Nov. 11, 2018: 32nd Sunday B

Nov. 11, 2018: 32nd Sunday B

When you think of Lucky Charms cereal, glazed donuts, and sugar cookies, what do they have in common? These are some of the sugar-laden treats our children love. Can you imagine a child who would give them up if they were asked to do so? One day a four-year-old boy showed up with his mom at the entrance of Mother Teresa’s convent with a cup of sugar. For those of us living in sugar cane country, that doesn’t sound like much at all. These days we can walk into any grocery store and buy a pound of sugar for only a dollar. At the time when the little boy showed up, there was a sugar shortage in the city of Calcutta. The little boy said to Mother Teresa, “I did not eat sugar for three days. Give my sugar to your children.” Mother Teresa commented, “That little boy loved to the point of sacrificing.” We often think that giving is based on quantity or quality, but today’s gospel reveals the true measure of giving.

When Jesus directs the eyes of his disciples to a lowly widow in the temple treasury, he wanted his disciples to understand the meaning of true giving. There were many generous patrons of Herod’s temple who donated great sums of money to build and support an ornate temple. Yet, the disciples were asked to pay attention to a widow who was dropping a couple of pennies in the collection. What can two insignificant pennies do for the upkeep and building of the temple? Practically and financially, those two coins had no impact on the bottom line. However, for that destitute widow, the two coins represented her whole livelihood. For me, her gift meant that she relied on God for everything, including how she would provide for her next meal. The poor widow represented the true spiritual pillar of the temple by her spirit of total dependence on God. The generosity of her tiny coins mirrored the self-emptying generosity of God himself who did not hold back from us even his beloved Son. The widow was truly living out Jesus’ teaching of the Beatitude--Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Her whole treasure was not in earthly possessions, but in God.

How can we give our all to God and our neighbor joyfully? We need to remind ourselves that we are mere stewards of Our Lord Jesus during this earthly life rather than the owners of earthly goods. God has given us everything we own and possess, preeminently our life. How we use that life and return it to the Lord is our purpose. God points us to His Son, Blessed Mother, and the Saints as examples of how a gift of love can bring blessings to the multitude. Mother Teresa often said, “Give until it hurts, because real love hurts... You must love with your time, your hands, and your hearts.” Sometimes we avoid giving our resources, our efforts, or our time because of our fear of not having enough for ourselves. We are afraid of getting involved in other people’s lives because we fear that we won’t have enough time for ourselves. Certainly, it is a sacrifice to forego something of our own comfort, convenience, and enjoyment to help someone in need. Yet the time or the resources we give to others--out of love and gratitude--will become a blessing for the person and for ourselves.

The season of Fall and the changing of the colors of the tree leaves before they fall to the ground remind us of the shortness of our lives here on earth and how we depart this earth empty handed. The poor widow tossed into the collection basket the sign of her independence; her trust and dependence were on God. Her example of faith is grounded in the love of God. She teaches us that dependence on God can lead us to a life of simplicity, joy, and gratitude.