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Reel Homilies

Give to Caesar. Give Everything Back to God.

Episode Summary

What do you give to Caesar, and what do you give to God?

Fr. Tim starts close to home. Every month he and his staff take on a fast, and this month they’re giving up unnecessary spending. He says it has “really helped me to think about, like, what I’m actually spending.” It also leads him to a bigger question: “what’s the purpose of what I give to someone else?”

This Sunday’s Gospel has Jesus saying that we give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. Fr. Tim reads “Caesar” as “quote unquote government.” He says he doesn’t know anything about politics, but he does know that giving taxes to the government “is good,” because the government has given him safety and security. “And so I give back.”

Then he turns the question around. What has God given him? “Everything.” So what does he give back to God? “I give him everything.” Fr. Tim says we see this most clearly in the Mass, where “we’re offering ourselves in him and through him,” and everything is given back to God the Father. His closing line says it all: “Mind blowing, brain melting.”
[00:00:00 –> 00:00:02] So every month my staff and I we do a fast
[00:00:03 –> 00:00:03] this month
[00:00:03 –> 00:00:06] we’re giving up unnecessary spending
[00:00:06 –> 00:00:09] it’s actually really helped me to think about, like, what I’m actually spending
[00:00:09 –> 00:00:12] And what’s the purpose of what I give to someone else?
[00:00:12 –> 00:00:15] In the gospel for this Sunday, Jesus is saying, yeah,
[00:00:15 –> 00:00:17] you got to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.
[00:00:17 –> 00:00:19] But you got to give to God what is God’s.
[00:00:19 –> 00:00:21] So Caesar quote unquote government.
[00:00:21 –> 00:00:26] I don’t know anything about politics, but I do know that giving taxes
[00:00:26 –> 00:00:26] to the government
[00:00:26 –> 00:00:27] is good.
[00:00:27 –> 00:00:30] the government has given me safety. It’s giving me security.
[00:00:30 –> 00:00:32] And so I give back.
[00:00:32 –> 00:00:34] So for God, what is God given me?
[00:00:34 –> 00:00:35] Everything.
[00:00:35 –> 00:00:36] so what do I give back to God?
[00:00:36 –> 00:00:37] I give him everything.
[00:00:37 –> 00:00:41] We see this, especially [unclear] most perfectly
[00:00:41 –> 00:00:42] in the mass.
[00:00:42 –> 00:00:50] We give everything back to him. With Jesus, we’re offering Jesus in the mass. We’re offering ourselves in him and through him
[00:00:50 –> 00:00:52] everything is given back to God the Father.
[00:00:52 –> 00:00:57] Mind blowing, brain melting. This is Spirit Juice. Peace.

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Key Takeaways

  • Fr. Tim and his staff fast every month, and this month it’s unnecessary spending. He says it has “really helped me to think about, like, what I’m actually spending.”
  • In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus says to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.
  • Fr. Tim says giving taxes to the government “is good.” The Catechism teaches that paying taxes is ordinarily a moral obligation, as part of submission to legitimate authority and responsibility for the common good.
  • Ask Fr. Tim’s question about your own money: “what’s the purpose of what I give to someone else?”
  • God has given Fr. Tim “Everything,” so he gives back everything, and he says we see this most clearly in the Mass.
  • At Mass, the Church offers herself with Christ to the Father. Fr. Tim puts it this way: “We’re offering ourselves in him and through him.”

What This Means for Prayer and Daily Life

Pull up your last month of spending and look at it the way Fr. Tim did. Where did the money go? Which of it was needed, and which of it was just habit? You don’t have to feel guilty about the answer. You’re only noticing what you do with what you’ve been given.

Giving Caesar what is Caesar’s is part of that. Paying your taxes and your bills honestly is not a distraction from your faith. The Church teaches that paying taxes is ordinarily a moral obligation, as part of submission to legitimate authority and responsibility for the common good. Fr. Tim’s reason is simple: you receive safety and security, and you give back.

With God, the pattern is bigger. Everything you have is a gift, and God’s loving initiative comes first. So giving back is not a way of paying Him off. It’s thanks, and it reaches past money to your time, your work, your family and your whole self. Rather than relying on your own strength alone, ask for help and take the next faithful step.

The Mass is where this becomes real each week. The Church teaches that the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one sacrifice, and that the Church herself is offered with him. This Sunday, when the gifts are brought to the altar, place your week, your work and the people you love into that offering.

This week, ask yourself: What is the purpose of what I give, to others and to God? And what is one thing I could give back to Him today?

A simple prayer might be:

Father, everything I have comes from You. Teach me to be honest with what I owe, wise with what I spend and generous with what I give. At Mass, help me offer myself with Jesus to You. Amen.

FAQ Section: Caesar, God and Giving Everything Back

It comes from Jesus’ answer to people who were trying to trap him with a question about paying the census tax. Jesus tells them to repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. Fr. Tim reads “Caesar” as the government, and he says giving to it is good, because it gives us safety and security.
Yes. The Catechism teaches that paying taxes is ordinarily a moral obligation, as part of submission to legitimate authority and responsibility for the common good. It names voting and defending one’s country as obligations too. Fr. Tim says the same thing in his own words: giving taxes to the government “is good.”
Fr. Tim’s starting point is that God has given him “Everything,” so he gives “everything” back. The gift comes first, and our giving is a response. That includes your time, your work, your money and your whole self. Rather than relying on your own strength alone, you can ask for God’s help and take the next faithful step.
The Church teaches that the Mass is the sacrifice of Christ made present, and that his sacrifice and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one and the same sacrifice. The Church offers herself with Christ to the Father. Fr. Tim says, “We’re offering ourselves in him and through him.” You can unite your own life to that offering by bringing your week, your work and your prayers to Mass.
Fr. Tim and his staff fast from unnecessary spending this month, and he says it has helped him see what he’s spending. The Church names fasting, prayer and almsgiving as traditional ways of doing penance. If you want to take on a particular fast, you can ask your parish priest to help you choose one.
Start with Fr. Tim’s question: “what’s the purpose of what I give to someone else?” Look over your last month of spending, pray about it and decide what to change. Then take a concrete step, like giving regularly to your parish or to people in need, and bring your week to Mass on Sunday.

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