Coffee With God

Reflection: Luke 21:1-4

We are once again given the story of the offering of the poor widow for our reflection. A couple of weeks ago, we have reflected on it in detail during a Sunday liturgy. The beautiful explanation by Fr. Armellini helped us to reflect on the corrupt practices and traditions of the temple which forced an offering even from people like this hapless widow. Jesus decried the attitude of the priests and religion scholars who devoured the poor and the widows to enhance their pockets. Widows, orphans, migrants, and foreigners were the poorest people in Israel. The widow in the Gospel had offered her whole livelihood, because she trusted in the Lord. She gives everything, because for her, the Lord is greater than all else. The message of this Gospel passage is an invitation to generosity. Generosity towards the poor, towards the needy, towards the abandoned and despised. That’s why when the Church exhorts the faithful for generosity, care should be taken that the Church herself does not fail to be generous towards the needy. Often times our Church institutions behave like the religion scholars and priests of the time of Jesus. Many churches and priests insist a fee for the funerals, marriages, baptisms and Mass resulting in chasing the faithful away from the sacraments and the Church. When the Church truly represents the presence of God among the people, it should be more concerned about not only caring for their spiritual needs but also for their physical needs. “Charity begins at home,” says the proverb. Caring for the needy – the elderly and the sick in our homes should not be overlooked while reaching out to help the needy neighbour or even making huge offerings to the church. How often do we come across elderly and sick parents living in misery, while their children are known for their charitable works in the society and in the Church? Generosity belongs to everyday life. Can I be more conscious of ‘How can I be more generous, with the poor, the needy… How can I help more?’ It is normal to think that, “I am not super rich to be very generous with the needs of people around me. Let me take care of my own needs first, before trying to be generous!” Pope Francis has a suggestion for us: He says, “look through your room or your wardrobe. How many pairs of shoes do I have? One, two, three, four, fifteen, twenty…. Maybe too many… But if you have many pairs of shoes, give away half. How many clothes do I not use or use only once a year? This is one way to be generous, to give what we have, and to share.