Today we see the widow give all she has, just as our Savior does for His Father and for us
Reflections on the readings for the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (November 11, 2018): 1 KGS 17:10-16; PS 146:7,8-9,9-10; HEB 9:24-28; MK 12:38-44
MISSIO offers “Mission In Scripture” to nurture a missionary heart, providing reflections on the missionary themes in the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
The widow’s mite. It’s a phrase we’ve heard over the years as a magnificent example of someone who completely trusts God and depends on His care.
We hear Jesus denounce the scribes for failing in their duty to serve God humbly and devotedly and to assist His children to the best of their ability. Then our Redeemer tells His disciples to look closely at a woman who is making a donation at the temple of Jerusalem. “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood” (Mark 12:43-44).
Our Lord holds this widow out to us as a model of true discipleship. She knows her whole life, all she has and all she is, depends on God. She relies completely on His mercy. Jesus even points out that she had a couple of coins – so she could have kept one back for herself, but she did not. It is her profound belief that we are called to honor and imitate. Like that woman, we all depend on God – but too many do not want to accept that truth. Often, we prefer our own judgment and that of the world around us. The scribes, and those like them in our own time, do not understand real holiness or deep faith. The poor widow and Jesus Christ both knew what it meant to give everything out of love.
Suggested missionary action: We can honor the poor widow of the Gospel by assisting God’s vulnerable people. One way is to pray for the Church’s missions and to contribute to their efforts on a regular basis.
