God's Coin

For the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Zac reflects on Matthew 22:15-21, where the Pharisees' disciples try to trap Jesus over paying taxes to Caesar and He answers, "Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Drawing on his recent pilgrimage to Assisi, he asks what bears God's image if the coin bears Caesar's, and answers that we do, through our intellect and free will, using St. Francis stripping himself before his father and the bishop as a "living coin" stamped with his identity as a son of God. Since we can't give what we don't possess, Zac says giving ourselves to God means first possessing ourselves in love rather than fear, and the episode closes with a meditation in which Jesus, seeing the Pharisees' disciples approach, forgives them in advance and calls them to remember they bear His Father's image. Reflection Questions: We cannot give what we do not possess. What keeps you from fully possessing yourself, whether fear, anxiety, or the need for approval? Francis stripped himself of everything in front of his whole town. What are you most reluctant to let go of in order to trust God as your provider? We are warned against thinking life is a choice between "God or the world." Where do you feel pulled between the two, and what would it look like to give each its due? Here's a link to the text of the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XkSs4cPAHxG9Ti73yO0UkRnivjRfKPCNvyw7m4LdnGM/edit?usp=sharing ________ Learn more about the mission of Paradisus Dei and its life-changing parish programs here. The World English Bible is in the public domain and was used for all scripture quotations. Intro music: "My Life (Main)” by Good B Music Meditation Music: Reawaken Hymns Worship Pads - foundations in the key of A