Deacon Bill's Blog

Made clear from Jesus' message ("Repay to Cesar what belongs to Cesar and to God what belongs to God") is that every Christian holds a dual citizenship, and both citizenships have their own benefits and duties. Our birth made us citizens of an earthly nation while our baptism made us citizens of a heavenly kingdom.  Sometimes those citizenships overlap, but in the end, our earthly citizenship will finish, while our heavenly one will last for eternity. It is obvious which one is more important!

God’s ways are so far beyond our ways. We’re promised that the last will eventually become the first and the first will eventually become the last. Our faith must show through in these four things: Trust and belief and acceptance and surrender to God’s will. In what I think may be the most illustrative line in this Gospel, the landowner asks the laborer, “Am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?” We must honor God’s sovereignty.

Jesus teaches us some lessons today about handling fear.  There’s probably not one of us here today that, in the midst of the turbulence that we have faced this year, who can boast that they have stood above it all and have not had some sense of fear and trepidation. Maybe we’ve had the illness affect us or a loved one directly. Maybe it got a little scary for us watching news reports of outbreaks including the recent one at Manor Care. Maybe it wasn’t so much the disease itself, but it was the ancillary effects such as a job loss or the stock market taking a sudden nose dive. Like the disciples, we too may have been, or continue to be, terrified.  How is it that we can best handle our fears? 

In order to be transformed as we are called to this Lenten season, Jesus is asking us to be people of action. Stay connected to him by making time to be with him in prayer. Deliberately show our gratitude even in the midst of the storms. Stop playing the comparison game, on social media or wherever we feel inclined to unnecessarily seek the approval of others. And lastly, be cheerful givers. Be generous with our words of praise, and give of our time, our talent and our treasure.

The good news of Lent: God sees each of us. He knows us. He is committed to us. He passionately loves us. No amount of work on our part can increase his love for us. And despite the fact that we may not be able to see his face, hear his voice, or feel his touch, we can trust him.