A widow in Jesus’s time would have been considered an outcast in society.

With no man to own property, home, or earn an income, she would struggle to survive. And yet, with great humility and great courage, she still presents herself in the Temple, showing her faith in the God of mercy. She trusts in God’s word, and she hopes in his promise. And she gives all that she has. Jesus notices that she gives away all that she has, even though no one else would have seen this humble action. He notices the ways in which we empty ourselves when we don’t think we have anything more to give. Jesus sees the mother who rises for the sixth time in the middle of the night to comfort her crying baby. Jesus sees the father who takes up the daily grind to provide for his family, exhausted and ready for a respite. Jesus sees the child who shares his Cheerios snack with a friend. Jesus sees us. And he will give us many graces for our quiet humility and generosity.

Click HERE to watch a short video

First Reading Reflection

1 Kings 17:10−16

When the word of the Lord came to him, ‘Arise and go to Zere-phath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you”’ (1 Kgs 17:8-9  RSV). Thus, begins our story this week about Elijah the Prophet from the First Book of Kings.

At the word of the Lord, Elijah went to the town of Zarephath in Sidon. In Zarephath, he met a widow gathering sticks for the fire over which she intended to cook a last meal for herself and her son. The name of the town indicates to the audience that the widow was a Phoenician and not of the Israelite race or religion. The fact that she is a foreigner highlights her charity and faith.

When Elijah met the woman, he asked her to bring him some water. Amazingly, she immediately turned to bring this beggar some water. As she turned to fetch the water, Elijah requested some bread as well. She replied by swearing an oath by the God of Israel that she had nothing baked and that the little meal she had left was the last of her food. Elijah promised her that God would provide for her and her child if she fed him what she had left. In a profound act of faith, the widow gave the Prophet of God the remainder of her food. The widow gave the whole of the little she had in contrast to most of us, who give little despite our abundance. God cannot be outdone in generosity, and so in response to her charity and faith in an unfamiliar God and His Prophet, the Lord multiplied her flour and oil.

This miracle of the multiplication of the widow’s bread is a type or foreshadowing of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes by Jesus. Just as God multiplied bread through Elijah, so through Jesus Christ does God multiply the bread and fish. The lesson in both cases is that those who put their trust in God will be taken care of by Divine Providence.

It is interesting that the story closes by saying that the flour and oil never ran out as the “word of the Lord had said” (1 Kgs 17:16 RSV). The story began in 1 Kings 17:8 by stating that the “word of the Lord” sent Elijah to the widow. Because the pericope begins and ends with a reference to the “word of the Lord,” we can believe that we ought to trust in God.

Second Reading Reflection

Hebrews 9:24−28

In our reading from Hebrews, we discover that our sanctuaries, like the sanctuary of the Temple in Jerusalem, are meant to replicate the heavenly sanctuary. Many churches are designed to mimic the Jerusalem Temple (interestingly, Jewish synagogues were also roughly modeled on the Jerusalem Temple as well, which means that many of our churches resemble synagogues in their layout). The Temple of Solomon followed the design given by God to Moses for the construction of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25-27), which served as a portable temple while Israel was in the desert. The Temple replaced the Tabernacle as the proper site for the sacrifices of the Mosaic rites during the reign of Solomon, the son of King David. The design of our churches is meant to act as a reminder of our Jewish roots.

Christ makes an eternal offering of Himself to the Father in the heavenly sanctuary. We participate in His eternal offering at the re-presentation of the sacrifice of Calvary in the holy Eucharist, which is celebrated in our earthly sanctuaries. In every parish church, when the Eucharist is celebrated, we experience both the re-presentation of Calvary and a taste of heavenly worship. At every Mass, we experience Christ as Alpha and Omega, beginning and end: we are given a foretaste of eternal life, which is truly awe-inspiring!

Gospel Reflection

Mark 12:38−44

In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, Jesus uses the contrast between the behavior of the scribes and the action of a poor widow to teach us about the spiritual life. Even though our Christian life and worship is expressed outwardly, the life of the soul is inwardly nourished by our devotion to God. God sees our hearts; our spirits please or sadden God, because sometimes our external actions can contradict what is truly in our hearts. Some scribes exhibited their wealth and status by parading in public, not only in front of their peers, but also in the presence of those who were poor and lacking the basic needs of life. They did not simply flaunt their wealth, but they did so at the expense of the poor and helpless. Scribes made a living by interpreting the Mosaic Law. Also, some acted as executers or managers of the estates of widows, and they would take part of that estate as payment. As such, Jesus says that they “devour the savings of widows.”

The widow is meant to teach us about humility and trust in the Lord. Jesus extols these virtues. The widow teaches us to sacrifice like Christ, who gave his life for the salvation of sinners. As the Psalmist proclaims, “My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn” (Ps 51:19). Our most pleasing sacri-fice to God is a humble heart that trusts God enough to give him everything. The simplicity and humility of the widow provides us substantial material for spiritual reflection.

Let us approach this reading prayerfully and humbly, allowing it to instruct us in the way of humility. The scribes and the poor widow respectively give us models to avoid and to emulate. Our lives may be different in detail but the principles remain the same.

MEDITATION & DISCUSSION:

Elijah makes a bold request of the widow, who is simply trying to feed herself and her son. How would you have responded to Elijah if you were in her shoes? Would you have trusted God’s word that he would provide?

What attracts you? What drives and motivates you?

DIGGING DEEPER:
The Faith of Abraham

This week we read about two different widowers, outcast and struggling to provide for themselves, who have remarkable faith in God. Their trust and faith remind us of Abraham, our Father in Faith. He led his whole life believing in God’s word, even though this word seemed impossible to fulfi ll at times. He left his home for a foreign land, and he was childless after child-bearing age, even though God promised that his descendants would be as great as the stars. And then, God asked him to sacrifi ce his only son, who had been given to Abraham and his wife after their childbearing years! How could God’s promise of building a great nation come true if he did not have a son? But Abraham trusted God and did not need to sacrifi ce his son in the end. What amazing faith. Ask Abraham for his intercession as you seek to grow in faith and generosity with Our Lord.
 

Reprinted with permission from  Opening the Word at Formed.org .
Click here (subscribe for FREE, enter code: 9de851)  to get the full content of Opening the Word, including video reflections, study guides and journals for the Sunday Mass readings of the year.

Click image to get started!