Reflection for Monday, November 23, 1998: 34th week in Ordinary Time.
No Thumbnail Available
Authors
Hamm, Dennis, S.J.
Issue Date
1998-11-23
Volume
Issue
Type
Essay
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
"He [Jesus] looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on."||A memory comes back from a retreat I made some years ago. I had been meditating on some of the little people in the Gospel--especially this widow with her coins and that other woman who lavished a whole jar of ointment on Jesus' feet. In an odd moment the two episodes crystallized in the form of a country-style refrain:|Toss in the coppers. Pour out the nard. If you give all you got, Then the livin' ain't hard.|I didn't rush those lyrics off right away to Garth Brooks, but they caught for me the essence of those two actions. Anything and everything we have is a gift. Living in the spirit of Jesus, who makes this observation about the widow as he moves into the final week of his earthly life, means making our whole life a total outpouring of what we are and have. The first half of our lives is probably about finding out who we are and developing that. The second half is more about giving ourselves away. Toss in the coppers, pour out the nard. Anything less is either trivial or half-hearted.
Description
Citation
Publisher
University Ministry, Creighton University.
License
These reflections may not be sold or used commercially without permission. Personal or parish use is permitted.
Journal
Volume
Issue
PubMed ID
DOI
Identifier
Lectionary number: 503