The first reading and the Gospel today have a common link, a generous widow who trusts in
God. The plight of a widow at the time
of the Scripture was quite dire. There
was no safety net like we have today with government programs, retirement
income, and charitable care. In marriage
the widow had left the care of her father’s house. Through her widowhood, the security of her
husband was lost. If the widow did not
have a son to care for her she was left destitute. There were little opportunities for a widow
to earn income outside of the home, as only men were able to do so. So a widow
was considered the poorest of the poor.
So why would
Elijah call on a widow for food and water?
Elijah was a prophet, whose name mean “my God is the Lord”. Just prior
to his encounter with the widow, Elijah was on the brink of starvation
himself. He had proclaimed to the king
that no rain would fall on his kingdom, and to rely only on God’s Word to
sustain the kingdom. Elijah had fled
into the wilderness hiding to escape persecution by the king, with God
providing him food & drink. But when
the river ran dry he was forced to seek sustenance elsewhere. He journeyed to a
land of a foreign god, Zarephath, encountering the widow asking her for food
and drink. She seems the least likely to be of help to him.
The widow is down
to the last meal for herself and her son, telling Elijah they’ll die after
eating it. Despite this dire situation in
her hospitality she generously provides food and drink to the prophet. Elijah
tells her: don’t be afraid, God will provide for you. Through the widow’s trust
in God’s providence and she and her son are able to eat for a year. Elijah’s encounter with the widow illustrates
the God’ preference for the poor and the widow’s trust in God’s care.
The widow in the Gospel
illustrates a similar trust in God. The
two coins she donated were
An early Church
Father related story of widow’s contribution of two coins as a metaphor of
Christ’s sacrifice. The coins represent
Christ’s divinity and humanity. Christ
become poor for us taking on human form.
He sacrificed all by giving his life for our sins, in trusting obedience
to God the Father. Through his divinity
he was resurrected and gives us the hope of salvation.
We are sustained
by the memorial of the Eucharist, where we partake in the food and drink that
leads to our eternal life. God sustains
us in the poverty of our sin, by trusting in the grace of the sacraments to nourish
and heal us while we wait for Christ’s return to bring us salvation. As we’re sustained by the sacraments, we can
be instruments of God mercy to bring about his Kingdom by caring for the poor.
As Jesus’s
disciple’s, we’re given the opportunity to share in God’s preference for the poor. Our support
of the Thanksgiving food drive, food pantry, Christmas store, and outreach
assistance, shows our care for the poor here in our community.
The ministries of
Catholic Charities and Catholic Schools supported by the United Catholic Appeal
also directly impact the poor throughout the Archdiocese. These ministries
provide homes for families through Holy Family Shelter; food, clothing, and
transportation assistance through the Crisis office, and resettlement of refugees
persecuted for their faith or ethnicity.
Students of impoverished families are able to choose to attend Catholic
schools throughout the archdiocese. Our support of these ministries provide for
all of us to be God’s instruments to the poor who put their trust in God.
In my ministry of
charity to offenders at Johnson County Jail I’m able to directly see the impact
of God’s care for the poor. The
offenders in jail struggle with both physical and spiritual poverty. They’re hungering for a relationship with
God. They’re been led astray by the
false gods of the world which leads them into trouble. Many of them have been trapped in a cycle of
poverty and broken family relationships. When volunteers from St. Rose and I go
into the jail, we’re able spiritually feed them through God’s Word and the
Eucharist. We also give them hope that
someone cares enough to visit them weekly at the jail.
One thing I’ve recently
started doing is to tell them about the Harvest food pantry and Thanksgiving
food drives at Ss. Francis and Clare and St. Rose.
I’ve noticed a
great deal of interest when speaking about this, and sense how great a need
there seems to be. Many have families have lost the income of
their jailed family members, and appreciate the help to feed their families. This ministry supported by all of you through
your donations shows God’s care for the poor. Through this generosity it hopefully
strengthens their trust in God.
So as you share
in the gifts God’s has given you, trust in God, and give generously. God gave his all though his Son’s sacrifice
on the Cross. May the Eucharist we receive nourish us so we can be instrument
of God’s care for the poor.
