11 November. 32nd Sunday
1st Reading: 1 Kings (17:10-16)
The widow of Zarephath shares the last of her food with Elijah
Elijah set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.” As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.”
She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil ail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
Resp. Psalm (Ps 146)
R.: Praise the Lord, my soul!
The Lord who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets captives free. (R./)
The Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord raises up those who were bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous
and watches over the strangers. (R./)
He upholds the fatherless and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The Lord shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, for all generations. Alleluia. (R./)
2nd Reading: Hebrews (9:24-28)
Christ our high priest has opened for us the door of salvation
For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in God’s presence on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Gospel: Mark (12:38-44)
The offering of the widow had great value in God’s sight
Jesus taught his disciples and said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Practical mercy
Some statistics about trends in the Church in the West make for glum reading: the drop-off in sacramental practice and Mass attendance, the falling-off of vocations to priesthood and religious life, and the difficulty of involving young people in Church-based activities. Catholicism in the developed world is in decline .. if we define “decline” by less regular church attendance and ignoring of hierarchical authority. This challenges us to think: How can we make our Church a more welcoming place, where people would feel more cherished, cared for and understood. But there is another side to practising the faith, as alive today as at any time in the past.
The book of Kings tells of a poor widow who showed mercy in the form of practical compassion, by sharing her last crust with the prophet Elijah. Was she practising the faith? Very much so, yes, because she did what Jesus expects of us … I was hungry and you.. If you give a cup of water in my name .. We also read about that other poor woman in the Temple, who quietly contributed her last savings so that God would be properly worshipped. Was she practising the faith through her generosity? Yes of course. Whoever gives whole-heartedly of himself/herself to a worthy cause is following the example of Jesus, whether they are aware of it or not. They have the blessing of God and are promised their reward.
Our idea of “practising Catholic” needs to somehow include everyone who lives by these qualities of compassion and generosity. Indeed, sharing in the Mass and the sacraments is only genuine if it prompts us to loving mercy of this kind. We need our Church leaders to engage with us in open dialogue on sensitive points of sacramental discipline, which many church members perceive as arbitrary and authoritarian, rather than as life-values arising from the spirit of the Gospel. Today in this Eucharist we re-commit ourselves to live the faith in ways that really count: by giving of ourselves as Jesus did.
A cheerful giver
“It’s all taking and no giving!” as Dolly Parton sang in the movie: Working Nine to Five, and the next line mocks that way of life: “What a way to make a living!”. Today’s Scriptures point to another way. The good life mingles gracious taking with cheerful giving, and the main value is in the giving. It’s our giving that is recorded in the Book of Life. Jesus is the Great Giver: that we may have life, and have it to the full [Jn 10:10.] As a fine example of this kind of mutual help, we see how Elijah and the widow of Zarephath help each other to survive. She shares the last of her food with the starving prophet, and is blessed in return.
In the Gospel Jesus says, in effect, “Give from the heart.” The widow’s offering to the Temple seemed small to other donors, but it was priceless in value. Generosity is not the exclusive prerogative of the rich. The poor have great gifts to share too, and when they do so, others should respond with appreciation.
Gifts from ordinary people support many projects and causes in the Catholic Church, just as they kept the Jerusalem temple going in Jesus’ day. It is a strange, but at the same time common truth, that generosity is more widespread among those who have little to spare than among those who have lots of money and property. But let’s recall today that all donations made for the glory of God share in Jesus warm praise of the woman who “gave all she could.” This story of the Widow’s Mite invites us to examine the quality of giving in our lives — not just to Church collections, but to whatever worthy cause attracts our attention and our sympathy. More than once, Jesus spoke about this subject. Not only should the gift he made with a generous heart, but so far as possible in an anonymous, non-fussy way, so that “the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.” The thing should be done because it is right, with the intention of pleasing God rather than winning credit or praise from others. And the more it costs us in personal terms — giving up some of our time, or our comfort, for something worthwhile — the more it is part of the one great sacrifice of Christ, who gave himself totally for us.
Saint Paul coined the phrase “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:6-7.) And there can be no doubt that the cheerful gift is more acceptable even among people on a everyday level. The hospitality shown to the famished prophet Elijah by the poor widow in the town of Sidon, was all the more precious in that it was given with loving respect, and not as a grudging duty. Here was a man of God, clearly in need of help. There was no need for long, involved argument about how he had gotten into this position, or whether he had drawn up a wiser plan for his future. She did what she could for him, and was blessed in the process.
“Charity brings its own reward,” says the proverb. There is a glow of satisfaction in giving for a good cause. It is also, in a Gospel sense, the best possible investment for our eternal future — that “treasure in heaven” of which Jesus spoke, when he invited people to “sell what you have and give to the poor.” And it has been well said that, from the perspective of our death-bed, we will be happier to think of what we have freely given away during our life-time than of what we have simply stored away for the rainy day.
Giving can be global as well as local. In our technological age, we have more detailed information than any previous generation about the hungry and deprived plight of people in Third World countries, and indeed of the major miseries endured in inner-city areas of high unemployment much closer to home. Sometimes we feel almost crushed into apathy by the sheer magnitude of the problems; at other times we may grow indignant at the political and economic structures that seem to perpetuate this state of affairs. Aware and intelligent generosity should prompt us to outspoken concern for justice, as well as some personal contribution to charities like famine relief, development funds and soon. At the same time, we ought not neglect the smaller, perhaps less urgent, needs at our own door-step. The personal touch is part of the giving, and giving our time can often be more precious than anything else. And Shakespeare’s line remains true about all works of kindness and mercy, in whatever circumstances: “It is twice blessed: it blesses him that gives and him that takes.”
Machtnamh: Deóntas lán toilteanach (Cheerful giving)
“Ligean ach gan leas” “It’s all taking and no giving!” mar a chan Dolly Parton sa scannán: Ag Obair Naoi Go Cúig, agus insí an chéad líne eile cáintear a tslí-bheatha úd: “Cén saghas saoil é sin!”. Cuireann Scrioptúr an lae inniu bealach eile ó’s ár gcomhair. Molann sé slí bheatha ina measgtar “ligean agus leas” agus is sa ligean atá an luach is fearr, mar is é sin a bhéidh scríofa ar ár gcreidmheas i Leabhar na Beatha. Is é Íosa an Deóntóir Mór. Is mian leis go mbéadh an bheatha againn, agus “go mbeadh sé acu go fial”[Jn 10:10]. Mar shampla breá den chineál seo cúnamh frithpháirteach, feicimid conas a chabhraigh Elijah agus baintreach Zarephath le na chéile chun beatha a bhaint amach. Chuir sí a raibh fágtha den bhia ar fáil don bhfáidh ocrach, agus bheannaigh seisean í mar aisíoch. Sa Soiscéal molann Íosa “Tabhairt go lán-chroíoch.” Cheap bronntóirí sa Teampall eile gur bheag an deontas a thug an bhaintreach don Teampaill, ach bhí luach gan áireamh ag baint leis. Ní h’iad na daoine saibhre amháin bhíonn fhlaithiúlach!
