A teacher had a little box in her classroom to collect money to be given away to the poor. She called it, The Widow’s Mite. One of the children asked: “what does the widow’s mite mean?” She replied: ” it means some might give and some might not.” How true! Today’s gospel puts it all in perspective as far as generosity is concerned.
In Jesus’ day, and for centuries before, the most powerless people in society were the young widows with children who had no means of support. Many of them starved to death and had to watch their own children do the same. In the ancient world, there was no one so pitiful as the impoverished widow. In today’s gospel we meet such a woman. Jesus does not discriminate between men and women, widowed or married. He loves them all equally and is as much at home with the poor as with the rich. In today’s story, it is the poor widow, not the rich folks, who makes the largest offering to the church because she gave, from her heart, all that she had, little though it was.
The place of women in society has changed since the days of Jesus and many of the old prejudices have been swept away like dust in the wind. Today, women as well as men are among the leaders and educated of society. They can possess and earn money in their own right. They fill important offices in government, business, and the professions. Still, studies show that women doing the same work as men are sometimes paid less. Some professions still refuse to admit them and membership in some groups is not open to them. Yet, times are a-changing. Barrier after barrier begins to fall leaving us with the realization that a person’s gender is much less important than a person’s worth or virtue. What our world needs is justice and love for all men and women, rich and poor alike. When equality based on merit is denied to one group, it sets up the precedent for denying it to any other group as well.
It is hard for many to realize that God has no gender. While we do not flinch at calling God our Father, we invoke the divine power which bestows the fatherly and motherly attributes of love, compassion, tenderness and concern for all God’s children, great and small.
The poor widow in today’s gospel story, who put two small coins into the collection at the Temple, representing all she could give, is an example of generosity. This message of generosity is not one-sided. It offers a powerful example for all women and for all men everywhere. It is the quality of giving rather than the quantity of giving that really matters. The poor widow gave all that she had, little though it was, from the heart. Whatever you give, be it great or small, give it from the heart.
A generous spirit liberates us from from selfishness, and from prejudices based on race, color, creed or gender. People who strive to apply this message of generosity to their lives and pass it on to others are truly liberated because they are spirituality alive.
Let us strive to have a generous attitude like that of the widow in today’s gospel.
Fr. Hugh Duffy
2 Comments
Robert Galligan
Thank you Father
Patricia
A few days ago, I gave some money to a “cause” and told my husband about it. Awhile later he repeated to me what I had done and said I had given $100.00 dollars… I said I didn’t give That much. He said, “No, but you would have given $300.00 if you would have had it. I laughed, embarrassed and joyful. My husband recognized my generosity, truly liberating and spiritually alive.Thanks so much Fr.