Gospel Lk 21:1-4

The leaders of the Jewish faith of the time expected the poorest members of society to give up their inheritance to them. While Jesus applauds the widow for her generosity, he also makes the analogy of “giving everything up”, something that he would do Himself on the cross for mankind.

We can only imagine generosity … selfless generosity such as that of the widow. Leaving her plight only to God’s will. A faith that will be hard for us to emulate in both bad and good financial times.
At the weekend, I stopped to get gas at a local station in NH, having recently had the good fortune to afford a newer car. A disheveled man drove in next to me in a car that was rusty and more than 30 years old. It reminded me of my previous car and wondered how others viewed me when they saw me in that car. A car I was pleased to have at the time, as it was our only form of transportation. No matter how hard it is, we need to work on being humble not judgmental when we encounter the poor. The selflessness of many who are poor and still give should inspire us all to better things.