The Universal Church invites us to celebrate Sunday, November 10, 2024, as the thirty-second Sunday in ordinary time, year B. We pray in the Entrance Antiphon: "Let my prayer come before you, Lord; listen, and answer me. Amen.”
In the First Reading, from the First Book of Kings, God chooses a poor widow at death’s door to feed the prophet Elijah, who has fled from King Ahad’s wife, Jezebel, the protector of the prophets of Baal that Elijah had slaughtered. God always protects the marginalized of society, especially orphans and widows. In the Letter to the Hebrews, in the Second Reading, the sacred writer gives a lengthy explanation of how God accepts and blesses Christ’s obedience and sacrifice on the Cross. The Old Testament priesthood, covenant, and worship could not give God proper satisfaction while the new priesthood of Christ pleases God completely. In the Gospel of Mark, Christ praises the generosity of another widow whose gift at the Temple leads him to condemn the shallow and showy behavior of the Scribes and Pharisees. In the course of this Eucharist, let us pray for the grace of generosity. Even when we think we have nothing to give others, let us give it all the same, and God will reward us with greater abundance.
First Reading: 1 Kings 17: 10-16.
Elijah the Prophet went off to Sidon. And when he reached the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks; addressing her he said, “Please bring a little water in a vessel for me to drink”. She was setting off to bring it when he called after her. “Please”, he said, “bring me a scrap of bread in your hand”. “As the Lord your God lives”, she replied, “I have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am just gathering a stick or two to go and prepare this for myself and my son to eat, and then we shall die”. But Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said; but first make a little scone of it for me and bring it to me, and then make some for yourself and for your son. For thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel: Jar of meal shall not be spent, jug of oil shall not be emptied, before the day when the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.” The woman went and did as Elijah told her and they ate the food, she, himself and her son. The jar of meal was not spent nor the jug of oil emptied, just as the Lord had foretold through Elijah.
Comment
There are two books of Kings in the Bible, commonly known as First and Second Kings. The authors of The African Bible tell us that the two Books of Kings cover about four centuries of Israel’s history, marked by three main events: the first is the united monarchy (during which time Israel and Judah remained united under Solomon as they had been under Saul and David); the second event is the divided monarchy (from the rebellion of Israel against the rulership of the Judean kings until Israel was carried off into captivity by the Assyrians); and the third is the period of the surviving kingdom, which record Judah’s history from the deportation of Israel to Judah’s own defeat and exile by the Babylonians.
Both Books of Kings serve, therefore, as a record of the kings of both Israel and Judah, showing the decline of the northern and southern kingdoms and pointing out the reasons for this decline and the fate of each king. The sacred author teaches the people of Israel in exile in Babylon the reasons for their plight so they can learn from the errors of the past. He instructs the exiles by demonstrating to them that through their kings they have been unfaithful to God’s covenant but that God, far from abandoning Israel, has remained loyal and patient with them.
Two prophets play a significant role in the Books of Kings: Elijah and Elisha. Elijah, whose name means “my God is the Lord”, is an itinerant prophet who, like the Patriarchs, moves around the country in obedience to the word of the Lord. He is a very courageous man, who does not hesitate to denounce the abuses of power and the violation of justice by those in authority. He has to flee from the fury of those in power to take refuge in the desert. That is where he receives God’s command to anoint Elisha as his successor. Elisha is important to Elijah because he will carry on Elijah’s mission. Elisha is to Elijah what Joshua is to Moses, each completing his master’s work.
The final chapters of the First Book of Kings are dominated by the prophet Elijah, in many ways the greatest of God’s prophetic champions. Elijah’s mission and achievement are the triumph of true worship over idolatry in the northern kingdom of Israel. His arch-enemy is Queen Jezebel, a spirited missionary for the gods of Baal, the gods of her native Phoenicia, whom Elijah had slaughtered earlier (1 Kg 18: 20-40).
In this day’s reading, God tells Elijah to go to Sidonia, the very land of the Phoenician god, Baal. There, in the town of Zarephath, God gives abundant flour and oil to a poor, starving widow through the intervention of the prophet Elijah. God makes himself known in a new way through Elijah. The same God who manifests himself as friend and protector of the patriarchs, and who gives the Law to Moses, now reveals himself as the God of creation and nature, protector of the poor and the marginalized.
To the Phoenicians, the gods of Baal are the masters of the forces of nature – rain, storms, fertility, etc. Through the prophet Elijah, the true God reveals himself to be distinct from and higher than all those forces, no matter what their power is. Elijah proves to be the champion of the rights of God and of the poor, like the widow of this day’s reading. Jesus uses the fact that it was a widow and a foreigner who was chosen to show that God gives his gifts freely to whomever he pleases, not to those who think they have a right to them (Lk 4: 25-26).
Let us pray. Lord God, you are generous beyond compare. You always protect the poor and the marginalized among us. Continue to shower your blessings on our people, especially on our leaders, that they may, like Elijah, learn to bring healing, not division, comfort not death to our people, especially in the northwest and southwest regions of our land. We make our supplication through Christ the Lord. Amen.
Second Reading: Hebrews 9: 24-28.
It is not as though Christ had entered a man-made sanctuary which was only modelled on the real one; but it was heaven itself, so that he could appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf. And he does not have to offer himself again and again, like the high priest going into the sanctuary year after year with the blood that is not his own, or else he would have had to suffer over and over again since the world began. Instead of that, he has made his appearance once and for all, now at the end of the last age, to do away with sin by sacrificing himself. Since men only die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, too, offers himself only once to take the faults of many on himself, and when he appears a second time, it will not be to deal with sin but to reward with salvation those who are waiting for him.
