We hear about the simple faith of a widow
who places her two place coins in the collection basket. To the rich folk, it does not seem like
much. Yet, to Jesus, it is incredibly generous
because it represents the entirety of what she has. Others put in their surplus – she puts in
her livelihood.
The saint we celebrate today is Catherine of
Alexandria. She is perhaps not too well
known to us, but she was one of the most popular saints for many
centuries. St Catherine is said to have been from
Alexandria, Egypt, where she was born into a wealthy family. A philosopher, Catherine was converted to
Christianity through a vision. Many of her converts were put to death
during the reign of the Emperor Maxentius in the early 4th
Century. Maxentius put her into prison, but while he
was away, she converted his wife and many of his soldiers, but he had them put
to death as well. In his fury, he tried to put her to death on
a spiked wheel, but when that failed, he had her beheaded.
In life, we can be consumed by anger or
jealousy, vengeance or greed. The Emperor Maxentius wanted to eliminate
Catherine at all costs. He was blinded by emotions that consumed his
life. Catherine of Alexander and the poor widow in
our Gospel today stand out to us as examples of faith who through their
generosity, humility, and graciousness, serve God in the reality of their daily
lives. May their message and their example speak to
us today.
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