Presence

“You show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16). Lord, help me to live in Your presence today.

Freedom

Lord, I pray for Your gift of freedom.
May Your Holy Spirit
guide those in power to work for
true justice for all Your people.

Consciousness

Knowing that God loves me unconditionally,
I look honestly over the last day, its events and my feelings.
Do I have something to be grateful for? Then I give thanks.
Is there something I am sorry for? Then I ask forgiveness.

The Word of God

¹³Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said. ¹⁴And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere and show deference to no one, for you do not regard people with partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? ¹⁵Should we pay them, or should we not?” But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.” ¹⁶And they brought one. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this and whose title?” They answered, “Caesar’s.” ¹⁷Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.

Inspiration

The teaching is very clear. There is no ambiguity in the message, and it is as relevant today as it was when Jesus was preaching. A challenging way to pray with this reading might be to imagine talking to Jesus about how you feel about paying what you owe in taxes. You might like to spend a little time reflecting on what God wants of you, and ask for the grace to say and mean, ‘Thy will be done’.

Conversation

On reflecting on today’s Gospel, is there anything I believe God wants me to hear or know at this time? What truth does He want to speak into my life today?

Conclusion

I thank God for His gift of love
as I go forth with joy and hope
to serve His people.

Amen