Today is the 29th Sunday in ordinary time. In five more weeks, we will be celebrating the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

From our gospel today, the Jewish leaders are challenging Jesus, and want to entrap him by his own words. They try to outsmart him, many Pharisees brainstorming and trying to be clever. They build him up, you are a truthful man.

Would we think anything less of Jesus?

Jesus in his ministry, up until now, has been teaching his disciples of love, and to help one another, meaning to give to the poor. And now the big question - what are they really asking? Do we give to the poor, or do we pay our census tax to Caesar? Jesus turns the question around, Jesus asked the Pharisees, what image and inscription are written on the coin? They answered, It is Caesar. Jesus replies, well then, pay to Caesar what is Caesar’s and repay what belongs to God, back to God.

Jesus did not excuse the tax from Caesar, but took this challenging question and continued to teach each of us today, and the Pharisees and the disciples, that we have to repay what belongs to God. . The word here repay has a meaning of love and honor.

So how do we repay our heavenly Father back? Jesus teaches, from John 15, this is not word for word from this chapter.

"As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. This I command you: love one another."

We repay Jesus by having a great prayer life, by being his friend. This exchange of communication is called grace. When we wake up in the morning, we may begin by saying, good morning Jesus, thank you for this day of life. May today be about you and not me? Help me to love you through your people.

We give to Jesus by being charitable to each other. By teaching our families the word of God. Reading the gospel books in our Bibles to one another. By purchasing Bibles as gifts to our family and friends. I recently led a rosary. A young man came forward with his Bible and said he received this from his deceased uncle, and used it for the eulogy. What a beautiful gift this could be?

The month of October his Respect for Life month. We repay our love back to Jesus by praying for an end to abortions. We pray for all people to understand this. On your right-hand side, in the front, just below the statue of St. Joseph, we have a basket and are asking for diapers and baby wipes for St. PJ's Home for Children, as we continue for this month Respect for Life month.

We are encouraged to live a sacramental life. To baptize our children, to go to confession, to consume the Holy Eucharist, and to make our unions as man and woman sacramental in holy matrimony. To teach the sacraments to our families, friends, and others. To be the voice of Jesus.

Catholic social teachingd are the teaching of the Church that calls all members to work for justice and peace as Christ did. The foundation of our Catholic social teachings is rooted in the life of Jesus. We are called to live and yo teach each other the good news of Jesus Christ. To work for a change in policies and laws for the dignity and freedom of each person.

We are made in the image of Jesus Christ. We share in his divinity. We give to God by our love and our actions to each other. By being kind and sharing. By saying I am sorry, and most of all, by living our four Gospels. St. Paul tells the Thessalonians, in the second reading today. "For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone, but in power and the Holy Spirit," meaning to live the Gospel in actions of love. This how we repay to God what belongs to God.

Deacon Vincent Scheel