In the first reading, we are reminded what great joy it is to receive God’s abundant love and his faithful promises to us! If we are faithful to him in the Covenant, we never need to worry about hunger nor thirst or ever will our jars go empty, nor would our jugs run dry. The interesting point of note is that we are not called to minister to others in complicated ways. Elijah the prophet was ministered to by the widow in the way that she knew how, and by her own means of hospitality. She baked him a simple scone. It was all the ingredients she had, and it was all the baking that she could do.
The widow at Zarephath hosted the prophet Elijah who had lost all that he had and inevitably had to flee his country. She believed the words of the prophet and shared generously with him from the little she had. By agreeing to accommodate Elijah, the widow cast her insecurities and fears aside and took a leap of faith. Little did she know that this extraordinary gesture of kindness and generosity would change her life. We are reminded that in all things we do, as long as we act with God in mind, God uses our acts and will never leave us empty. The generosity of the Lord can never be outdone.
The responsorial Psalm states: ‘My soul, give praise to the Lord.’ The praise we offer is to God our provider, God our protector. We have to believe and praise with our soul that God is always in our corner, that he will raise us up from our troubles and hardships and we will come out stronger. However, we have to believe it – not just when things are going well, but when a situation is at its bleakest and it seems nothing else is going our way.
God will provide for us when we have nothing; when we feel betrayed and attacked, he will defend us; when we are hurt, he will heal us, hungry and he will feed us; and when we feel lonely, he will be there to love us. He will do all this and more, when we turn to him in faith. Let us remember to thank God for the blessings and for the trials that come our way, for it is within his plan for us, and we will emerge stronger.
The second reading reminds us that Christ has offered up his life and appeared in heaven before God to intercede on our behalf. In doing so, Christ has taken the faults of men upon himself and done away with sin. His sacrifice will lead to eternal salvation for those who believe in him. As believers and followers of Christ, we should strive to live our lives in his footsteps so that we may be worthy of eternal salvation. The question then is this: Are we waiting eagerly for the Lord?
The gospel reading contrasts the attitude of the scribes with that of the widow. The scribes care only about themselves and their actions are self-serving. They offered large amounts so that they would be recognised and well-thought of. However, it is important to not look at outward appearances of giving but the heart and intentions of where the gift comes from. In this reading, we see that it is not what or how much you give that matters because without faith, the gift means nothing. Anybody can give when they have plenty, anybody can give from their excess resources, but it takes faith and sacrifice to give everything you have when you have little. We are called to examine the attitude of the widow and how she has decided that her money, what little of it she had, belonged to God. We are thus reminded to put our faith in God, giving what little of ourselves, offering it as a sacrifice, and trusting in his generosity.
Written by
Ephrem Music Ministry