Pastor's Letter 20211107 - 07 November 2021 - Self-Giving to God

[Father Michael]

November 7^th, 2021

32^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

The widow gave her “all.”

A Message from Father ^_†Michael

Today’s Theme:  “Self-Giving to God”

Reflections on Today’s Scripture

Today’s Scriptures revolve around the act of “giving.”  Our First Reading _{(1 Kings 17:10-16,)} conveys the experience of Elijah and a widow.  In commanding her to provide him with sustenance, which she does, because of her faith, she receives a life of abundance.  Her humble service teaches us a powerful lesson of absolute trust and confidence in God.  It’s possible to give without losing. In fact, by “giving away” we can sometimes “gain.”  Whereas, not to give can be a sure way of loving what we have.  In a sense, we can share what we have, no matter how little, without becoming impoverished.  We are more likely to become enriched by so doing.  In the word and works of Elijah, the widow recognized the power of Yahweh to save, even amid the bungling of His people and their leaders.

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Our Second Reading continues the lesson given to early Christians that Christ is our New High Priest _{(Hebrews 9:24-28}.)  The author refers to the temple, its ancient priesthood and the religious observances of Israel to explain the analogous superiority of the “heavenly sanctuary” of Jesus’ priesthood and His ultimate sacrifice as compared with the earthly temple and earthly high priests.  Whereas they entered a “manmade sanctuary,” “a mere copy of the true one,” Jesus entered the true and lasting sanctuary in the heavenly and real presence of God.  Just as the earthly high priest’s work and yearly term of office culminated on the Day of Atonement, so too, Jesus perfect sacrifice will be crowned with all glory at His “second advent”—when He appears at the end of time.  For each of us, this will occur at the moment of our death.   

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Today’s Gospel selection highlights the ultimate value of sincere giving of ourselves to God _{(Mark 12:38-44.)}  Having exposed the teaching of the Scribes for its shallow nature and inadequacy, Jesus proceeded to castigate them for their behavior.  (This can be ascribed to all religious “elitists,” no matter in which era they may have lived.)  The Scribes, of Jesus’ day, flaunted their positions with elaborate clothing and behavior, that was, in large measure, meant to condescend over lesser people.  While the wealthy people and been generous in their giving, the widow wen beyond generosity and gave all that she had.  The Scribes may have performed great and good deeds, but without a heart conformed to God’s truth, their deeds remained a performance.  Although the widow’s offering was observably insignificant, the true value of her gift was of immeasurable worth and known only to God.  It was this last lesson in discipleship that would help us to understand the value of the cross and the worth of giving of oneself, as Jesus demonstrated on the Cross.

When Giving Becomes a Sacrifice

The test of a gift is not its intrinsic worth, but what its loss would mean to the one who gives it.  When we offer a gift, it must have some value to us—some “cost—perhaps even as much as it “hurts” us when we part with it.  It’s not truly a gift if it is something without which we are unaffected, or is something that we may not even “want.”  This is what is meant by “love in action.”  If the gift is desperately needed by the giver, or the receiver, it constitutes “true giving.”  Then our gift becomes a sacrifice.

Mother Teresa relates that sometimes she was offered a gift from someone who was, in fact, destitute, themselves.   On occasion, a beggar would offer a mere pittance, in real terms—perhaps something worth a few cents—but it would mean that person would be left with nothing.  Accepting such a gift, she was left with accepting it, in the spirit given, and giving the poor person satisfaction and joy, or refusing it, and risking hurt feelings.

Mother said, “It was a big sacrifice for that poor person, who having sat in the sun all day, only received a few coins.  But that small amount was like thousands in importance, because it was given with so much love.  God looks at the love with which giving is done, not at the greatness of the deed.”  

Like a candle can light to many other candles without diminishing its own, or a teacher can enrich the lives of countless students without reducing their own wealth of knowledge, or a mother can share her love with all her children with unlimited supply, humble giving can enrich the giver in unfathomable ways.

If one occupies a high station in life, they may have a reputation that must be maintained, as they are in the “public eye.”  If such a person does a good deed, it may be done to impress others, rather than out of the goodness of the heart.  This introduces an element of performance for an audience.  

However, one who occupies a low station in life, like the widow in today’s Gospel, can have an advantage, in that their gift won’t garner much attention.  If we offer our gifts in such a spirit, they will likely remain anonymous, and come from “the heart.”  

We should ask ourselves how good we are at recognizing what others do, and affirming them.  Sadly, the truth may be that we are so self-absorbed that we don’t notice…or we don’t care….

Giving—an Historical Perspective 

Each year, merchants generate untold profits, realized as a result of people’s spending money on gifts.  Such occasions are prompted by our desire to express affections for loved ones to recognize birthdays, anniversaries, promotions and holidays, etc.  Giving is a beautiful, symbolic way of saying, “Congratulations!”  “I love you,” or, “I am grateful.” Other times it perhaps might mean, “I’m sorry—please forget what has happened!”  Gifts can express the whole gamut of feelings, including all those times “in between” special events.  (It’s interesting that some businesses, like jewelers, for example, rely on sales during the last quarter to sustain them throughout the year!)

In many primitive cultures, we find people using the symbolism of giving to placate and gain the “favor of the gods”—offering sacrifices of produce, livestock or even people as a sign of their submission and atonement for sins, asking for favors, or in the mistaken notion that they might be cajoled to prevent natural disasters, like droughts, storms or volcanic eruptions.  

Ancient Jews offered daily sacrifices in the temple at Jerusalem to Yahweh, the God of Israel, out of a feeling of obligation, as supplication for sins or to garner favors.  Not only did the high priests do this, but “common people” as well.  (We recall Jesus’ anger at the “money changers” for taking advantage of them.)  Jewish writers of the New Testament saw Jesus’ act of freely giving Himself in death to be similar to the function of the Jewish high priests’ offering “lambs” to God.  It’s no small wonder that this well-known symbolism was understood to explain the redemptive act of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross.  Jesus was seen as our high priest and, simultaneously, as the Lamb of God, “Who takes away the sins of the world.”  Understanding this ancient symbolism is an important perspective to hold in order for us to intelligently read the Bible.

Reflection

“You give but little when you give of your possessions.  It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

“There are those who give little of the much which then have, and they give it for recognition, and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome.

“And there are those who have little and give it all.  These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty.  

“Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes, He smiles upon the earth.”

~~Kahlil Gabran~~

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May God Richly Bless You!

Edited November 14, 2021 by Father Michael