32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
This weekend at the beginning of the month of November we remember the Souls of all our families and friends who have died. Throughout November we think of all those who have gone before us in faith and we pray that we will meet them again in heaven when we get there.
The scribes in This Sundays Gospel need more than a defence counsel, for Jesus is putting his case for the prosecution and the scribes do not have much of a defence. The scribes were expert lawyers, who interpreted and applied the written Law through a complicated system of traditions. Jesus makes a series of charges against the scribes and what they are actually doing. He criticises their habit of wearing distinctive clothes, which marks them as different from others. He criticises their habit of taking the places of honour at religious and civil functions. He criticises their habit of long-winded prayers, that are for their immediate audience to hear and not directed to God. Finally, he denounces their practice of exploiting the widows by living off their savings.
The gospel story goes on to tell us about the poor widow who went along to the treasury and how she puts in two of the smallest coins in circulation. In the arithmetic of the kingdom the widow’s offering is worth more than all the other contributions put together. The others who have given money give from their surplus, the widow gives everything she has. That is the key point in this reading she gave everything she had the widow’s action follows immediately on Jesus critique of the scribes who profit from their status within their communities . The Gospel story about the widows contribution to the treasury is a good lesson in having a proper perspective of oneself and what you are doing or not doing. Her humility is praised, as an honest thanks giving to God for all she has and all she is. This should encourage us to try and stretch our resources rather than seeing the giving as an obligation or an after thought, certainly giving from the heart rather than for show is a good and noble thing. And that is really what we should be about giving from the heart recognising that we need to be like the widow of the gospel who gave everything she had. So many people in positions of power can easily fall into the pretence of high office. When that occurs, they are no longer open to hearing and seeing the needs of their people.
Jesus hopes that his own disciples will take their cue from the example the widow gave and not from the scribes who were hungry for all the status and honour that they could get. Jesus hope for us is that we, his followers, will also take the example of the widow and be equally generous with our own resources. We are called to give our time, our talent, our understanding. We are asked to give not just from the abundance of all we have but to give from our hearts. Like the widow, we might feel that we have nothing much to give; but it’s that kind of giving that counts with Jesus. May we not be afraid to be like the widow in the Gospel who gave all she had.
Fullerton T 