1. Living In the Hands of God
2. The Poor Know How to Share
Introduction
1. In the Hands of God
How much do we Christians dare to live in the hands of God? Shouldn’t that be our trademark as Christians, together with love for one another? We are supposed to love God so much that we trust him completely, absolutely, without conditions, without fear or hesitation. That was the way of Jesus, who lived in the hands of his Father. Even in his humiliating death on the cross he could say, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.” Timid and weak people as we are, we now offer with Christ our Lord our trust to the Father and we entrust to him all those dear to us.
2. The Poor Know How to Share
For some it is something surprising and heartwarming to see how many poor people help one another, how they share the very little they have and do so without much ado, discreetly and spontaneously. Should that not be to all of us an invitation to conversion, to greater generosity? It makes the poor person a benefactor, the receiver into a giver, the destitute into a rich person. Where do we stand? Do we know how to give with trust in both God and people? Let us join Christ in his sacrifice, in the Eucharist and in life, for he gave himself totally.
First Reading: She Gave the Last She Had
At a time of famine, a pagan widow gives her last food to the prophet Elijah because he asks for it in God’s name. Both the prophet and the widow trust that God will provide.
1 Reading 1 Kings 17:10-16
In those days, Elijah the prophet went to Zarephath.
As he arrived at the entrance of the city,
a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her,
“Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink.”
She left to get it, and he called out after her,
“Please bring along a bit of bread.”
She answered, “As the LORD, your God, lives,
I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar
and a little oil in my jug.
Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks,
to go in and prepare something for myself and my son;
when we have eaten it, we shall die.”
Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid.
Go and do as you propose.
But first make me a little cake and bring it to me.
Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son.
For the LORD, the God of Israel, says,
‘The jar of flour shall not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'”
She left and did as Elijah had said.
She was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well;
the jar of flour did not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
as the LORD had foretold through Elijah.
Responsorial Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul! or: R. Alleluia.
The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free. R.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers. R.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. R.
Second Reading: Christ Sacrificed Himself for All
Christ offered to God not man-made offerings but himself. This is why his sacrifice, offered once and for all, was powerful enough to save all.
2 Reading Hebrews 9:24-28
Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that human beings die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.
Alleluia Matthew 5:3
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: She Offered All She Had to Live On
While others gave what they did not need, the poor widow gave all she had to live on. She was more generous than anyone else.
Gospel Mark 12:38-44
In the course of his teaching Jesus said to the crowds,
“Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes
and accept greetings in the marketplaces,
seats of honor in synagogues,
and places of honor at banquets.
They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext
recite lengthy prayers.
They will receive a very severe condemnation.”
He sat down opposite the treasury
and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.
Many rich people put in large sums.
A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.
Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,
“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.”
Commentary
“It’s the thought that counts,” we say about gifts. But if we really believed that, we would only think about giving gifts! Yes, thoughts have to be incarnated; every word has to become flesh in some way or other; every thought of giving must issue in some act of giving, however small. In today’s readings we are focused on very small gifts indeed: in the first reading, the Widow of Sidon’s last bite of food; and in the Gospel, the widow’s mite, and the least of all. But in the world of the Scriptures, widowhood was a very symbol of helplessness and poverty, so we are looking at stories of heroic giving. Giving and receiving are fundamental themes of our Faith, indeed of all life. “Freely you have received, freely give.” The world is divided into people who give freely and people who do not give freely. Our life is like breathing: breathing out and breathing in, giving and receiving. Asthma is a respiratory disease; something prevents you from breathing freely. Well, spiritual asthma is far more common! And worse!
Blessing
We have celebrated the sacrifice of Jesus.
He gave what he had and was –
his whole self –
to bring others life and happiness.
Let us go to become Christians,
that is, people like Christ
who do not count the cost of our gifts.
May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us go and share ourselves with one another.
R/ Thanks be to God.