November 8, 2009
Thirty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time
By Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ
"Do not be afraid," Elijah said to her. "Go and do as you propose. But first make me a little cake and bring it to me. Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son. For the LORD, the God of Israel, says, '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 17:13-14
Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than 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." Mark 12:43-44
Piety
Piety is the life of a good person offered to God. A genuinely pious person does not give God dribs and drabs. Piety includes all that we do. Our piety can have pious expressions. Devotions are a reflection of piety. We do something again and again because it reminds us of a saint that we would like to be. There is so much more to a saint than a particular action he or she is remembered by. Saints are reflections of Christ in the here and the now of life. We see the saints of our lives by the way they do the little things with all their mind and heart and soul. A saint has learned how to be all there. Giving Back to God what he has given us is giving back to God what we are able to do. It includes so much more than extraordinary actions because it makes special the little thing of every day. It is the “Hidden Life” of grace of Christ comes alive in our own lives when we do the little things of our life with great love. We do Christ a disservice if we imagine him praying vocal prayers every moment of his life. It is certain that he prayed even the whole night through. When we are spending our time with a friend, there is talking. But there are also moments of silence when all has been said and we are relishing a moment apart with a friend.
Study
We study the story of Elijah and the widow to appreciate how important even a small cupful of water to d rink and a bit of bread can be. The miracle is the bread that lasted a year. The potential of any little thing we would do for another comes alive by our love. Even as the Widow was able to eat for a year, and Elijah and the widow’s son were able to eat as well, we know the Lord can do wonders with the little things we do out of love. We do not have to wait for something worthy of us to come along. Christ made the sacrifice of his life for us a once and forever event. He opened up the gates of heaven to the love that flows forever through the sacrifice he made of his life. When we enter into the moment we are living with all of our heart, mind, soul, strength, the same thing takes place in the gift we are giving. It really is possible to love in one moment a lifetime’s worth. The smallest action of our lives takes on divine proportions when we offer all of ourselves in what we are doing. It is true to say that the ordinary is extraordinary in the kingdom of God.
Action
The parable of the Widow’s mite says it all. If we put all of ourselves in the littlest action of our lives it is more than the greatest action that can be done that is not done with the love of giving one’s life. It is more than worth our while to put all of ourselves in the moment we are living. Man’s search for meaning calls us to be total givers. Actions worthy of us might come along once in a lifetime. Giving all of ourselves to what we are doing makes every moment worth the kingdom of God. The cup of water given in his name is symbolic of the widow’s mite. We do not have to just give until it hurts. We need to plan to give all of ourselves in the perfect love which is seen in the holding nothing back in what we are doing for one another. Christ loves us even as his Father has loved him. We need to love one another even as Christ has loved us. What we give in the name of Christ is never wasted. Decide to give and be a Christ by your gift of self.
