Word to the Wise
Monday, November 27, 2023 - Monday in the 34th Week in Ordinary Time
[Dan 1:1-6, 8-20 and Luke 21:1-4]When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood." [Luke]
The widow in today's gospel scripture can recall the widow of Zarephath [1 Kings 17:7-16] who gave the last food in her house to the prophet Elijah. Widows and orphans were iconic figures as the most vulnerable people in the Bible. Jesus notices the very small contribution that she makes and contrasts it with the contributions of the wealthy. The receptacles for the donations were made of metal and trumpet-shaped. Large donations made a lot of noise - "clank, clank!" The widow's donation could make only a tiny "clink, clink!" Jesus gives more credit to her because she gave all she had, and not just a tithe - her whole livelihood. Some commentators opine that she foreshadows Jesus' own gift of his life since the setting is in his last days in Jerusalem.
Part of campus ministry nowadays is the opportunity for students to participate in a "mission trip" to poverty-stricken areas at home or abroad. They often return with sobering stories of being fed with the last food in the home of someone living in dire poverty. Ultimate generosity in a consumer-oriented culture, dedicated to worshiping "the economy," seems strange to many folks. This is often because we don't see it or, in the case of the widow in today's gospel, HEAR it. She is a challenge to our own sense of generosity. We know who will be looking on with approval! AMEN