Jesus questions some of the scribes [lawyers, scholars of the law] their public display
of self-importance, who lived pompously, demanding honor and respect from others;
he invites them to examine their way of life. The authority given to them as teachers of
the law of Moses and their knowledge are to serve others, to ease burdens of the
common folks and lead people to a greater experience of God’s love. Giving the
example of a poor widow who put two small coins in the temple treasury, Jesus shows
that true honor lies in trust in God and generosity of heart. In 1st century Israel, widows
couldn’t inherit husbands’ property; they were defenseless and no support system to
protect them [bible often remind the rulers and rich people to care for the widows and
orphans; money in the temple treasury was also meant to serve them]. Jesus praises
the generosity and simplicity of the widow, her love of the sacred and the desire to be
part of the great mystery of love-God. First reading has a parallel story of a widow and
prophet Elijah. During a great famine, both the widow and the prophet thought death
would be easier but then the divine hand touched them, the generosity of the widow
and the prophet’s renewed trust in God restored their strength for the journey!
Lusby from Armenia writes: ‘our house was half destroyed by an earthquake; my
children and I were sleeping out in the open air and we had almost nothing to eat. One
morning I had literally nothing to cook, but placing my trust in God, who is our Father, I
set a pot of water on the fire. Just as it was about to boil, someone arrived carrying a
bag full of fruit and vegetables. As I started to make soup another friend knocked at the
door bringing us some meat and rice. When my children came home from school they
couldn’t believe it and asked, ‘what happened mom, you told us there wouldn’t be
anything to eat today? I told them the whole story, how my prayers were answered,
though they didn’t believe me! I then asked Jesus to send me someone in need so I
could share the food we had received. The very next day I met a young man who
asked me if I could give him a piece of bread. I welcomed him with love to share a meal
with us’. She lived the good news of Christ that gladdens the heart; her trust in God
gave her comfort and strength for life’s journey, even in dire situations.
A generous heart participates in God’s generosity! Being poor the widow wasn’t
required to give to the temple but she had an unbiased, free heart filled with grace.
What was in her mind? In giving her all she showed kindness to people like her, a
thought about the poor. Her brokenness or poverty did not prevent her from being
generous. Hemingway wrote: ‘life breaks all of us but some people grow at the broken
places’. It is the same with the story of an oyster; its flaw, a wound inside it, is the birth
place of a beautiful pearl. Jesus on the cross, giving himself totally to us reflects in the
widow’s example, inviting us to grow out of our diminishment and wounds! Giving with
joy is responding to God’s love bestowed on us, the God who gives us the blessings of
the earth. Generous giving of our time, talents and treasures takes us close to God and
fellow-beings; this is how we flourish life; give the world the beauty God dreams for it!