“The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.” 1 Kings 17: 14
Now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice. Hebrews 9:26
Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in morethan all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,her whole livelihood. Matthew 12:43-44
Piety
(Based upon Psalm 146)
Lord, strengthen our faith today and everyday so that though such steadfast faith we may engage in good works in your name – working to secure justice for the oppressed – especially the poor, giving food to the hungry, setting the captives free whether they are jailed unjustly or captive of addictions, habits or obsessions.
Give the gift of sight to all who are either physically blind or to those who are blind to your work.
Raise up those among us who were bowed down by infirmity or serious illness or subjugation to people, power or principalities.
LORD, give your love to those who are just and help us to protect the stranger and immigrant among us as you were protected on the flight to Egypt.
Sustain the orphans among us through the intercession of Mary.
Thwart the deeds of those who intend to do violence and harm here and abroad through all generations. Alleluia. Amen.
Study
By Rev. Joe McCloskey, S.J.
The widow's mite is a powerful teaching of Christ. The challenge to put all of ourselves into what we are doing in his name is one of the deepest desires of our heart. One who works hard at what goes unseen captures the essence of the Hidden Life of Jesus. Jesus spent 30 years out of the public view. God intended that we learn something from the length of time he lived a normal life. The three years of public life are dwarfed by those years. The most important person who ever lived in the history of the human race is unnoticed. There is nothing special about those years that we can see. Yet there are powerful lessons we can learn for ourselves.
How many years have we been saving ourselves for some big moment that would be worthy all of our time and energy? How often have we been waiting for something big to do? We do not want to waste out our time on the useless. What makes something worthwhile is not what we are doing but how much of our heart we put into it. It is one of those paradoxes of the Spiritual life that only the ordinary can be extraordinary. We can never use again the excuse we are insignificant. It can never again be an excuse that no one cares about what we are doing. The truth of any work we do for the Lord is that he cares. What might seem a waste of time to our friends is never such with the Lord. He sees our hearts and he rewards the good we intend. What I do with my life is worth what I offer it for. Christ says it all when he said, “No greater love has anyone than to give their lives for another.” That is how Christ saved us. That is how we live his love for our world. Giving our all will never be less than the widow's mite.
Action
What is your big moment?
No comments:
Post a Comment