Homily for 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

32^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 7thNovember,2021 (The mighty widow)

By Rev. Rudolf Ofori

The dignitaries in today’s Gospel need more than a defense counsel, for Jesus is putting his case for the prosecution. The scribes were expert lawyers, who interpreted and applied the written Law through a complicated system of traditions. They were respected teachers, both in the schools and in the courts, and had become accustomed to the honor shown them by the ordinary people. Many of them were devoted and selfless scholars, anxious to save people from transgressing the Law; others were ambitious for their own advancement, anxious only for their vanity to be satisfied. It is the latter group that Jesus confronts in today’s Gospel. He reverses the roles: the lawyers become the accused.

  In contrast to the counterfeit piety of the scribes, Jesus honors true piety in the generosity of the poor widow. The pious frauds who abused their religious status by devouring the property of widows could take a lesson from a woman who had no status in their religion or society, a poor widow.

  The scene is set in the Temple area. Around the walls of the court of women there were thirteen collecting boxes, known from their shape as trumpets. They were set up for people’s contributions towards the costs of the sacrifices and running expenses of the Temple. Many rich people put in large sums of money, some, no doubt, trumpeting the size of their contribution. A poor widow puts in two of the smallest coins in circulation. In the arithmetic of the kingdom the widow’s offering is worth more than all the other contributions. Whereas the others give from their surplus, she gives everything.

  The two small coins make up the total of her resources. She could have kept one - she doesn’t. Her reckless generosity cannot be bettered. For Jesus, true generosity is measured not by what people give but by what they have left after they give. The poor widow leaves herself with nothing. She cannot give more, for she has nothing more to give. In Jesus’ estimation she is a mighty widow.

  The story of the widow’s generosity is well placed at this stage in Mark’s Gospel. The poor widow typifies what Jesus will do himself- give everything as an offering to God. When Jesus is finished giving, there will be nothing left for him to give. He gives his all. That is the reality of his piety.

  Jesus hopes that his own disciples will takes their cue from that example of real piety, not from the scribes hungry for status and honor. He hopes that we, his followers, will be equally generous with our own resources. Those resources are not always measured in money. We are called on to give of our time, our talent, our understanding. We are asked to give not just from our abundance but from our substance. That kind of giving always hurts because we feel all spent after it. Like the widow, we might feel that we have nothing more to give; but it’s that kind of giving that counts with Jesus.

  Every day demands are made on us. We are called on to be generous with our love, our forgiveness, our patience, our resources. And the good news is that when we do that out of love, Jesus will be our constant support. No matter who the prosecuting counsel turns out to be when our case comes up, Jesus will be leading for the defense.