Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 155
Reading I
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.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading II
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.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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."
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
God is our provider not only in the spiritual sense, but also in the material sense. That doesn’t mean that we are rewarded in the form of material wealth, but more in the fact that we will always be provided for. Our sufferings can be considered our own making; an illusion created in our minds, made stronger by our imaginations. These negative thoughts can then overwhelm us and cause us to lose faith. When we feel we are suffering, these feelings tend to overcome our other thoughts and create a barrier preventing us from focusing on anything and anyone else but ourselves. We become the center of the universe and the most important thing in our lives. This is very dangerous to our relationship with God and to our ongoing spiritual health. God does not want us to be the central aspect of our lives because it alienates us from Him and all other relationships around us. Our lives are supposed to be inclusive of everyone and everything. We are a part of God creation and should not separate ourselves from it. When we do, then Satan has gained a foothold in our lives and only bad things will result. Suffering is indeed a part of our lives and, when we do suffer, it should be in a way that everyone in our community should be a part of. It is through suffering that we can become closer to God and it is where immense joy can be found.
Giving thanks to God before every meal is a wonderful Christian Tradition that reminds us that everything that we receive in our lives comes from God. Whatever is before us, minute or bountiful, has its origins from our Creator. The world has the producing power to feed and every human being countless times over. The only reason someone may be lacking in daily sustenance is because of the sinful actions of another individual who has refused to enter into relationship with God. These individuals, acting upon their own will and own selfish ideals bring about the pain that other people experience. We as Christians have an obligation to counteract those with selfish ideals by doing what is right; ensuring that what God has provided is distributed justly to those who have been prevented from receiving what is needed to live. Nothing that we have is deserved if there are those around us who are going without. God has provided all with what is needed. Unfortunately, there are those who forget God and are the causation for those who lack. When we conduct ourselves rightly, then there are no more problems, only solutions.
When we do the right thing, we are then in right relationship with God. This means that we have opened ourselves up to experience The Grace of God. It then becomes the most influencing factor in our thoughts, actions, and spirituality. Only good can come from good. When we do good thing, then good things will result. This is why doing acts of charity makes us feel good. The presence of The Holy Spirit flows within us; it is the Love of God in action. It can be argued that there is no better feeling than to do something for another brother or sister in need. More validation can be found that these good acts are not taught; they naturally flow from us beginning from our very creation. God works through everyone and everything. He is The Prime Mover. He is unlimited in His power and influence. At times, we can be the vehicle of His love or be the receiver of His love. This is how all of God’s creation is supposed to work.
The widow did not hesitate when Elijah asked for a cup of water. When he pressed further, asking for some bread, she was hesitant because she was destitute. Elijah comforted her with his words, promising her that God would not allow her to go hungry and die. She believed these words because she did what he asked. There was no doubt in her mind that God would provide a solution to her dilemma. Before she encountered Elijah, she was preparing to die. Now she was ready to live. We are all drawn to negative outcomes and negative feelings. This originates from our attraction to evil. We are drawn to the worst scenario that we can imagine. This tears us away from God and plunges us into darkness. We are then more ready and able to sin. When we operate with God then we can act correctly and do the right things at the right time without the fear of consequences. What prevents us from giving? What prevents us from loving? What prevents us from helping another person? The answer to these questions is not God.
Jesus Christ had much the same interaction with a widow at Jacob’s Well. The Living Water that Jesus was offering to the widow was an offer to all of us. He is the Living Water and The Bread of Life that came down from heaven. There is a necessity to let what is being given to us freely by Jesus effect all aspects of our lives. What was given to us, must be given away. We shouldn’t be afraid to ask, and we shouldn’t be afraid to respond to others when they are found in need. This is not only limited to a physical need but extends to the emotional and spiritual also. All these things lead to The Christ Experience.
We can easily convince ourselves not to act according to the expectations of God because we are limited in some sort of way or maybe there is really no requirement because there might be some ulterior motive in the person we are interacting with. Maybe we will be taken advantage of and our good acts will be used for selfish gain. These thoughts are negative and do not come from God. It is not our place to question another person’s need. Our place is to give and give some more. It’s God’s place to sort these things out. In the meantime, we are asked to do the right thing. We know what the right thing is. Any little child knows it too. We as adults tend to complicate things. If we find ourselves questioning, then maybe we should go ask a little child for advice so that it can be cleared up for us.
The Gospel Reading today also uses a widow to illustrate the point Jesus was making. It is easy for one to give when the giving comes from a percentage of one’s wealth that will never be used for anything else. This wealth includes things of the material sense as well as mental and spiritual wealth. Even though this type of giving has its place, the giving in the form of sacrifice is of more importance and is the one that Jesus is really looking for. Giving until it hurts then giving some more are the acts that unite us to The Crucified Christ, for He gave until it hurt, and then He gave some more. When this is done, we become a part of the person that we are giving to, and they become a part of us. It is a shared experience where the given is giving more than the person receiving. This is when the value has no meaning while the importance of the act is primary.
When we see a situation that we can make better, we should make it better. In much the same way, when we find ourselves in a situation, we should have an expectation that God will either move someone to make it better or intercede on our behalf. Either way, He will provide just as we provided. In the end, we all will be fine. God promised this and He doesn’t break promises. The widow gave everything she had knowing that she would be provided for. We shouldn’t be limited by our fears and anxieties from doing what is expected for us. Jesus never did this. He gave everything.
Deacon Tom
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