NB. A revision of the homily posted below this one. . .
32nd Sunday OT
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
Mt Carmel Academy, NOLA
Assume
for a moment that the story Jesus tells about the Widow and her two
mites is not a story about being a cheerful giver but rather a story
about prayer. Her two mites aren't coins; they're prayers. She's not
dropping coins into the temple treasury but offering her small
prayers to God. Why are her prayers better than the prayers of those
who pray out of their “surplus wealth”? Jesus tells us, “. .
.she, from her poverty, contribute[s] all she ha[s], her whole
livelihood.” OK. But why does contributing from her “whole
livelihood” make her prayers somehow better? Prayer is a form of
sacrifice. We often say that we offer “sacrifices of praise and
thanksgiving” to God. We might think that we are “giving
something up” when we sacrifice, and there is some truth to this.
Parents sacrifice for their children. Priests and religious sacrifice
the possibility of having their own children to serve God
exclusively. However, true sacrifice is the transformation of the
ordinary into the holy; it is to make something or someone holy –
set apart – by surrendering the thing or person to God for His
exclusive use. Essential to true sacrifice is total surrender, giving
your “whole livelihood.”
The
Widow's Mite is true sacrifice b/c she is throwing herself fully into
the providential care of God. She's not praying out of her leftovers,
what's left when she's done with her to-do list, done with her job,
done with paying the bills. Those who pray out of their “surplus
wealth” are holding back enough – plus just a little more, just
in case – holding back enough to make sure that all of their needs
are met and then some. Being the good, middle-class Americans that we
are, we instinctively understand and sympathize with those who pay
the bills, put some in savings, and use a little for fun. . .then
give our time and attention to God from what's left over. Prayer
becomes for us our charity work, the “extra thing we do if
and when there's
time.” What does this sort of prayer life do for us and to us?
Well, not much. It's better than nothing, I guess. But “better than
nothing” isn't what Christ is asking from us. He wants it all. All
of us. All of our time, talent, and treasure. He wants everything we
have and everything we are 100% of the time. He can make this
ridiculous demand precisely b/c he bought us on the Cross. He gave
himself – all of his time, talent, and treasure; his body and blood
– in sacrifice for us so that we might have life and live it most
abundantly. We belong to Christ.
Jesus
praises the Widow's sacrifice b/c she puts her livelihood right where
it belongs – in the hands of her loving God. She publicly
demonstrates her willingness to be a subject of His care, trusting
fully that her needs will be met. Her generosity isn't to be measured
in terms of “how much money does she give?” but rather in terms
of “how much does she trust God to provide?” That's a measure
wholly different from what we are used to, wholly different from what
many of us would be comfortable with. But that's the measure Jesus
praises. That's the measure he's calling us all to use. Total
sacrifice. Make everything you have and everything you are holy. .
.by surrendering to all to God.
How
do we do this? First, God gets His first. In terms of prayer, this
means He gets most of our time by being the focus of our time, even
when we are working, playing, or resting. Second, our talents and
treasures are His before they are anyone else's. In practical terms,
this could mean volunteering for the Church before looking for
something fun to do. It could mean, giving to the Church before
buying a newer model car or upgrading to a better cell phone or
taking a vacation. It could mean giving to a charity before paying
the bills. Third, if every moment of every day we belong to Christ –
and we do – then every moment of every day should be spent doing
his work. Teaching the truth, preaching the Good News, helping those
in need, healing broken relationships, forgiving sins against us,
searching for ways to be a witness to our Father's mercy. And pray,
pray, pray for those who most need your prayers – the souls in
purgatory; persecuted Christians around the world; mothers
contemplating an abortion; first responders and our military men and
women and veterans; doctors and nurses; seminarians and religious
novices; and most especially those who need your prayers desperately:
politicians and the
clergy!
Trust me: you can't pray for politicians and priests enough.
For
those who follow Christ there is no such thing as “surplus wealth.”
Whether we talking about our time or talent or our treasure, it all
belongs to God first. He gives to us what we need, and the more He
gives the more He looks for us to be generous. If you would be
wealthy in grace, give out of your “whole livelihood.”
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