LAITY REFLECTIONS FOR THE 32ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)
1st Reading: 1 Kings 17:10-16
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 146:6c-7.8-9a.9bc-10ab (R. 1b)
2nd Reading: Hebrews 9:24-28
Gospel Acclamation: Matthew 5:3
Gospel Reading: Mark 12:38-44
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 146:6c-7.8-9a.9bc-10ab (R. 1b)
2nd Reading: Hebrews 9:24-28
Gospel Acclamation: Matthew 5:3
Gospel Reading: Mark 12:38-44
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| Philip Okoye |
How do you give as a Christian?
To keep it simple , let me share by putting the act of giving under 2 broad categories :
1. Selfish giving (payback giving)
2. Selfless giving (generous giving)
1️⃣. Selfish giving are the kinds of giving that are driven by calculated expectations or returns . The main motive for this kind of giving is to get the recipient to be obliged to paying back , either in cash or kind , which could be made known to the recipient , or even disguised by the giver.
This kind of giving is far from what it often appears to be in the sense that it is somewhat exploitative and subtly targeted at the unfortunate situation of the recipient. The recipient is usually saddled with the burden of repayment , at times in the terms of the giver.
Put differently , it is a self-serving kind of giving , and mostly done to attract public admiration and praises , aside the central motive , which is payback.
2️⃣. Selfless giving: It is the kind of giving, be it to God or man , that is done wholeheartedly without any form of expectations or returns from its recipient.
It is such that put the interest and well being of the recipient above every other thing . It is the kind of giving that principally takes into account divine directive and guidance.
This kind of giving comes with a lot of selflessness , humility and sometimes compassion .
And the primary motive for this kind of giving is usually in reverence and gratitude to God , the great provider , and a deep sense of concern for common good of humanity.
And it is the kind of giving the scripture teaches because its rewards are usually tied to faith , by ultimately trusting in God's divine providence.
So, if Christ can give up HIS life for us as unworthy as we are....then, as Christ followers , we can not be too poor to give to God and the needy as we've learnt from the window of Zarephath .
May God bless His word in our hearts through Christ our Lord , Amen 🙏.
REFLECTION
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| Olubunmi Akinbode |
The stories of the two poor widows in today's readings underscore this. In the first reading, the widow took the big risk of trusting in the words of a thirsty and hungry stranger - the prophet Elijah-and offered him part of what would have been the last meal for her son and herself. She was then blessed with a great miracle: her food never ran out until the rains fell again! God's awesome blessings may not always be tangible. Sometimes, they are rather spiritual rewards.
Then, the lesson from the Gospel reading. The poor widow offered all that she had to live on! Then, she was rewarded beyond her imagination. That is, in the midst of so many people offering in the Temple, her generosity caught the eyes and heart of Jesus!
This simply tells us that God sees all we do ,our generosity and the way we treat the poor among us as well.
Thank you.
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| Fabian Dania |
Qualitative Obedience
One of the first virtues most children get to be taught is obedience and truthfulness. I am particularly moved by the obedience of the widow of Zarephath. Whether the prophet was known to her before then or not, her childlike obedience still makes me wonder concerning how obedient I am to God's word.
May we be attentive to God's word and follow his instructions. Amen!!!
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| Vivian Agatha Oyih |
The widow of Zarephath has something in common with the poor widow in the Gospel of Mark; they gave all without looking back and they did this because they believed in God who is their provider. Now in this harsh economic situation that we are in now, how many times do you remove the money for offerings and check very well in order to select the least denominations among it to use as offerings? We do this because of our lack of faith, but today, our Lord Jesus Christ who offered Himself completely as an atonement for us is assuring us that He is our great provider. He only wants us to have faith and live the rest to Him. May the Good Lord bless His word in us. Amen.
REFLECTION
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| Chiedozie Mbaeri |
To live in the light of hope of Christ’s return, means living with an awareness that Jesus Christ is coming back as stated in the Scriptures. This belief impacts our daily lives; our relationship with God and our fellow humans.
The second reading gives an insight of what the second coming would look like: ‘Christ is coming not to deal with sin, but to save those eagerly waiting for Him’.
It is only someone that is prepared that can eagerly wait.
Our life on earth is literally a waiting for Christ, and while waiting, certain things are expected.
Care and attention for the poor is ONE of the things expected of us.
In the Gospel, Jesus noticed the poor widow.
Jesus saw her throwing her two coins in the treasure. No one, of course, noticed her because she did not come from a noble family and so she did not attract attention; she did not belong to the world of rich and famous people so she was not noticed.
However, Jesus looked with affection and admiration at that woman. Only Jesus gave her attention. Jesus teaches the disciples, who were absentminded or focused only on impressive things, to look with love and care at the smallest things.
Every time we entrust ourselves to the Lord and His mercy like the poor widow, Jesus notices us. It does not matter if our faith seems like two coins; if it is sincere, then it is everything.
REFLECTION
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| Paddy Kevwe |
GIVING RECIPROCATES HONOUR
"Giving will give you what you cannot give yourself, and that is Honour." For truth, honour can only be received from others and this honour is a product of what we have given to others. No one is honoured with an award for idleness. So we are challenged today in our liturgy to make ourselves useful to be able to make an impact at least in the life of someone but then this impact must be a positive one.
We have in one way or the other engaged in one relationship or the other. This means we are not alone but have had an encounter with others. But then, we may have had some broken, failed and abandoned relationship. We are urged today not to give up in reaching out to others and giving them a chance to make an impact in our lives. The widows today have lost their husbands and are left to carter for themselves. But this situation and reality did not deter them from giving. This is because, true generosity is from a genuine and intentional heart. And in their giving, they got honour in return and today we continue to remember the "widow's mite". The two widows gave their all especially to the well being of another. We must as Christians be able to emulate these women of faith who gave their all for others.
As the psalmist says, we implore the Lord to come save us. The widow of Zarephath indeed was used to save the hunger of the prophet Elijah, and in turn, God came through for her by not letting the jar of meal to be spent nor the pitcher of oil to fail. This alone is enough honour for her and her family and it is simply because of her generous giving to the prophet.
Jesus came saving us by giving his life as a ransom for our sins and this single sacrifice of his has earned him an everlasting honour.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us try to be a giving person. This will in turn give us honour. I'm sure everyone of us wants to be called a Honourable. Be a person of Honour by giving.
Lord, make us an instrument of true generosity to humanity through Christ our Lord. Amen
#Shalom
