Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
I remember on several occasions in school, both when I was younger and more recently in seminary, that I wasn’t smart enough and that I couldn’t accomplish a task that was ahead of me. As I have mentioned in a previous reflection, having ADHD has been my cross to carry since I was little. It has been both frustrating and a joy. It has been frustrating to see my peers succeed more quickly than I could, but it has been a joy because after many years of discernment, a great support team both monks and peers who I work with, and especially my family, I have realized that I belong more to God.
In the Gospel today, Jesus tells the Pharisees “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” Early during my senior year of college, there was an exam that I didn’t do very well on. I remember going into our cemetery and the Lord saying to me in my heart, “Look at Abbot Frowin’s headstone, do you see any exam scores?” “No, my Lord” I replied, and the Lord went on to tell me, “then you have nothing to worry about! I look deeper in your heart, not at the exam scores or tests that you take or the papers that you write.”
We have to remember not to be like the Pharisees, worrying about what other people think of us or our own statues in life. Rather, we are called to repay what belongs to God — our talents that he has given to us — and thank him for all that he has given to us. Always remember that God loves you just the way you are, and because of this, you should repay to God, what belongs to God, namely YOU!
Reflection by Br. Maximilian Burkhart, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections, Lenten Resources