I am, by nature, a cautious person. Maybe that’s due to my place in the birth order; the oldest child is normally not a risk-taker. I like to have every scenario covered. I keep flashlights in my car and in the rectory. I have water filters in multiple locations in case of a natural disaster or zombie apocalypse. My car is a moving triage vehicle with a first-aid kit, jumper cables, air compressor, blanket, and fire-starter and tool set. This cautious approach can be helpful, except when I fall into it dealing with God. There are moments when I am cautious with God and his invitations. I rely on my own wisdom and preparation, I consider the earthly odds rather than going “all in” with what God offers.
Today we meet two widows who do not treat the Lord with caution. Both are everyday, hard working women. Both are poor. Both put their trust in God. Both are rewarded for their faith.
The first widow is from Zarephath, a coastal city on the Mediterranean, northwest of the Kingdom of Israel. Elijah traveled through this land during a famine. This woman was poor. When Elijah met up with her, she was putting her last scraps together for a final meal before she and her son would die. Imagine her as one of the 1 billion starving people in the world today. Imagine her son as one of the 3 million children who die of starvation each year. Now a stranger, the prophet Elijah, goes up to this woman and asks for food in the name of the Lord. Hospitality to strangers was a law of God. Should the widow turn from God’s law or should she share the little she had? The woman put her total trust in God, and she received enough for her and her son to eat for a full year, when the famine finally ended.
The second widow from the Gospel puts two small coins into the Temple treasury. Jesus was people-watching, observing the people’s giving. There were big shows as some of the wealthy came forward letting everyone know about their great generosity. After all, the money from the wealthy had paid for most of the rebuilding of the Temple. What value did the widow’s small coins have next to their thousands? But Jesus knew how much she was really giving. It was far more than two small coins. Her donation, although it seemed insignificant, was tremendous because she gave all she had. Her donation was an act of putting her faith in God to care for her.
What these two widows did is extremely difficult for us. I know there are many of you with great faith, but I also know that no matter how great our faith, it is extremely difficult to put our total trust in God. There is something within us all that looks for solutions to our problems outside of the realm of faith. Perhaps as rugged individualists, we think we can solve our own problems, conquer obstacles ourselves. Certainly, we are all tempted to believe that enough money applied in the right places can heal all ills.
The great lie of our time is that money and possessions can solve our problems and provide safety. It is the job of advertisers to convince us that we can buy happiness, and they have done their job well. The truth is, among those who have been blessed with material success, the happiest are those who trust in God, not in their wealth. All you have to do is look at the many sad examples of rich and famous people who spend their lives and fortunes looking for happiness everywhere but in God. It's important to note that being rich doesn’t make you sinful nor does being poor make you a saint but rather where you put your trust and hope.
The radical message of today's readings is that we must place our confidence in God rather than in material possessions. This is difficult because it demands our practicing the forgotten virtue of humility. Humble people recognize where they stand before God. Humble people recognize their profound need for God. Humble people are certain that the presence of God in their life is fundamental to happiness.
The two widows gave from their substance. They put their trust in God, shouting with their actions that his presence in their lives was infinitely more important than any single thing they owned, even more important than everything they owned. They give us the example of ideal Christians, humbly trusting in God and generously returning the blessings they received from him..
These are not easy times to be Christian. Gospel values are ignored, or, at least, not given their proper priority. Many ignore life issues, from conception to natural death, and only worry about other, lesser issues. From grade school through college, our children are immersed in the glorification of secular values along with the subtle and not so subtle mocking of all who believe in the spiritual. We turn to the Church, but sometimes we find priests and bishops who are more concerned about careers or comfort than caring for the flock. Maybe that is a blessing in disguise because it forces us to choose Christ and be a deliberate disciple.
When we feel overwhelmed we need to put our trust in God. No where in scripture did He say that His followers would be in the majority. He never said that following him would make you wealthy, comfortable, or popular with everyone. But He did say that He would be with us every step of the way. Like the two widows, we need to give Him our all. We need to put our faith and our trust in Him, and we need to be assured that He sees us; He knows us, and He cares for us. This Divine Assistance stays with us always, no matter how rich or poor we are.
I hope we can learn from the two widows in our readings and try not to be so cautious with God. I pray we can support each other in generosity and faith so, like these holy women, we will always know what is truly important and share freely with God and others.
