong to God and that following Jesus, we believe in his values and his way of life.
A special thank you to all who have gone online for their weekly offering to St. Francis and to those who have been giving online for many years. Thank you also to those who increased their Offertory donation. Many parishioners have commented that they didn’t know that we have to raise such an amount of money yearly. We understand if you have a limited income, but the days of giving $1 in the collection are over for most people. We appreciate your cooperation and generosity.
Don’t forget that the State of the Parish will be held after the 4:00 PM Mass on Saturday, October 28, and after the 5:00 PM Mass on Sunday, October 29. The presentation is about 45 minutes.
-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.