THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
8 NOVEMBER 2015
The
Scripture readings today offer two unlikely teachers in the ways of faith. We have no idea of their names. Both are widows. Both lived in poverty at the bottom of
society. In a male dominated society, life
was difficult for a woman not attached to a man providing for his family. There was no safety net in ancient
Israel. Psalm 146 (the appointed psalm
today) mentions widows as those who are in special need of God’s help.
The widow of Zarephath is not even
Jewish. In fact, she would regard Elijah
as her enemy. Elijah was blamed for the
extreme famine that hit the northern kingdom.
He had spoken strongly against King Ahab and his pagan wife Jezebel,
because they had turned against the God of the Covenant and built shrines to
gods whom they claimed could bring fertility.
Instead, the God of the Covenant brought drought. In a desert like atmosphere, Elijah asks the
widow for a cup of water. Even though he
may have been her enemy, she offers the water, as she would to any stranger
entering her village. Then he asks for
some food. Even though she is about to
use up her last bit of food supplies, she responds to the request of this man
who speaks for his God. She makes him a
cake first and trusts his word that God would provide food for her and her
son. Her trust is rewarded, and she has
enough for all three to eat for an entire year.
The widow in the Temple is
Jewish. Like the scribes who have
important positions in the magnificent Temple being rebuilt by Herod, she
understands the importance of the Temple as the dwelling place of God and the
center of prayer. Like the wealthy scribes
who deposit coins into the thirteen trumpet shaped containers for the
restoration and upkeep of the Temple, she also deposits coins. Unlike the wealthy scribes whose large coins
attract lots of attention, she deposits two tiny coins that most people would
not even notice.
But Jesus does. He has just entered into Jerusalem to the
shouts of “Hosanna to the Son of David,” the title used by blind Bartimaeus in
Jericho. He uses the example of this poor
widow to teach his disciples how the Son of David should behave. The Son of David will not draw attention to
himself with long robes, seats of honor, and the fancy titles of the
scribes. Instead, the Son of David will
be stripped of his robes, nailed to a horrible instrument of death, and mocked
by those who pass by. Using the language
of the Letter to the Hebrews, he will give himself as a sacrifice once for all. He will give us life by losing his.
This is the paradox that both
widows teach us about faith, and especially about being good stewards. Like the widows, we believe that all that we
have is a gift from God. Like the
widows, we can continue to keep giving of ourselves and not be afraid that we
will run dry. God cannot be outdone in
generosity. God does not measure the amount
of time, talent, or treasure that we give away.
God measures our willingness.
That is why we have decided not to list specific names in our current
capital campaign. Of course, we cannot
build this new church without large gifts, and we are grateful for them. We are not asking for equal gifts, but for
equal sacrifice. As we sign the beam
that will be part of a physical structure of a church built of stone, we know
that God is forming us as living stones into a remarkable temple to reflect his
glory.
Because of their poverty, the
widows also teach us how to trust when things go badly for us. They are both at the bottom of their
worlds. When we hit bottom, we too can
look for an Elijah to tell us not to be afraid and to trust that God will
provide what we need. We can trust that
Jesus notices our dilemma and gives us strength to see that in our lowliness,
we are worthy in the sight of God. It is
this trust that enables us to live the Paschal Mystery that we celebrate at
every Mass. In losing ourselves, we gain
the fullness of life beyond our imagining.
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