Please read the passage before reading the homily.
Mis hermanas y hermanos,
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Jesus has no money, but his enemies have Roman money with the image and name of the emperor on it. Those who have the emperor’s money clearly support the programs of the emperor. The one who does not have this kind of money cannot pay the tax.
We do need to pay our taxes for the benefit of the needs of the nation. Our money has the image and name of our country on it. We need to give to our country what belongs to our country and give to God what belongs to God.
Where is the image and inscription of God? God made us in the image of God according to the book of Genesis. We, the men and the women, carry God’s image and God owns us because God made us. To God we owe the tribute of our lives because every human being comes from God.
The lives of all people are sacred to God. The lives of friendly soldiers and enemy soldiers are sacred to God. The lives of old people and the lives of children are sacred to God. The lives of citizens and the lives of non-citizens are sacred to God. The lives of those in the womb and the lives of those in prison are sacred to God. The lives of all humans have the right to live, and it is not lawful for a person or a state or a nation or a number of nations to destroy the life of anyone.
Every murder, every war, very killing is evil because these things attack the dignity of those whom God has created in God’s own image.
It is lawful to pay taxes with our nation’s currency for the works of the country, but we likewise have a duty to give tribute to God because we have God’s image inside us. The lives of all who carry the image of God in themselves are sacred and it is not lawful to kill those lives.