In the early days of the month of November we celebrate the
feast of All Saints and the feast of All Souls.
Throughout this month we pray in a particular way for the faithful
departed. We also recall on the 11th
of November the celebration of Veteran’s Day.
Veteran’s Day began as the anniversary of the end of, what was called,
the war to end all wars. It is a day that we, as a nation, set aside
to remember all those who have served this country in the armed forces. We remember those brave souls who have served
in peacetime and in time of war, both at home and abroad. We honor their service and we honor their
sacrifice. And when we ask these men and
women about their time in the service, when we ask them about their units and
about those with whom they served, they will often tell us about those who did
not make it home. They will tell us that
all gave some, but that some gave all.
We have in our readings today two widows who gave all. In our first reading from the book of Kings
we encounter the widow who was gathering sticks to build a fire so that she
might prepare the last meal that she and her son would be able to eat. And yet at the request of the prophet Elijah,
forgetting herself, she took some of her remaining flour and some of her
remaining oil, and prepared something for him to eat. The jar of flour and the jug of oil which
contained only enough for one small meal did not go empty and it provided for
them for the whole year.
In the Gospel we encounter the poor widow who made her small
offering to the treasury of the temple.
With so many people coming through and with so many offerings being
made, it was the widow offering her two small coins that caught the attention
of the Lord Jesus. The two small coins,
the offering of the poor, which were offered by the poor widow, would certainly
have caught the attention of the Lord Jesus because it was the offering of the
poor, two small turtledoves, that were the offering made when the child Jesus
was presented in the temple. But more
than the coins and more than the amount of the offering, the Lord Jesus praised
the generosity of the widow. The Lord
Jesus praised the attitude that accompanied the offering. You see, dear brothers and sisters, the widow
did not give from what she had left over.
She gave from all that she had.
All who were coming into the temple that day gave some, but she gave
all.
These two widows challenge us to consider how we think about
giving to the Lord. They challenge us
and they inspire us because they gave unto the Lord holding nothing back for
themselves. Relying on the providence of
Almighty God and placing their security in the hands of the Lord of heaven and
earth, these two widows call us to consider not only the gifts that our lives
and all that we have are. These two widows call us to consider the
gifts that our lives and all that we have are called to be. They are to be
a total offering.
The offering of Christ the High Priest, who enters the
sanctuary not made by human hands, is a total offering. Christ Jesus holds nothing back in his
complete self offering to the Father.
Bearing the wounds of his passion and death, Jesus reconciles us to the
Father by the blood of his holy cross.
Bearing the glorious sign of his victory over sin and death, Christ
Jesus holds nothing back when he offers himself to us in the Sacrament of the
Eucharist. Jesus Christ offers himself
completely to the Father and completely to his Church, and Jesus Christ invites
each of us to do the same. His invites
us to a life of giving all.
As we enter into the mystery of the total offering of the
Lord made present to us on the Altar, let us follow the example of the holy
widows and hold nothing back. Let us
remember that Christ our High Priest has invited us to join in his perfect and
acceptable offering. And let us ask for
the grace to live a life, not of giving some, but of giving all.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic
Church, Monroe, NC
