Today's Readings: Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

 

St. Norbert

Today's calendar includes many saints, including St. Norbert, Founder of the Norbertines.

In the reading from Tobit today, we learn that it is not okay to be discouraged when the weight of the world's problems weigh heavily on us. The Psalm calls us to "be firm, trusting in the Lord." In the Gospel, we find Jesus being tested by the Pharisees and Herodians on whether or not one should pay taxes.

Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them,
"Why are you testing me?
Bring me a denarius to look at."
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.

For some of us, there is nothing more valuable to us than money. In fact, we are dependent upon it for survival. Even this, however, does not ultimately belong to us or to God. We must be willing to give up everything for God's glory.

It's a tough ask. Give up everything? Do people actually do that? My sisters in Christ, the Passionist Nuns, and other cloistered religious have done just that. They are great examples to us lay people of giving up everything for God. 

Today, let us call to mind our great value to God, that He wants us to make a gift of ourselves to Him on a daily basis. Again, it's a tough ask, but in the end, we, too, will be "amazed" at what God is doing for us.