HOMILY SUNDAY 32-B
The Challenge of the Widow’s Mite
(1 Kg 17:10-16; Psalm 146; Heb 9:24-28; Mk 12:38-44)
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The readings today form a tight unit. They tell us who our God is, what God does for us, and describe two differing responses to God’s love: that of the scribes, and that of two widows. We are left with the invitation to express our faith and trust in God through genuine sacrificial caring and work for justice.
The scribes were the lawyers of their day, a sort of religious legal class. They were educated, could read and write, and thus had a lot of power and influence they could use for good or for bad. It seems clear from what Jesus has to say about them they had fallen into the temptation of using their power for selfish gain. In the name of God, they were using a religious system to take advantage of the poor and feed their own egos. Jesus even compared them to animals of prey who devour their victims.
The poor widows are a total contrast. The widow at Zarephath, in her own poverty and need, trusted the Word of the Lord spoken through the prophet, obeyed that Word, gave hospitality and food to the prophet out of what little she had left – and was blessed with food to meet her needs. What a model for us!
The widow in the gospel caught Jesus’ attention. Her faith and trust in God were so deep, she was able to give back to God out of what little she had. This was truly a sacrifice made in faith, in contrast to the rich, who gave out of their surplus, and often for show.
The example of these two widows challenges us, and invites us to do some soul-searching. Most of us are average middle-class people who are struggling to make ends meet. We are aware of the needs in our world and in our society. We know of trafficking in women and children, families starving in refugee camps, towns ravaged by floods, bullying happening in our schools and poor people who can’t afford to pay their rent.
We know also there are organizations existing to help, but they are often under-staffed, under-funded and under-supported. We would like to do more, but what can we do. How can we respond to the challenge of the widow who gave her all? Are we just to feel guilty?
Journeying with this gospel this week has been a struggle, but a good struggle. Allow me to suggest six avenues of action we can take in response to this challenging Word.
The first would be to work for justice. To think Jesus told this story just to make us feel guilty for not being like the widow is perhaps superficial. Mark places this story between Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees who devour the houses of widows, and his prediction of the ultimate doom of the Temple. Could he not be making a statement about the injustice of a religious system that oppressed the poor – that demanded their all, instead of helping them get out of their poverty? There could be here a ringing call for us to work for justice and expose systemic injustice in our society.
It is my impression that the military-industrial complexes of our modern nations actually want a permanent underclass to feed their armies. In the developed world, houses are becoming bigger and bigger, with smaller and smaller families in them. Genuine efforts to make poverty history, seem to be relegated to small interest groups. The widow stands as a challenge to our society and to us, calling us to work for a more just society.
A second response would be to pray for greater faith, the faith of the two widows. Faith that places complete trust in God’s providence, and lets go of fear, anxiety and worry. A priest visiting a slum in Mexico came across a woman loudly proclaiming how great God was. When he asked her why she, who was obviously poor, could say that with such enthusiasm, she exclaimed, “Man, all I have to live on is in that bag, and that is all I need, because God will give me all that I need for this day!” Now that is faith, faith for which we must pray.
A third response is to check our attitude towards money. What we spend time and money on is what is important to us. What do we spend our money on? Where do we spend our time? Could it be that we are addicted to gambling, alcohol, drugs, even work, religion or control? We need to set priorities in our lives, and put God and family first, spending our time and money on those two priorities, and the rest will take care of itself.
A fourth response is to be in touch with our own poverty. Material poverty can be an invitation for us to realize we are all poor, in need, spiritually. A friend shared with me her brother had joined AA. That made him more vulnerable and transparent, and helped the whole family change and become closer to one another. Perhaps our response can be a move to be more transparent, vulnerable, open to one another, closer to one another.
A fifth response is to give with greater love and caring when we do give. I had a check of attitude myself one day in Montreal when I stopped to talk to a street person and got to know him before giving him a Toonie. He quickly took the Toonie, gave me his begging bowl and asked me to watch his things while he went to get something to eat. There I was, begging on the streets of Montreal for him. Unfortunately, I only got curious looks and no money, but I felt a deep joy within. At least I had shown him a bit of caring and not just given him money.
Finally, a last response is the most obvious one – to just give ourselves a nudge and do a bit more giving of our time, talent and treasure. Maybe there is something that I can do that I am not doing yet. Perhaps I can volunteer a little more. Perhaps the next time I buy myself something, I can write out a cheque to a charitable group for the same amount. We are challenged to walk the fine line between being good stewards of our resources, and still being able to help those less fortunate than we are.
St. Vincent the Paul is a good example for us here. He was admonished near the end of his life by a benefactor to slow down. “You’ve done so much good. What else can you be expected to do?” she asked. “More,” he replied, “We can always do more.”
The Eucharist is a meal for the poor who know they need God. We come in faith to hear God’s Word. We come in our own poverty, sinfulness and weakness, and Jesus gives us himself. He gives us food for the soul, forgiveness and healing. May our celebration in faith and trust empower us to respond to God’s love for us by expressing our faith through genuine sacrificial caring and working for justice.
