32nd Sunday in Ordinary time
1 Kings 17:10-16, Hebrews 9:24-28, Mark 12:38-44
Dear sisters and brothers,
Jesus expects us to trust Him completely. Many of us are not quite so sure that we can trust Him, even though we want to trust Him. The widow in the first reading shows us how a person can trust completely, even to the point of giving up the little one has for another person. The Gospel of Mark today repeats that message with the story of the poor widow who gave all she had, trusting in the Lord. The challenge today: Will I trust? Will I give up what I have because I trust in the Lord?
The first reading is from the First Book of Kings and gives us stories about the Prophet Elijah. Elijah is a wonderful person in the Old Testament. Elijah trusts so completely that he always does what God asks of him, even when it puts his own life in danger. Elijah can complain to God because Elijah has such a close relationship with God and thus shares everything with God. This is part of the challenge for us today: trust and become close! When God does not give us what we think we need, we are free to tell God that we still need what we are asking for. We must have confidence He will always give us what we truly need.
The second reading today is from the Letter to the Hebrews. The author continues to compare Jesus Christ to the High Priest of the Jewish faith. The author always wants us to know that there is more in the world of the sacred than just the High Priest. Jesus is a new expression of what it means to be a High Priest. You and I are invited to be priests also, sharing in the High Priesthood of Jesus Christ. We need to embrace our human condition and bring all that is truly human to the Lord. We are invited to share in Christ and with Christ (Abbot Fillip)
The context for today’s Gospel continues to be mounting tension between Jesus and the Jewish authorities. Mark reports some of Jesus’ teaching in the Temple area in today’s reading and in the preceding verses not included in our Lectionary sequence. In the first part of today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus warn the crowds not to follow the example of the scribes in seeking honor and attention from others. It is important to recall that Mark indicates that Jesus taught these things while in the vicinity of the Temple in Jerusalem. Mark is setting the stage for Jesus’ passion.
Jesus then observes how Jewish pilgrims are making their contributions to the temple treasury. The Temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish worship in the time of Jesus. It was expected that observant Jews would make pilgrimages to the Temple to offer prayer and sacrifices. Pilgrims were also expected to make a financial contribution to the temple treasury.
As we would expect to be the case, Jesus observes that those who were rich contributed large sums to the treasury. Those with less means made smaller contributions. A similar situation exists in most of our parishes as well. Jesus calls attention, however, to a poor widow who makes the smallest of contributions—two coins of little value. Jesus upholds the poor widow’s offering for his disciples’ consideration, commending her because her small offering was an act of profound generosity, giving from her livelihood rather than her surplus.
To give from our livelihood is not only an act of generosity, it is also an act of trust in God. We can only give from our need if we trust that God will provide for us. Jesus himself demonstrates the ultimate act of generosity and trust in God as he gives his life for us on the cross.
Peace and all good!
Fr. Valery Burusu
Parochial Administrator