Word to the Wise
Saturday, June 5, 2010 - St. Boniface, martyr
[2 Timothy 4:1-8 and Mark 12:38-44][Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood." [Gospel of Mark]
I ran across a quotation from the great "Church father," St. Gregory of Nanzianus, recently that says, "Give something, however small, to the one in need. For it is not small to the one who has nothing. Neither is it small to God, if we have given what we could." The grocery store I shop at in Austin, TX, is at a major traffic intersection. There is always a homeless person begging at that intersection. I am edified by the folks who will give something (without causing a major traffic incident!) as they pass by in their car. There's no time to conduct an interview and determine particular needs! Just a little change is given and traffic moves on! I also live in a Hispanic neighborhood that is close to, if not beneath, the poverty level in income. Yet, the generosity of our neighbors in spontaneously sharing their resources is humbling. I cannot but think of the "widow's mite," in the gospel scripture for today. Jesus does not criticize those who give large sums to the temple treasury (although there is some irony in that the containers were metal and the larger the donation, the bigger the noise it made..). What he does is to call attention to the commitment represented in the widow's "meager" offering. She had an Old Testament predecessor in the Widow of Zarephath [1 Kings 17:8] who gave all she had to eat to the Prophet Elijah! The widow in the gospel shows a trust in God that captures the attention of Jesus. The fact that the law that demanded this of her may have been unjust does not take away the generosity of her gesture. What trust is demanded of us if we are giving from plenty? The Widow(s) and St. Gregory have much to teach us! AMEN
config
view
logs
4096.0 KB
77 ms
4
