Word to the Wise
Sunday, November 10, 2024 - 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - B
[1 Kgs 17:10-16; Heb 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44 or 12:41-44]"[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."]
The widow in today's gospel passage recalls the widow of Zarephath in the first scripture for today. The latter gave her last food in the house to the prophet Elijah and was rewarded with containers of flour and oil that lasted the rest of her life. Today's widow makes a similar sacrifice and is commended by the Lord. The treasury containers in the temple were made of metal and shaped like trumpets. Larger contributions made a big noise - a CLANG! The widow's tiny contribution would have made a tiny "clink!" But she gave of her life and not of her surplus. Some commentators have pointed out that her action foreshadowed what Jesus would do soon because this scene occurred during his last days in Jerusalem.
"Ultimate" sacrifices are heroic and justly noted and celebrated. But the act itself, noble as it is, is not the important factor. It is the generosity with which it is performed that makes the difference. The annual donation was actually required of all Jews for the upkeep of the temple and amounted to about two days' wages. But widows were considered among the poorest in society and her sacrifice would have been truly great and beyond her means.
The crucifix that we hang on our walls is a reminder of an ultimate sacrifice for others. The two small coins could be the symbol of the widow's heroic sacrifice. How would each of us symbolize any sacrifice we make, especially "ultimate" ones? AMEN