Comment
The core of the Letter to the Hebrews has now been reached in the lengthy explanation of how Christ has been made perfect through his obedient sacrifice which is acceptable to his Father. Christ came into the world to atone for our sins. The Old Testament priesthood, covenant, and worship were unable to give God satisfaction while the new worship, covenant, and high priesthood of Christ please God completely.
The sacred writer argues that whereas the sacrifices of Moses purified things of the old sanctuary, the sacrifice of Christ, on the other hand, really does blot out our sins and opens for us the way to heaven itself, giving us entry into the new sanctuary. Whereas the old sacrifices were numerous and constantly repeated in petition of forgiveness, the sacrifice of Christ, on the contrary, is unique because it is eternally effective. Therefore, Christ has offered himself only once through the shedding of his blood, whereas the Mosaic sacrifices were done with the blood of animals.
The celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass reenacts the sacrifice of Christ but the Mass is a bloodless renewal of that sacrifice. It is the same victim – he who makes the offering through the ministry of priests and he who offered himself on the Cross, the only difference being in the manner the offering is made since the sacrifice of Calvary is bloody and the Mass is bloodless. Christ’s sacrifice has assured our salvation, because he has completely appeased his Father for our sins, and remains our eternal reconciliation with God.
This reading teaches us that by his glorious ascension into heaven, Jesus Christ crowns his redemptive sacrifice and therefore intercedes for us as our advocate in the presence of God the Father. We, Christians, should therefore combine our joyful hope in the establishment of the Kingdom of God, which we wholeheartedly desire, with a desire to make the best possible use of our time on earth.
In this, we need the constant support of the Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith. Holy Spirit, come down on us, as you came down on Christ’s disciples at Pentecost, and embolden us for the mission our Lord has assigned to all of us, that of preaching his word first of all in our families, then in our society and wherever we may find ourselves this day. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gospel acclamation: “Alleluia, alleluia. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Alleluia.”
Gospel: Mark 12: 38-44.
In his teaching Jesus said, “Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; these are the men who swallow the property of widows, while making a show of lengthy prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.” He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then he called to his disciples and said to them, “I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in 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.”
Comment
Two readings of this day’s mass, the first reading, and the Gospel, sing the praises of two holy women. In the first reading, the Lord sends Elijah to Zarephath in Sidon where a widow takes care of him. Even though the region was suffering from a great famine, the widow gave the prophet food, trusting the prophet’s promise that her jar of meal will not become empty and she will not run out of oil. That is, in fact, what happens.
In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus in the Temple with his disciples, watching as people put money into the treasury. Many are rich people putting in large sums of money, mainly from their excesses. But then a poor widow comes forward and drops into the till the only two copper coins she owns. From a purely human point of view, the widow’s contribution is insignificant. Yet, as far as Jesus is concerned, this gift is enormous. That is why, as the woman is leaving the temple, he points her out to his disciples as an example of boundless generosity. She has not given from her excess cash – which she does not have; rather, she has given to God all that she has.
The Lord praises acts of generosity that come from the heart. He values the disposition of the giver more than the gift itself. He looks more into the donor’s heart than into the donor’s gift. Almsgiving is a work of mercy that is most pleasing to the Lord. He rewards our generosity far more than we can imagine. As Saint John Mary Vianney, the holy Curé d’Ars, patron saint of parish priests, used to say: “A house of charity will never be poor.”
The poor widow, who gives away all that she has to charity goes back home filled with a great joy. Just like the widow of Zarephath, who gave all she had to the prophet Elijah and received great reward for her generosity, the widow in this Gospel reading will certainly find great treasure waiting for her at the end of her life when she finally sees the look of love Christ cast on her that ordinary morning in the Temple.
Authentic almsgiving springs from a merciful heart. We feel moved to provide some relief for those in need. Almsgiving opens the giver’s heart to be more attentive to the Will of God. The first Christians showed their fraternal love in an exemplary way by assuming responsibility for the material needs of all the members of the community of believers. There are many references of such generosity in Acts of the Apostles and in Saint Paul’s Letters.
The idea is not a matter of simply giving away what is left over to the poor. You must give even, and especially, in times of difficulties. Saint Paul lauds the heroic spirit of generosity of the churches of Macedonia which, despite their share of afflictions, still gave generously to others (2 Cor 8: 2-4). Saint Paul is here reminding us also of the necessity to give generously to the Church wherever we may be so she can continue her evangelization mission that will usher in the reign of the Kingdom of God.
Alms-giving attracts God’s blessing and produces abundant fruits. Our charity does not consist principally in the value of our gifts but, rather, in the love for God we bear in our souls. As Saint John Paul II once said, “Our humble offering may be insignificant in itself, like the oil of the widow of Zarephath, or the coins of the poor widow in the Temple. Yet our offering becomes pleasing in the eyes of God thanks to our union with Jesus.”
What lesson do we therefore draw from the picture of the two poor widows of the readings of this day? God loves and rewards a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7) and always rewards us for our generosity. Whatever we give must spring from a compassionate heart, one that is filled with love for God and for fellow man. When we talk of generosity, the tendency is always to look at the material things of life. Yes, those are good gifts to give to those who do not have; but, what of our time, energy, and resources other than material? How much of our time do we give to the Church, for example? Do we think of coaching and mentoring the youth in our parish? Do we think of finding the time to share our knowledge or experience with other members of our Christian community?
This Gospel challenges us to be generous with our time, with our love, with our forgiveness, with our patience, with our resources. Then Christ, sitting and watching and listening to us will repeat what he said of the poor widow in the Temple gift: You did not give from your excess but rather you gave all that you had from your heart. Let us pray to God to strengthen our spirit of generosity so that we should not only think of giving to others what we have in excess, but give them all that we have, be it material, time, or expertise. Amen.
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