Our readings today show us many examples of selfless giving, both in terms of material goods, but also of self. We are in fact called to give fully in both respects, because there are different needs of those around us that need to be addressed. We cannot as followers of Christ, who gave himself completely for us, ignore those created in His image who are in need.
For a woman of biblical times, to be a widow meant losing one’s protection as well as the loss of their spouse. They no longer had a male figure to shield them in a patriarchal society, nor to provide for them with income, and so in many cases, especially if there was no other family present to take them in, they were left to fend for themselves in whatever way they could get by. This was especially difficult if they also had children to look out for. For a widow in a land where famine was present, and who had a son to feed, the situation was already precarious. To then agree to help someone else in need, especially someone who was a relative stranger, was a huge leap of faith. This woman did not exaggerate when she said she and her son expected to die after exhausting the last of their meager resources, and yet, she was willing to give some of even that little she had to help another. This is not terribly different than the widow whom Jesus observed in the temple putting her last small coin into the offerings knowing she had nothing more to live on. In each case, they were willing to give up the very things that would keep them physically alive in order to further God’s purposes. We are still called to this, each one of us.
Our Lord thought that we were worth saving to the point that He gave up his own physical life, by enduring a passion and death that left Him with nothing more that He could physically give in His human form to atone for our sins and bring us back to the Father. He gave all for God’s purpose, and for our own salvation. This is how we were each purchased at a price. We in turn are called to show the same caring for Him, and for those created in His image. Our restoration of hope to be reunited to the Father places us in debt, and we are each of us called to fulfill that obligation out of love, just as Jesus did.
To truly show our love for our Lord means to accept our own role as those who must give without counting the cost, and if necessary to suffer and to be more closely united to our Lord through that suffering that is then tied to His own. It means placing ourselves much lower in the equation and instead living as those whose desire is to put God’s purposes first to the point that it hurts, whether that be in terms of our giving of material goods or uniting our own personal sufferings through prayer to our Lord’s. It is a change in mindset, and priority, to put Him first, and yet when we are honest with ourselves, we realize it is what we have been called to do all along. The question is, can we now hear that call? Can we hear those around us who need our help, and who if we look closely bear the face of the creator? Can we hear our Lord’s voice and His cries as He suffered for us? It is all one in the message; We must make the choice as to whether we will turn to it, or turn our backs on it.
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The Deacons Bench 