THE GENEROUS OFFERING OF THE POOR WIDOW.
November 10, 2024.
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time – B.
“Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all
the other contributors to the treasury..." Mark 12:43
A British proverb says: “God looks to clean hands, not to
full ones.” A Persian proverb adds: “In this world, generous people have no
money and those with money are not generous.”
Not to fall into a sinful generalization, but many
situations and happenings tell us that poor people, people who are deprived of
everything in terms of materials, are very generous. And when they want to
give, they give with their heart.
The Gospel, but also the first reading of this 32nd Sunday are
a calling on generosity, a calling on self-giving seeking nothing in return for
oneself.
Regardless of our status, rich or poor, we always have
something to offer, something to give for the needs of others. We have love to
offer. We have our hearts to offer. In some situations, people need not our
materials or our money but our time, our concern, our love, our presence...
Last Sunday, we were reminded of our need to listen to the
Lord, "Shema Israel," and to love him and our neighbor with unlimited
generosity. This generosity is shown in the first reading through the poor
widow of Zarephath.
The situation was that of a great famine, consecutive to the
drought called on earth by the Man of God, the Prophet.
At the beginning of chapter 17, Elijah, the Man of God,
warned King Ahab that there would be no rain in Israel unless he gave the word,
and that is what happened. There was a great famine in the whole land. The
Lord, however, gave provision to his Prophet. He drank from the brook and was
fed by ravens. But then, came the time when the brook dried up. So the Lord
instructed his Prophet to go to the town of Zarephath. Here then comes the
beautiful story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, a story of faith in God's
Providence, a story of hope, a story of abundant and limitless generosity
despite human poverty.
The main lesson behind this story of Elijah and the widow is
that there is no hopelessness in God. And while there are tests of faith, there
is no lack of God either. The same God who provided for Elijah and the widow of
Zarephath in extreme drought and desperation is the same God who is faithful to
us as well if we will but trust and obey. Generosity is a virtue we should
cultivate.
In the Gospel, the Lord Jesus presents another act of
boundless generosity. Another poor widow teaches us how to give with the heart.
There is an offering song commonly used here in the Diocese of Lucena for the second
collection: “Magbigay tayo sa Panginoon. Tayo ay magbigay. Magbigay tayo sa
Panginoon. Tayo ay magbigay. Ibabalik, sikisik, liglig at umaapaw. Ibabalik,
sikisik, liglig at umaapaw. Magbigay tayo sa Panginoon. Tayo ay magbigay.”
Transliterated, it means “Let's give to the Lord. Let’s give. Let's give to the
Lord. Let’s give. It will return, squeezed, shaken, and overflowing. It will
return, squeezed, shaken, and overflowing. Let's give to the Lord. Let’s give.”
As to say, he who gives generously to the Lord received a hundredfold of what
is given. God rewards generosity because it is an act of spiritual love. The
Lord’s answer to the Scribe last Sunday could reecho: “You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with
all your strength.” We were called to love the Lord with all that we are and
all that we have. That is exactly what did this poor widow. “she, from her
poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” Out of love for
God, she gave everything she had. Because genuine love knows no half-measure,
it is always total. And that is what the Lord praises in her offering, not the
quantity, but the quality.
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