The Poor Widow’s Contribution
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Lk 21:1-4
1When [Jesus] looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury 2and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. 3He said, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; 4for
those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but
she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”
Reflection:
Poor widow. Today’s
Gospel teaches us about the true sense of giving. The poor widow offers
“her whole livelihood. She does not think much about her everyday
needs. She trusts God’s providence. It is a trust that is a product of
years of experiencing divine generosity. Thus she herself learns to be
generous and to give what matters most to her. In her kind of giving she
shows how much she loves—until it hurts. She does not depend on money
but on God. She loves God to the fullest that is why she gives her all.
God is her wealth.
In
contrast, the wealthy people who make “offerings from their surplus
wealth” show that they give what is excess, something they do not
greatly need. It does not hurt them to part with the kind of money they
have given. They cannot make the ultimate self-sacrifice in giving. True
giving is sharing what we value most without reservation, without
condition. Selfless giving is giving till it hurts.
When was the last time
you made a supreme sacrifice for Jesus?
What valuable offering have you given
for the service of the Church?
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