Word to the Wise
Saturday, June 7, 2008 - Saturday in the Ninth Week of Ordinary Time
[2 Timothy 4:1-8 and Mark 12:38-44]Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed form their surplus walth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.
I have seen this particular incident from the gospels enacted. It is dramatic in more than one way! Like any good drama it leaves us with more questions than answers. Perhaps the organizing idea centers on generosity, but whose generosity? How should we view the generosity of those who contribute from their surplus wealth? Does philanthropy come into play only when one "gives till it hurts?" Jesus does not criticize them. He does praise the widow. What should we make of the "widow's mite?" She was doing what the others did but it cost her a lot more than it cost them. Widows and orphans were the principal symbols of the needy in biblical days. One might criticize a temple system that demanded that even she make a contribution. On the other hand, one might ask why she should be denied the right to give as she did! What is clear is that her gift was a sacrifice. Some scripture scholars suggest that Jesus' comments are an allusion to his supreme sacrifice on the cross later on. The great German pastor/theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his classic work, THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP, warns all Christians about "cheap grace." It is not as if either the big givers or the widows can buy their salvation by their donations. However, giving from surplus by definition excludes "cost" in this incident. For the widow it is an ultimate cost. How close can we come to her example? I think most of us will be ambiguous about this, but how would we respond to Jesus' comments? How do WE give, and WHAT do we give? AMEN
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