Astoundingly, at least according to Professor Google, the common expression, “A penny for your thoughts,” first appeared in print in 1522 within St. Thomas More’s book, Four Last Things. And while I’ve always liked that phrase, it seems as though with the devaluation of the penny, we have likewise come to value the knowledge of others’ thoughts less and less. Most of you know that I am generally happy to share my thoughts spontaneously without the least need for provocation or payment to hear them.
Although it happened without fanfare, the U.S. Mint officially ceased producing the penny in November 2025 ending a 232-year tradition. While we are told that the cent will remain in circulation for the near future, some businesses are already beginning to round transactions to the nearest nickel. Is this just a sign that we are finally catching up with the demands of life in the 21st century?
Through the years the U.S. Treasury spent a lot of effort to designing and minting of one-cent-pieces. There have been a multiplicity of designs and attempts to keep ahead of inflation rates and fluctuating costs of materials. Ironically, for much of the penny’s lifetime it has cost more than one cent to manufacture each penny which is the rationale for why they will no longer be minted, reportedly saving American taxpayers over $56 million annually.
The Roman Denarius coin brought to Christ in the Gospel and the discussion that followed was more profound than a teaching on the legitimacy of paying taxes. Jesus’ clear response is to insist on “rendering unto God what belongs to God.” And what belongs to God? The Church affirms tirelessly that all human life belongs to our God and Creator who is the Author of life. Says Chesterton, albeit about the British penny, “For religion all men are equal, as all pennies are equal, because the only value in any of them is that they bear the image of the King.”
No coin is so little appreciated or perceived as valueless as the penny. Gone are the days of collecting pennies for the candy shop, searching under couch cushions for lost pennies or saving up for college in a piggy bank. In the days of plastic, very few deal in paper, let alone loose change—but the Gospel this Sunday (Matt 22:15-21) gives us reason to consider that our relationship with pennies may point to the deeper question of whether we have lost our ability as a culture to appreciate the inherent value of what is small or seemingly of little value.
What lesson can a penny really teach us? Let’s start from the fact that each human being has been created in the image and likeness of God and cannot be commodified. October is Respect Life Month and with it we are charged to look on each human life as precious from womb to tomb. This outlook is increasingly a counter cultural one! Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus exclaimed, “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Mt. 10:29-31). May our eyes be opened to this truth about the staggering value of every human life throughout its stages of development, struggles and even decline.
Let’s give thanks to God that He can use something as commonplace as a penny to remind us about our staggering dignity and value!
-Fr. Howe