Thirty –
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Kgs 17: 10 – 16 / Ps 146 / Heb 9: 24 – 28 / Mk 12: 38 –
44 or 41 – 44
John
Legend in his famous song, All of Me, has this to say: “I’ll give my all to
you, you’re my end and my beginning even when I lose I’m winning cause I give
you all of me.” However, these words of John Legend seem no longer true today.
Why should I give my all to you at baka
iiwanan mo lang ako? Why should I give my all to you at baka sasaktan mo lang ako? Why should I give my all to you at baka niloloko mo lang ako? I’d rather
give my all for my SSS – Savings, Security, and Safety!
My dear
friends, we are now on the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. In both
first and Gospel readings today, we meet widows who teach us a very important aspect
of Christian living – that is generosity. In our first reading, we meet the
poor widow of Zarephath who despite of her poverty, gave all that she had in
order to bake bread for the prophet Elijah. In our Gospel, we meet the poor
widow who went up to the treasury and gave her “two small coins worth a few
cents.” In our readings today, we encounter two widows who gave their all thus
losing their savings for the future and their security and safety for the
present. Yet, their generosity did not go unrewarded. The widow at Zarephath
had an unlimited supply of flour and oil while the widow at the treasury was
praised by Our Lord Jesus.
From
our own human point of view, what the widows did in our readings were
disastrous. They sacrificed their savings, security, and safety. Where will
they get their provisions, their money? How can they be secured and be safe now
that they have given their all? Pope Benedict XVI comments on the generosity of
these widows when he said, “their generosity is a consequence of faith; an
inner attitude of those who base their lives on God and trust wholly in Him.”
The widows were generous all because of faith and confidence in the generosity
of the Father in heaven.
My dear
friends, this is our lesson for today as we celebrate the 32nd
Sunday in Ordinary – that we give our all without fear of losing our savings,
security, and safety all because of our faith and trust in the providence of
God.
Today,
November 8, we mark the 2nd anniversary of super typhoon Yolanda. Yes,
it has claimed the lives of thousand innocent people. Yet, Yolanda has also
awakened the hearts of people to be more generous, to give their all!
“During
a relief effort a poor widow donated a powdered milk that was already open,
saying “That’s the only help I can give to the people in Leyte. I really have
nothing right now, but this can be still given to the children there. They will
like it because it’s Bearbrand.”
“Volunteers
in a drop-off station reported that Benjie came near to the station and handed
to him 1 Peso (about $0.077). Apparently, he was giving his “donation” taken
from the proceeds of his begging. That caught everyone by surprise. But the
story doesn’t end there. Several minutes later, Benjie came back to the station
and again gave another Peso coin (apparently this was after he was given 1
Pesos by begging). Maybe he realized that his first donation was not enough
that’s why he came back and gave another peso.”
The
widow at Zarephath, the widow at the treasury, the widow who gave her opened
powdered milk, and Benjie who donated 2 pesos – they were able to give their
all because in the very first place, they have been attracted to Jesus who has
given his all for the salvation of all. How about us? How about you? Are we
willing to give our all?
And so
we pray the prayer taught to us by St. Ignatius:
“Lord
Jesus, teach me to be generous;
teach
me to serve you as you deserve,
to give
and not to count the cost,
to
fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil
and not to seek for rest,
to
labor and not to seek reward,
except
that of knowing that I do your will.”
Amen.
Photo taken from www.churchleaders.com
No comments:
Post a Comment