WIDOW’S MITE PHOTO: Mary van Balen “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” Lk 12. 48
Today’s gospel reading begins with Jesus warning “…if the Master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come….” LK 12. 39-41
Peter asks if this message is meant for the disciples or for everyone. Jesus continues with the story of servants who do good and faithful work while their master is away. When the master returns, the servant is rewarded by increased responsibilities. The servant who abuses power while the master is away, squandering food and drink and mistreating those in his care will be punished and demoted from a position of trust to one of severe servitude.
He ends with the advice much is expected from those who are given much.
Who IS given much? What are their responsibilities? Unlike Peter, I know these words are meant for me, for all of us, today. One thing I pondered is the “much.” Jesus didn’t say money, or power, or material goods. He just said “much. The servant stewards in the story were given responsibility to dispense the master’s goods to the other servants.It is the sharing, not of their own goods, but those of the master, that was required.
Where does that leave me or any of us? Some of us have plenty of material wealth; others of us are just scraping by, or worse. Some of God’s people have no jobs or homes. Some are living in countries suffering drought, war, and disease. How can these words be addressed to us all? Surely, we cannot all be generous in the same way.
I think of the widow who dropped her small coin in the temple money box. It was all she had. What moved her to do such a thing? Working in a low paying job, I am trying not to dip into retirement savings. I am not moved to give it all away. That would be irresponsible in my world, I tell myself. And it would be. I don’t believe that wealth or worldly success is a sign of God’s favor or a divine reward for hard work or “pulling one’s self up by one’s bootstraps.”
Still, Jesus’ advice must be taken to heart. God has entrusted each of us with the Gift of Divine Self, dwelling within. THAT is the treasure we are responsible for sharing: God’s life and love. HOW we each do that, well, that is as varied as we are. I may not have and abundance of money, but I have an ear to listen and a heart to hold those who need compassion and support. I have a home to welcome others. I have a gift with words and so am called to share God’s love through my writing. A parent may give most generously by loving her children so they, too, will be able to know God’s love in themselves.
We have different gifts, but as Scripture tells us, we have One Spirit. You may have an abundance of wealth and material goods. How you use them is directed by the Grace of Self that God has shared with you. You may be an artist, a parent, a teacher, a doctor, a receptionist. You may be unemployed. What you do and how much you have is not the central message of Jesus’ story.
How we share what dwells within, that is the point. We will never know what events or thoughts moved the widow to give away her last bit of money. What we do know is that somehow, it was a response to the God Grace that lived in her heart. She held the good of others above her own needs.
What does Love required of us, right where we are? Patience? A large monetary donation to a food pantry? A quarter given to a beggar on the street? If we are still, and spend time with the Holy One, and listen to the Spirit’s movements in our soul, we will know.
An afterthought: As I read the chapter of Luke that contained today’s gospel, I saw that that today’s reading came after Jesus told those who had gathered to hear him not to be concerned about what they would eat and drink. Not to store up goods and treasures. Working in retail, I am bracing for the onslaught of holiday shopping. Consumerism rears its head especially at this time of year, at least in this country. Perhaps as we approach the season of giving we can keep in mind the truest gift we can give. It comes not FROM us but rather THROUGH us; God’s Presence.
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