32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(1 Kings 17, 10-16; Hebrews 9, 24-28; Mark 12, 38-44:  32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B)

  Today’s liturgy brings two widows together, one from the OT and other from the NT. Both of them belonged to the lowest cadre of the society, weak and poor, therefore, seemingly not in position to do much. But as it turned out, these women were the protagonists of two extraordinary gestures that made them to be regarded as models of true believers and authentic practitioners of religion.

    The first reading takes up the meeting of the widow of Zerephat and Prophet Elijah. Being persecuted by King Ahab and running away from his men, Elijah ran the risk of dying of hunger. As he entered the city of Zerephat, in Sidon, he met a widow and her son, whose only hope for survival consisted on a handful of meal (flour) and some little oil. So stressed up by hunger, Elijah begged her to prepare, first for him, a scrap of bread and then something for herself and her son. Elijah went on to proclaim what the Lord had revealed to him about her future sustenance: Jar of meal shall not be spent, jug of oil shall not be emptied, before the day when the Lord send rain on the face of the earth. What the prophet actually demanded from the widow was blind trust in divine Providence and in the word (utterances) of God. Indeed, the widow trusted in God and placed all that she and her son needed to physically survive hunger and live on (her last handful of meal and the last bit of oil in the jar) at the Prophet’s disposition. Her confidence in the Lord yielded much fruit as the meal and the oil were miraculously replenished throughout the period of famine caused by lack of rain.

    In the gospel reading the focus is still on another widow, in a scene where Jesus plays an important but curious role. He was sitting near the offertory box (temple treasury) and was watching how the worshippers were making their offerings. He noticed how the rich were throwing in lots of money (coins of much value) into the box, probably with a lot of ostentation. He also saw a widow who threw into the offertory box coins of little value; one can say an insignificant donation.  Jesus draws the attention of his disciples and indicates: I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put in more than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.

    What do we learn from these two bible episodes?

The first lesson is that we should never judge people or their actions from what they do or their appearances. By appearance these two widows were people of little worth, incapable of doing anything worthwhile and good for nothing. But in reality, they were wonderful and exceptional people, capable of performing two wonderful gestures. Who knows how many times we have assigned little worth to persons who are rather endowed with uncommon interior gifts and who have much favour in the eyes of God! Let us bear in mind the Bible verse which holds: Man sees the appearances while God perceives the interior (1 Sam 16, 7).

    We also learn from the two widows that to truly believe and be really convinced in our faith means trusting God completely, and abandoning oneself to him and to his Providence. Whoever has this type of faith, is not satisfied with donating to God or to our needy neighbours what is only superfluous, what we do not actually need to survive. There are some who make donations but only after they have made sure that their future well being, pleasure, leisure and comfort have been well provided for and doubly assured. Such offerings do not make any changes in their existence and style of life. Donating from one’s superfluity is not yet an act of love. Neither is it an act of faith. It becomes an act of faith when such offering exposes our life or survival to some difficulties and hardship. The poor widow of today’s gospel offered to God all she had; this is authentic faith. In a similar manner the widow of the first reading offered to the man of God, Elijah all she and her son had to survive on. That was also an act of authentic faith.

    The gospel narrative also brings into focus Jesus’ critique of the practice of religion in his own time. He had strong words against the religious leaders of his people: the Pharisees, Scribes, and Priests of his time. He denounced them on account of their vanities, ambitions, greed and ostentations. Jesus could not tolerate their duplicity, hypocrisy and falsehood which they presented as the authentic way to practice religion. The sharp condemnation of these religious leaders by Jesus should make us reflect on our way of life, so that we should not be content with the practice of religion that is apparently external, superficial which gives us the impression that we are doing well while we are actually far away from authentic faith and true conversion.   Let us therefore, pray in the Eucharistic liturgy of this Sunday for the grace to always offer up ourselves and all we have without reservation and in absolute faith to Almighty God. Happy Sunday!John I. Okoye