SEEKING GOD’S BLESSINGS BY OUR CARE FOR OTHERS AND SUPPORT FOR HIS CHURCH”

melissaofficial (64)in #life • 5 years ago

One would notice that the first reading and the gospel today talk about widows. Whereas in the former, the widow expressed her trust in God by giving to His prophet, another widow is praised by Jesus in the latter for putting all she had to live on in the treasury of the Temple. These two widows are linked together in their similar gesture of abiding trust in God and in His Providence which prompted the first widow to ‘give in kind’ to God’s prophet and the second widow to ‘give in cash’ for God’s work in the Jewish Temple.

A close look at widows in biblical times would only leave one marvelling since widows in those days were among the poorest of the poor. How comes these two widows each gave her ‘all’ when it has always been difficult even for many who are rich to give? What was their hope for tomorrow at such a moment when each of them gave all she had to live on? Is this kind of giving not risky and injurious to the giver? What are the lessons that these two widows teach us today.

These two widows represent those people who despite their poverty and oppression put all their trust in God. This is the attitude that can make the Christian today to give in kind and in cash either to God’s prophets or for the sake of God’s work. We all must know that those who give to others or donate generously to the church do this because they trust that God will reward and bless them. When you trust in God and become generous towards others God Himself makes sure you are not denied of the ‘meals of your days’ and your ‘oil of gladness’. This is because, truly speaking, it is in giving to God and to others that we receive from God above.

The two widows in our readings challenge those of us who think that we are too poor to give to others or to donate in our churches. These widows reprove some of us who are so stingy towards others just because we need our own economic security. They tell us that even our last morsel of bread can be shared with others since hunger is a common human experience. If these widows were here with us in these times of national and economic hardship in Nigeria, they would have still shown their charity and generosity to teach us that a man’s life is not secured by what he possess and amass (Lk. 12:15) but by his abiding trust in God.

Christians need to know that those who give wholeheartedly and generously are on the side of God. This is why Jesus approves of the poor widow’s offering even in the face of the many rich people who had put in great deal of money into the treasury. Yes, God’s mathematics and logic defies human calculations; for the poor widow of one penny was praised and placed higher than the many rich men who made great contributions. In this Jesus announced the coming of God’s kingdom not only by proclaiming the poor blessed (Matt. 5:3), but also by personally identifying with them (2Cor. 8:9).

God always shows His favour to those who may be physically poor and yet struggle hard to show love to others and support His work. Widows of our present day can also give to God and give generously to others so that God, who is the giver of all good gifts, can give them back all that they need to live a fulfilled life here on earth. Those who think they are poor in our days are not excluded from giving to God and to others; for this is when our giving can truly become meaningful.

Jesus still sits by the treasury boxes in our churches today and He looks on as each of us comes forward to make offerings and donations. He even looks into our hearts to see if we come truly happy to donate to Him and for His work. Jesus reads our minds to ascertain our dispositions and He sees our mood when we show charity and give to others. This is because for our giving to truly count, it must hurt and cause us some sacrifice. Giving is at its best when the giver needs what is given as much as the receiver and yet the gift is given.

Jesus Himself shows us this kind of giving when He gave us, not only material gifts, but His very self as an expiation for our faults-a gift that is effective even to this day; an offering that took away our sins and has now guaranteed our salvation as the second reading teaches today. As we sing the praises of the Lord in our worship today, we should never count anything as being too much for God or for His church since Christ gave His very life for us and we are now redeemed. Let us also not see anything as being too little that we cannot share with others since whatever is shared is multiplied by God and we are blessed for it. Truly, we can seek great blessings from God through our generous care for others and our sincere support for His church.

This is my opinion, I am open to comments, contributions and corrections.

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5 years ago in #life by melissaofficial (64)

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