Our Whole Livelihoods

“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.’”
Mark 12:43-44

Perhaps this passage from the Gospel may be familiar to us. Jesus points out the behaviors of the Scribes, seeking out notoriety and places of honor, and even cheating the widows. From the earliest times widows and orphans were given special places of care in the life of the Church because they were the most vulnerable. The Scribes were usually put in charge of the widows’ estates, which means that they take a share of it, and sometimes an inordinate amount. It is important to note here that Jesus was not saying the Scribes were bad people by nature, rather He was condemning their behaviors.

So what are the behaviors that we as Christians should adapt and imitate? Jesus gives us the example of the poor widow. We are told that the poor widow contributed two small coins that added up to a few cents, the lowest denomination of currency, and that this contribution was greater than the other contributions. The greatness of the contribution is not quantitative but qualitative. The poor widow gave all that she had, or as Jesus said, “her whole livelihood.” While the Lord isn’t asking us to give away all that we have to the point where we do not have money to feed our families, but rather think about and reflect on how it is that we give. Do we give and do acts of charity because we feel superior to those who may benefit from our contributions, or do we do so with a deep sense of gratitude to God for all that he has given to us, and so want to give back to the Him, for whatever we do to the least of His people, we do to Him?

For me, giving from one’s whole livelihood is giving with our whole hearts. Giving while knowing that all that we have is a gift, a gift that we do not deserve, but rather a gift given out of Love. So, to give from one’s whole livelihood is to give with love and out of love, disinterested love, a giving that seeks nothing in return, but only the greater glory of God, which is man fully alive. This widow, although poor, was fully alive because she lived life knowing that she has been blessed beyond all measure.

First Among All

“And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him,

‘You are not far from the Kingdom of God.’”

Mark 12:34a

If I were to ask you what is the most important thing in your life, what would you say? Who or what would take that place in your heart? When one of the scribes asked Jesus which among the commandments was first, Jesus answered with the Shema in Deuteronomy (6:4-7) saying that to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And Jesus added that the second is likened to it, loving your neighbor as yourself. For Jesus, loving God was first among everything else. God and His will was Jesus’ priority. And, when one loves God above all else, love of neighbor necessarily follows.

What are your priorities? Who or what is first in your life? For me, I will say God, family, and friends, in that order. Perhaps many of you will say “That’s how my list goes, too!” But today I want to challenge both you and me to really think about that list. What does it mean when I say God is number one? How does that look like in my daily life? Does it reflect it? If not, then I ought to reevaluate how important God is in my life, and how I can deepen my relationship with Him so that my thoughts, actions, and desires will truly reflect, that for me, love of God comes first, followed by love of family and friends.

That saints who we celebrate today, St. Charles Lwanga and companions did just that. By refusing to commit immoral acts and defending their faith, they were martyred. Their words and actions, and their entire lives truly showed that God was first in their lives. May we today evaluate our own lives, asking for the grace to grow deeper in God’s love, so that Jesus might say to us what He said to that wise and humble scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

He Listens

“At that very time,
the prayer of these two suppliants
was heard in the glorious presence of Almighty God.”

Tobit 3:16

Have you ever felt as if God was not listening, even when you prayed day in and day out? You’re not alone. Tobit was at his wits’ end and prayed to God for his death. It happened to Sarah too (Tobit 3:7ff) when she was falsely accused of being the cause of her husbands’ deaths for all seven of her husbands were killed off by a demon before they were able to have children. The people told her to go join her husbands. Sarah also wanted the Lord to take her life and she even planned to hang herself, but her prayer changed later. What caused this change? She thought about her father. She said, “No! May people never reproach my father and say to him, ‘You had only one beloved daughter, but she hanged herself because of her misfortune.’ And thus would I bring my father laden with sorrow in his old age to Hades” (Tobit 3:10).

At the end we are told that God heard their prayers and He sent the Angel Raphael to bring healing to Tobit and Sarah. Tobit was able to see again and Sarah was married off. The Lord hears the prayers and cries of the broken-hearted and He is close to the poor and outcast. And He as a plan for our lives that we could never have imagined. It is not always easy for us to see God’s plan when we are in the midst of our suffering, but we have to remember that whatever is plaguing us is not greater than God’s love.

When we are at our wit’s end, may we always remember that God sees all and hears us and listens to our cries. Perhaps like Sarah, we could think about the people in our lives who we love and how our actions might affect them. Are those whom we love worth us hanging in there? Do their love for me and my love for them strengthen my hope and faith in the Lord? God listens and He loves us. Hang in there.