First Reading: 1 Kings 17:10-16
Reflection:
In this Sunday’s readings, we hear about two poor widows who put great faith in God. In the first reading, the widow encountered the Prophet Elijah when she was at the end of her rope. She and her son were about to eat their last meal, using the little flour and oil she had left to make bread. In the midst of what seemed like a hopeless situation, Elijah brought hope. Yet, he did so in a way that tested the woman’s faith. This widow was not an Israelite. Elijah found her in the city of Zarephath, a non-Israelite city. Notice that she said, “your God,” when speaking of the Lord (rather than “our God”). Still, she ultimately trusted in God. Knowing that the widow was nearly out of food, Elijah did the unthinkable and asked her to give some of her extremely limited supply to him. This was not out of selfishness, but out of the intention to reveal God’s power and provision. Elijah knew that God would provide for this woman’s needs if she would simply trust in the Lord. The fact that she did what Elijah told her reveals her incredible faith. She entrusted herself (and her son) completely to God’s care. As a result, her needs were provided for in a way that was more than she could have fathomed. We can learn from this widow’s example that no matter how much we have or what situation we are in we can trust in God to provide for our needs. Sometimes God asks us to give something up for Him. To us, what He is asking may sound crazy. We may wonder, how will I survive without that? But when God asks us to give something up, He always has something better in store for us.
Second Reading: Hebrews 9:24-28
Reflection:
Recall that we have been hearing from the book of Hebrews for multiple weeks. We have been hearing that Jesus is the Great High Priest. He fulfills all that the Old Testament priesthood symbolized. The High Priest was the primary intermediary between God and humanity. He would enter into the sanctuary of the Temple to offer sacrifices on behalf of the Israelites in order to atone for their sins. In particular, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple (where God’s presence dwelt) once a year on the Day of Atonement, and he would sprinkle the blood of sacrificed animals to atone for the sins of the people. This is what is referred to when the author of Hebrews says, “the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own.” Jesus fulfills and supersedes this role of the High Priest. He is not only the priest offering the sacrifice but is also the sacrifice itself, through the shedding of His blood on the cross. As the High Priest offered a sacrifice on behalf of all the people, so Jesus’ sacrifice was made on behalf of the whole world. The difference is that Jesus does not need to be sacrificed over and over again. His was a once-for-all sacrifice. The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus “did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,” but “heaven itself.” Jesus, as the new High Priest, intercedes for us and offers atonement for our sins perpetually before the Father in heaven. Jesus came and died in order to take away our sins and lead us to salvation. Let us give Him thanks for that amazing gift.
Gospel Reading: Mark 12:38-44
Reflection:
In this Sunday’s gospel we learn that God wants us to offer ourselves completely to Him. He desires for us to willingly, joyfully, and sacrificially give. He is not pleased with “show-offs.” The scribes liked to flaunt their authority. They liked to look good on the outside and appear righteous in order to receive the praise of others. If they did a good deed, they wanted everyone to see them doing it. And in doing so, they often took advantage of others. As a result, Jesus said, “They will receive a very severe condemnation.” On the contrary, Jesus put forward the poor widow who He observed putting in “two small coins” as an example for all. Jesus praised the widow because she gave sacrificially. Like the widow in the first reading, this widow gave everything she had. She gave because of her love for God. Others, who gave significantly more, gave out of obligation and out of their surplus. It wasn’t a sacrifice at all for them to give because they had much more than they needed. Jesus teaches us here through the widow’s example that it is not about how much we give but why we give. God doesn’t want our money. He wants our hearts. He wants us to give all of ourselves to Him. This looks different from one person to the next, but to give ourselves totally to God always involves sacrifice because to do so requires following the example of Jesus who, as we heard in the second reading, sacrificed all, giving Himself completely for our salvation. Similarly, God invites us to surrender ourselves to His will, trusting that He will reward our sacrifices.
Application:
- What is God calling you to sacrifice for Him? Trust in God and let go of whatever that may be.
- How is God calling you to give sacrificially of your time, talent, and treasure, rather than just giving out of obligation and surplus?
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