All She Had June 10

Piety

Jesus, help us proclaim your Good News to those who need the message the most…those who are farthest from you. Help us to put up with hardships in order to do you work. But also, help us to give so much that we give out of our very being and sustenance, not just out of our excess. Amen.

Study http://www.usccb.org/nab/061006.shtml

“Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.” 2 Timothy 4:2

Today’s scene of the widow contributing to the temple is the final confrontation in the series of Temple discourses that Jesus has in Mark’s Gospel shortly before Jesus exits the Temple for the last time. While some see this as a quaint story about charity, Ched Myers points out that this episode provided Jesus and now us with an object lesson on the exploitation of poor and a reminder of what the Good News calls on each of us to do.[1]

From the time of Deuteronomy, there was a special place for the poor, the anawim (Hebrew for “the little ones”) in society. This group typically included widows, orphans and strangers. In fact, if a king did not take care of the poor, he could lose his throne.[2]

You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry. My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword; then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans. (Exodus 22:20-23)

Caring for the poor plays a critical role in the biblical view of the world and its understanding of persons, property and community. Isaiah underscores the central role in serving the poor.
Isaiah puts it this way:

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn. (Isaiah 58: 5-8)

Now, let us look at the widow in Mark’s Gospel in a new light. Jesus is angry. He is sitting today “opposite” to the treasury. He watched the difference between the rich and the poor. Then Jesus teaches that “she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,her whole livelihood.” (Mark 12:44) Myers points out that Jesus is infuriated by a widow made destitute by her tithing obligation. We see Jesus' wrath flare up. Myers contrasts the facts of the day with the responsibilities outlined in Exodus and Isaiah. The Temple no longer protects the little one, the poor, the anawim, but crushes them.

Action

The whack on the other side of my head was delivered by Paul in his letter to Timothy.

“Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.” 2 Timothy 4:2

He went on to write: “put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.” Reflecting on today’s scripture – combining a call to ministry and a call not to exploit the poor – helped me remember some my Just Faith group two years ago. Participating in Just Faith is not like taking a class or enrolling in a Bible study group.

The experience you have in Just Faith will help you understand these challenges and live your commitments in a new and different way.

You will find that Just Faith is more than a class. In a class, you just read books. You will read but this is more than JUST reading. You learn from the books but also from each other and from people beyond your classroom.

Second, Just Faith is more than a retreat. You’ll have some time to reflect on the Gospel call for jubilee justice in retreats at the beginning and throughout the experience every week in prayer. But the experience is more than JUST an inner journey.

Third, Just Faith is more than another service project. You will go places and meet people that take you out of your normal routine in new settings called “border crossings.”

Those of who have been around St. Mary of Sorrows longer than I will recall that there used to be a sign in the Gathering Area that said, “Christianity is not a spectator sport.” Just Faith continues that tradition. Through this experience, you will get closer in touch with the fullness of your Catholic Faith and the commitment God asks of a friend. You will get renewed in your desire to engage in the kind of loving good works that our faith requires of us.

If you are too busy, perhaps you should consider doing a little pruning on your calendar. The Just Faith Experience just might help you bear more fruit. Contact your parish and get more information about enrolling in Just Faith next fall before your calendar fills up. If your parish doesn’t offer Just Faith, maybe you can find one nearby that just does.

[1] Myers, Ched, et. al. “Say to This Mountain:” Mark’s Story of Discipleship. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2003. Page 165-166.
[2] Kammer, Fred, S.J. Doing Faith Justice: An Introduction to Catholic Social Thought. New York: Paulist Press, 2004. Page 15.