We are presented with two humble generous widows in our readings today. In our reading from the first book of Kings from the Old Testament, a widow in desperate circumstances is saving her last portion of flour for her final meal. However, at the request of the prophet Elijah, she uses that flour to make bread to feed him, as she is asked by Elijah to place her trust in the Lord, that the Lord will provide. God blesses this widow with flour and oil in abundance in gratitude for her generosity to the prophet.
In the Gospel, the scribes are wearing luxurious robes and sitting in the places of honor, using their power to take advantage of the vulnerable. In contrast to the arrogance of the scribes, a poor widow very generously gives her livelihood, two small coins, to the Temple. We see the trust, generosity, and humility of these poor widows in the first reading and in the Gospel today. What they give is a sacrifice to them, but they give with joyful hearts. What do these readings tell us about the importance of giving and how we are called to give? And there are many things we can give.
Many would consider the gift of the poor widow's two small coins as insignificant. Why would she give them as a gift? If it didn't matter to the treasury, wouldn't she be better off keeping that money for herself for her own needs? If she had let the rich citizens make all the contributions themselves, she could have kept her coins and invested them in her future. Perhaps the widow realized in her heart that by not keeping her coins to herself and instead giving them to the Temple, she was worshipping God and giving him glory.
There is a sharp contrast between the poor widow and the scribes and Pharisees. In ancient Jewish society, the widow, the orphan, and the stranger were the poorest and most marginalized. The orphan had no family and no means of support. The stranger was an outcast in a strange land, considered unclean under Jewish law. In ancient Israel, where husbands could often die young of disease or in war, widows could be relatively young themselves. In a world of arranged marriages, most often, the widow would not be chosen again as a bride. With her husband dead, she was of no interest to her husband’s family or her own family. If she had no children, she was uncared for and alone. Yet, this poor widow’s simple piety is different from the arrogance and social ambitions of the scribes. What they gave did not affect their financial situation or standard of living.
There can be different motivations behind what we give, whether what we give is big or small, whether we are rich or poor. For example, we could resent the act of giving, not wanting to part with what we give. We can give out of shame, feeling that we need to keep up appearances, to give so that others won't look down on us. We can give in a calculated way, giving only because we think we will receive something back in return. Or we can give because we feel like it is our obligation to do so. But we can also give out of thanksgiving, gratitude, and our blessings. Why else would the widow give her last coins, her whole livelihood, to the Temple treasury, if it wasn't out of thanksgiving? For us, what is the motivation for what and how we give in our lives? Do we give mostly out of shame, or do we do so out of thanksgiving?
Some of things you inmates can give are your gifts, your talents, your time, your honesty, your respect, and your kindness. I understand that even in prison, you want down time and time for yourself. But how are giving time to God? I recently went the Hinds County detention center to meet with a man awaiting trial. I had to have the public defender escort me to see him - they were not going to let me visit him on my own. This man was into his fifth year at the detention center awaiting trial. He had not had the Eucharist in that long. He only had two visits from a priest in that amount of time. Great sacrifice is made by many people to bring you the Eucharist each week. How many inmates say their are too busy to come to a Church service here at CMCF. They would rather stay on their rack and watch TV. And I get that. But what is important to you? What if this opportunity was taken away? In the federal prison in Yazoo, they bring in Rabbis from New York to minister to the inmates there. Can you imagine that? For years, the priests who went to the federal prison in Yazoo City drove 150 miles round trip to go to that prison. Now I drive 100 miles round trip. And when the other priests left, the 6,000 inmates at that federal prison had no mass for 3 1/2 years.
Think of the widow and her small coins in the Gospel. Think of the widow in the first book of Kings who gives the prophet something to eat from the little that she has. What can we give to the Lord this week?
