Gospel: Luke 21:1-4
Jesus looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury of the temple. He also saw a poor widow, who dropped in two small coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them. For all of them gave an offering from their plenty; but she, out of her poverty, gave all she had to live on.”
Reflection:
"The Lord notices our dedication and self-giving."
The Mishnah records in the temple in Jerusalem had thirteen chests or treasuries for offerings. As people dropped their money into the funnels, the copper coins would clang. So, the more you put in, the bigger the noise, thus attracting people’s attention. In contrast, the two tiny coins which the widow dropped in would hardly have made a sound. Jesus criticized the hypocrisy of making a show of one’s religion. Here, he is also challenging a half-hearted service of God. The rich put in many coins, but it’s only a fraction of their wealth. Therefore, their offering to God is small in comparison to that of the widow. Her offering would have attracted little attention among the people in the Temple, but it attracted much attention from the Lord, as she gives all she has and so it’s a total giving of self, and an expression of complete trust in God. Saints Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions also made a total self-giving in their martyrdom and thousands more Vietnamese Christians suffered greatly in waves of anti- Christian persecution from the nineteenth century onwards. Whether our deed is great or small, the Lord notices our dedication and self-giving. He knows when it’s genuine.
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