34th Week in Ord. Time, Monday – 23rd November 2020 — Gospel: Lk 21,1-4
Offer not Gifts, but Oneself
Jesus brings to notice the offering made by the poor widow. He compares her offering to be greater than the offering made by the rich people. She gives from all that she has unlike the rich who have enough and surplus to offer. The rich contributed gifts, the poor widow contributed herself. The core aspect is the attitude of offering. When we give from what little we have, we experience great happiness. Jesus indicates that generosity is not quantifiable. It does not count how much and how big you give, but it counts how and what you give. The poor widow gives a perfect example of detachment and total reliance on the divine providence of God. Her undying trust in God shows her relationship with God as the number one priority in her life. She has been willing to give all she has on which to live, because she believes that God will take care of her. She was cheerful when she made the offering. She teaches that our possessions and those, which in some way we have made our own, are not for us. We have them so that we might give them, and we should give them back to God, for they are his. We give them to others as an expression of our love for God. Our attitude of generosity is not measured by the size of our pockets but by what comes from our heart.
