The Introduction
The older we get. the more widows we know. The way the math works out, women still outlive men in this country, and men often marry women who are younger to begin with. That makes for a good many widows. Since the early Church, the Christian mission has been powered by the extraordinary energy of this group. In the first three centuries, the Church formally recognised a quasi-religious status of widowhood as a position ranking below priests, deacons, and exorcists. Women frequently tithed their later years to the Church in works of prayer, charity, and service. Although we no longer speak of a consecrated order of widows, most of us still see a lot of them in church circles. They may be stripped of the dignity of rank but not of any of the responsibility they’ve always shouldered. Give me a committee of widows, and we’ll get the job done!
Widowers, though less numerous, are certainly welcomed in the ministry of the Church, and single people of any age, whatever the circumstances, keep most parishes afloat. This fact is not often publicly acknowledged; let’s amend that unjust silence here.
How many “consecrated widows (widowers)” do you know?
Consecrate a portion of your week to the service of God’s reign. You can use that time to pray, volunteer, or give yourself wholeheartedly to your family or those who need you most.
The Scripture (Mark 12: 41-44)
Sitting across from the offering box, Jesus was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins – a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, “The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford – she gave her all”.
The Story – Less is more
“This poor widow … has contributed all she had”. University student volunteers working in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake were, as you would expect, culture-shocked at the living conditions of most people they encountered in their attempts to help with the clean-up. But what struck Tom, a student from a Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, was not the peoples’ poverty but their generosity.
One day after a hard day’s work under a pitiless sun, Tom and a half-dozen young people were resting in the shade sweating. One of the guys pulled out a half-bag of crackers and an old man had a can of warm soft drink, which he opened. Not much and not very satisfying to hungry and thirsty young people – yet the bag of broken crackers and the can of soft drink were passed around, both handed first to their awkward visitor from Australia, who was clearly better-fed and better off than any of them. They would not listen to his refusal.
Embarrassed as Tom genuinely was, his embarrassment gave way to simple gratitude and then to a kind of bright joy as he finally accepted the food and drink, a part of all they had, realising he was sharing in a sacrifice. A sacrament.
The Reflection
The widow in this Gospel was certainly a woman of faith and an example to all of us. However, I don’t think Jesus is telling us that we are all expected to give away everything we have and just trust in him. This is what he told the rich man, of course, and what he seems to be praising in this story of the widow. But the call to poverty is a specific call and not one that all of us are meant to live.
What I do think Jesus expects of us is to live our lives with a generous heart and with the same faith the widow had as she gave her last two coins away. There is a clear message here that we are not to live as scribes, enjoying the high life, driving expensive cars, wearing fine clothes at the expense of other people. Jesus is also quite clear about sharing what we have with those who are in need. We are not to give just from the extra money we have, the surplus, but also from our bounty. It may not be necessary to give everything away, but we should give away enough to at least feel the pinch.
The Commissioning
With God’s help you will make a difference!
We will recognised the tested. We will notice the suffering. We will support the dispirited. We will motivate the apathetic. We will inspire the faithless. We will serve the poorest. We will get involved in the movement for justice.
God will be at your side!
Amen.
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