“Widow’s Mite” by João Zeferino da Costa [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
A Daily Reflection on the Scripture Readings at Mass…
“Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” (Mark 12:43b-44)
Holding on to lesser things
One of the common failures in the spiritual life is the failure to properly prioritize according to what is truly important. This failure can lead one to not recognize who is trustworthy and really matters. I leads too often to an elevated sense of self.
How many times do you find yourself or others seeking advancement at the expense of someone else without regard to circumstances? We want to be liked. We want to get ahead and be recognized for our talents. We want to take care of ourselves! And you know what, there is nothing wrong with that until our regard for self and self-promotion leads us to daily to love God with all we have and our neighbor as ourself.
In today’s Gospel, we see another example of one who loves God above self. It is the story of the widow who gives to God out of her need, her poverty, and not out of her abundance. Trustful surrender is a beautiful response to God’s loving invitation to spend eternity with Him.
Do I trust the Lord? Do I trust Him enough to give what He asks? Do I place what is truly important—the answer to life’s most important questions—above the day to day things that are less important in the long run? If I was told tomorrow that I had a short length of time to live, what would I deem important? Don’t wait for such a diagnosis to discover what truly matters.
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