As we hear in the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus asking those who question Him if they should pay the tax about whose image they find on the coin, I thought I would like to begin today’s homily by reflecting on why we have the images of leaders on our coins. In the case of our Canadian coins, we have the image of Queen Elizabeth. Coins in Canada are stamped with her image with her name and in Latin it states” D. G. Regina,” which means “Dei Gratia Regina,” or by the “Grace of God Queen.” The reason why the name of a nation’s king or queen appears on a coin is to state that they back up its value. When someone presents the money with his or her name upon it, that leader, or his or her government, will back up its value. In case of Canadian money, it means that ultimately the Government of Canada will back up its value when someone seeks to redeem it. Continue reading →

A question that has often been asked by preachers when today’s Gospel is proclaimed is a very simple one that goes like this: “If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

This simple question gets right to the heart of today’s Gospel. Many people claim that they are Christian and that they are followers of Christ. Unfortunately, there are few signs in our world, which is filled with many who claim to be Christian, of actual Christians walking around and daring to act. Continue reading →