32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Sunday 10 November 2024
Mk 12,38-44
“He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.””
(Mk 12,41-44)
It seems that there is always a bit of fear when speaking about money in the context of Church, as if the Tithe has its place among secret things, which are best not spoken about. The moment for the offertory for collection is often emblematic of this. we see people doing everything to hide their well-wrapped banknote which they throw into the collection basket! Instead we need to note what happens with Jesus: He “sat down opposite the treasury”, that is, in front of the place where people cast their offering. And what does He do? He OBSERVES them! He doesn’t just look: He observes, paying attention to how much each individual is giving. He sees many rich people throwing in lots of coins, which is nothing extraordinary in Jesus’ eyes. At a certain point, however, a poor widow arrives. This is a doubly difficult situation! Jesus observes her and her offering, then calls His disciples and makes them also observe how this elderly woman has actually given more than anyone else. Why? Because unlike the others, who have given from their excess, she has given what she had to live on.
It is clear that Jesus is not uncomfortable talking about money and that he looks at how much remains in our pockets rather than at how much we put in! For Him there are no secrets. He knows that a person’s faith is directly related to the relationship that person has with money, with material goods. There is a close link between prayer and almsgiving. In this case, almsgiving is even elevated to the highest level of prayer. Jesus captures the silent existential prayer that springs from the widow’s radical gesture of faith: “Father, here I am, I have nothing left in my pocket… but I have great confidence in being yours and I am certain that you will not abandon me and that you will provide for my needs, just as you do for the flowers of the field and the birds of the sky”. This is how giving becomes prayer: it has nothing to do with the superfluous!
p. Giuseppe
