First Reading
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B – 2009 1 Kings 17:10-16
In those days, Elijah the prophet went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the entrance of the city, a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her, “Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink.” She left to get it, and he called out after her, “Please bring along a bit of bread.” She answered, “As the LORD, your God, lives, I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar and a little oil in my jug. Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks, to go in and prepare something for myself and my son; when we have eaten it, we shall die.” Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid. Go and do as you propose. But first make me a little cake and bring it to me. Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son. For the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'” She left and did as Elijah had said. She was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well; the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, as the LORD had foretold through Elijah.
Second Reading
Hebrews 9:24-28
Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf. Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own; if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world. But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice. Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment, so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.
Gospel Cycle Cycle B
Mark 12:38-44
In the course of his teaching Jesus said to the crowds, “Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation.” He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “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.”
The Holy Scriptures challenge us this week to ask ourselves if we are generous to God and to others. The first reading from the First Book of Kings alerts us that God’s ways are not our ways. The Prophet Elijah seems totally unconcerned about the poor woman and her lack of food. He seems concerned about his own hunger rather than hers. She is so incredibly humble and accepting of the Prophet that she is willing to get him water before preparing the last frugal meal for herself and for her son. Almost as an afterthought, he asks her for food.
The way of acting of the Prophet reminds us that God does not always explain Himself first, but perhaps will ask us to do something and in the doing, we encounter the living God. Far too often we are set on doing things according to our own plans and in that way we can impede the work of God in our lives. Responding with a glass of water when it is asked for seems so useless if we are starving to death—but in that one act of kindness and self-forgetfulness, we might meet God and be given life.
The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that Jesus has come not only to take away sin but also to bring salvation. We could look at the taking away of sin as a purification of ourselves while salvation is sharing deeply in the life of the living God. Taking away sin prepares us for true life but is not life itself. Here we can remember Jesus’ own words from the Gospel of Saint Matthew 12:43-45: When an unclean spirit goes out of a person it roams through arid regions searching for rest but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it empty, swept clean, and put in order. Then it goes and brings back with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they move in and dwell there; and the last condition of that person is worse than the first.
So we want to be free from sin, but we want to fill that freedom with salvation, with an active love of God. Today’s Gospel shows us how to fill our freedom from sin with an active love of God: be generous in giving alms. The widow, from her poverty, contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.
So we are invited to be generous today. We recognize that the measure with which we give is the measure we shall receive. Only if we forgive others will we be forgiven. Only if we love others will we be loved. And we can love others because we know that we are first loved by our God, loved in Jesus Christ and loved in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us give thanks to the Lord!