HOMILY FOR THE 32ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B
Readings: 1st: Kg, 17, 10-16; Ps 145; 2nd: Heb 9, 24-28; Gos: Mk 12, 38-44
The widow of the first reading
In the first reading, the widow took the big risk of trusting in the words of a thirsty and hungry stranger, the prophet Elijah, and offered him not only water but also part of what would have been the last meal for her son and herself. What was the outcome? A great miracle! Indeed, she was rewarded with more than 100% of what she had sacrificed: the jug did not run out of flour, nor did the jar run out of oil before the day that the Lord sent rain! Yes, God is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.
The widow of the gospel reading
Ever wondered about the story of The Widow’s Mite? There are many generous people in the world and throughout history. They have received thank you letters or places of recognition for the exorbitant amount of money given to organizations, institutions, or causes.
But one of the most famous givers of all time is found in today’s Gospel and was personally recognized by the Jesus, the Messiah. It was a nameless widow who had given two copper coins worth a fraction of a penny.
So then imagine that the “poor widow” had an annual income of 20 small coins. The “two small coins” that she put into the treasury was ten percent of her annual income. But at the time of today’s Gospel passage, those “two small coins” were all she had in her possession. She had no savings or checking account, no mutual funds, no annuity, stocks, or bonds. She had no husband, no children or extended family, no social security or Lord’s Diner. This widow, “from her poverty, … contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”
By contrast, the rich person who put ten thousand dollars into the treasury had more where that came from. As Jesus said, the rich person “contributed from [his] surplus wealth”. So while the rich person and the poor widow both may have given equal percentages of their income, the rich person still gave from his surplus, while the poor widow gave “from her poverty”.
Although by human standards it was a pitiful amount, in Jesus’ eyes it was an act of such grandiose generosity that needed to be acknowledged as a teaching moment to his disciples. The widow’s mite is a short but powerful story that reveals the nature of God’s heart when it comes to giving.
Jesus was teaching that it’s not about how much you give, but how much you give of yourself. The widow gave everything she had, and that’s what made her gift so special. We can all learn from the widow’s example. We should give what we can, but we should also give with a generous heart.
There are many lessons for us in today’s readings. First, all the two widows in our readings were generous. Second, they all trusted in the Divine Providence. They teach, or remind us of these simple principles of generosity and prosperity that: “Givers, never lack,” and “Blessed is the hand that gives, and the hand that receives.”
In life, moments of scarcity are moments of test. They are moments to trust in Divine Providence. They are moments of great blessings.