Nov 23 2020 Reflection
Monday 23 November 2020
First Reading: RV 14:1-3, 4b-5
Responsorial Psalm:
Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
PS 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6
Gospel Reading: LK 18:35-43
Today’s Note: Monday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel Reading:
When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people
putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, “I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”
Reflection:
He noticed a poor widow putting in . . . more than all the rest. (Luke 21:2, 3)
“Show me the money!” That line from a 1990s movie quickly became a popular catchphrase. In other words, money talks. This was just as popular a mindset in Jesus’ time as it is now. But Jesus was different. While the clinking coins attracted the attention and admiration of the Jewish leaders, he was not impressed. He saw the hearts of the contributors, not the amount they were giving. Rather than admiring their impressive sums, he was impressed by a poor widow’s humble offering.
In her lowly attire and with her meager offering, this woman may have been practically invisible to everyone else in the Temple that day. But Jesus saw her. Perhaps that was because her humble trust that God would care for her reminded him of his heavenly home. It’s like the way you would feel if you were on a trip on the other side of the world and bumped into someone who spoke your language. In a similar way, Jesus found a kindred spirit in this woman.
This story shows us that faith and humility are the surest way to Jesus’ heart. He longs to see in us what is at the center of his own life—the generosity and trust in God’s provision that enabled him to go to the cross for us.
This is what it means to be a kindred spirit with Jesus. It means trusting in his Father and offering ourselves to him and his people in whatever ways we can. It means not holding back on our money, our time, or our love when opportunities to give present themselves. It means believing that God will help provide for us if we decide to give just a little more than we have in the past. It means showing Jesus the “money” of a heart given over to him in trust and faith.
So ask God today to give you a heart like this poor widow and like Jesus himself. Believe that whatever you offer to him in faith and trust, he can turn into a heavenly treasure—even two small coins!
“Jesus, may you recognize in me what you saw in this poor widow.”
