Saturday of 9th Week, uneven year
"In his teaching he said, ’Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in lng robes, to be greeted respectfully in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; these are the men who devour the property of widows and for show offer long prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.’
If we could only know how much God is present in our lives, and how precious is our life for God. Let us ask God that we may come to know that our daily combat is sustained and uplifted by angelic powers and by all the saints who never stop praying for us.Toby tells us we must hide the king’s secret and reveal God’s works. In the first reading e see how the aged Toby is looking for a companion for the road for his son Toby. A poor person turns up , a traveler on the road! ’Are you going that way? That’s great, for my son is going that way too. You can go together.’ The stranger humbly accompanies the young man who becomes his companion. A long time afterwards, when the mission is over ’Toby calls his son and says :What can we give tot his holy person who accompanied you on the road?’ Toby is a lovely face that announces Jesus.He is a fair and upright man, but also an afflicted man. The Book of Toby hides a mystery that is revealed to us (’You have to hide the king’s secret but reveal God’s works.’) The gift of God is a love that has to stay secret. it is indeed this Love that dwelt in Toby’s heart whilst he was accomplishing God’s works. ’I am going to reveal something,’ says this stranger to Toby ’ as you prayed crying, and left your meal to go and bury the dead, hiding the dead in your home so as to bury them at night, I (this character is the Archangel Raphael) presented your prayer to the Lord.’ When Toby wants to offer a reward to this traveler, this mysterious character reveals himself in an incredible way. Toby’s heart is completely comforted.
’Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow cam and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny.’
The gospel offers us a contrast that takes hold of us. Here is Jesus sitting opposite the treasury in the Temple, looking at how people put in their money. ’A lot of rich people put in a great deal.’ A poor widow went forward and put in two small coins in the trunk. Jesus said to his disciples ’Amen I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than anyone.’ When we celebrate the paschal mystery we celebrate the secrets God has hidden in his Heart all about Love.This is truly where our treasure lies. We have the angels and saints with us, sustaining us in our daily life in an invisible way. Jesus is with us in all that we do in an invisible manner.Heaven is present in all of our actions: ’I presented your prayer to the Lord. And since you are pleasing to the Lord you had to be tempted by trials.’ Jesus sees our heart, all the treasures of love he put there and that are hidden.
’Jesus called his disciples and said to them, ’In truth I tell you, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury, for they have all put in money they could spare, but she in her poverty has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.’
Jesus was someone who observed.He loved all things and everyone. For him, the humble realities of life were full of lessons for whoever would look at them with their heart.Like the wise people of the former Covenant, Jesus was mad about mankind, especially about the way he sought God and spoke to God. Jesus loved this woman’s gesture. Calling to him his disciples, he says to them, as though he wants to communicate to them an important teaching : ’Amen, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than the others in the trunk.’ Most of all she gave much more because of her poverty. Her poverty hadn’t discouraged her. Even though she was poor, she had something to give to God. On that day she had known how to do something crazy for God : give to Him her final assurance, commending herself to God for the future and for her daily bread. She accepted to go without, so as God would be the first served in her life. She wasn’t afraid of her poverty, neither before God or others. She hadn’t looked at what others had
given so as to be saddened, she hadn’t thought about any comparison of herself with them. She gave ’as her heart told her to.’ She gave her poverty and this is what had especially touched Jesus. She knew that her offering would make her even poorer but her simple and upright faith told he that God loved her as she was, that she didn’t have to be rich in order to give.