THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
7 NOVEMBER 2021
In the
ancient world, widows and orphans were at the fringes of society. Without a male to protect and provide for
them, they were destitute. That is
particularly true of the widow of Zarephath, a village near the center of the
cult of the pagan gods. Like all vulnerable
people, this widow has been most affected by the years-long drought that had
been blamed on God by King Ahab and his pagan Queen Jezebel. God sends the prophet Elijah into this center
of pagan religion. Elijah goes, trusting
that God will be with him. Even though
he is considered an enemy, the widow welcomes him with a cupful of water. Then she trusts his word that God will
protect her and her son by giving him a first portion of what both of them need.
There are
many commandments in the Law of Moses which require special care for vulnerable
people, especially widows and orphans.
The scribes in today’s Gospel know these commandments. They are the learned theologians well versed
in the Law of Moses. Instead of
investing in the care of widows and orphans, they spend their resources on lavish
wardrobes and places of honor. They are
too busy taking care of themselves.
Jesus and
his disciples are finally in the Temple after their long journey to
Jerusalem. He sits in front of one of
the thirteen trumpet shaped containers and invites his disciples to observe
what is happening. Those with more
resources throw in their large coins, making loud noises as the coins roll down
the trumpet shaped containers. But he
draws the attention of his disciples to a poor widow, whose small coins bring
no attention from anyone else. Instead
of keeping one small coin for herself, she places both small coins, trusting
that God will provide for her.
Jesus does
not condemn those who have greater resources and who have donated large amounts
of money. He knows that the Temple would
not have been restored without their generosity. The same is true of our parish. During the last twenty years, faithful
members of our parish have donated 32 million dollars to build the facilities
which we now enjoy. We could not have
accomplished these projects without the sacrifices of those who have been
blessed with more resources. But Jesus
reminds us, his disciples today, that God rewards the sacrifice of
everyone. That is why we have spoken of
equal sacrifice, not equal gifts, when running our capital campaigns. That is why we list the names of people who
have donated by alphabetical order, and not by the size of their gifts. God recognizes the sacrifice, not the amount.
In the end,
today’s readings from the Word of God are not about money at all. They are about trust. Elijah trusts that God will care for him,
even when God sends him into hostile territory, where he would be blamed for
the terrible drought. The widow of
Zarephath trusts God’s Word, even if it comes to her through an enemy of her
people. The widow in the Gospel trusts
that God will provide for her, even when the scholars of the Law ignore her and
spend their energies taking care of themselves.
In giving from her substance, she points to Jesus, who will give
completely from his substance a few days later on the cross.
We are the disciples of Jesus
today. He invites us to give a first
portion of our substance in prayer, service, and sacrificial giving. He promises that our generosity will come
back to us in more ways than we can ever imagine. He trusted his Father and conformed himself
to his will. In return, the Father
raised him from the dead. We can be
assured that he will keep his promise to us every time we choose to die to ourselves
and our own selfish interests.
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