In the book, Woman Wisdom: Women of the Hebrew Scriptures, Merriam T. Winter described the situation of widows in ancient Israelite society during biblical times.  “Widowhood was an extremely vulnerable state in ancient Israelite society.  No provision was made for women whose husbands died before them.  Considered inferior to other women, frequently poor, sometimes reduced to servitude, often harshly treated, they had no recourse under the law and were solely dependent on the providence of God and the charity of others.  Women have no rights of inheritance as hard as it is to comprehend.  Their husbands rarely had a plan to provide for them after their death.”

This is exactly the case presented to us in today’s gospel.  Jesus does not mix words in teaching us the meaning of true giving.  He first warns those in positions of authority, whether secular or ecclesiastic, that we are called to serve, not to be served.  The scribes during the time of Jesus were guilty of using their positions of authority to set themselves apart.  They liked the idea of ‘putting themselves on a pedestal.’  Unfortunately, church history has shown that we too are guilty of such behaviour.  Even today, we have situations when this becomes a great temptation for all of us.

More importantly, Jesus in today’s gospel praises the poor widow who drops her remaining two small coins in the collection basket of the temple which is different from the others who put in their extra money (v.43).  In other words, the poor woman gave away everything that she had rather than giving away what she did not need.  The simple story or small action of this widow invites us to think about ourselves and our neighbours.

My mom is also a widow who took care of five children after my father died when I was two.  I still remember as a child, before going to the church every Sunday, she gave me a small amount of money with a very clear instruction: “Do not spend this money on ice-cream or candy but put this into the church collection baskets.”  This simple act of giving has always stuck in my mind, and the more time I spend away from family the more I can see the wisdom of these simple acts and how alms-giving is so important in our life.  It brings beautiful meaning to our lives, even more than what we give.

What can we do with this Gospel this weekend?  What are our actions?  Sometimes, we do believe that we can only give away money.  Actually, there are many more things that we can give away rather than money.  We are encouraged to share our time, our care, our thoughtfulness and our talents with one another.  We experience this so clearly in our lives with this current circumstances where people need our physical presence more than money.  The pandemic helps us to realise that time is so short and things can happen unexpectedly; our care and thoughtfulness are always needed more than money.  Even more, our talents can be shared and will be appreciated within our communities where we live our faith.

Let us reflect on the image of the widow who gave away everything she had, inspiring us so that whatever we can do for one another or give away for one another, we do not hesitate to share with those in need.

By Fr Trac Nguyen