November 10
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Praise the Lord, my soul!”
Readings
Reflection
One of the most spiritual (and sorrowful) places to be in the world is in the position of a widow. When you have dedicated your life to someone in matrimony and then have lost them, it is a very powerful loss. We see the experience of widows in our readings this weekend.
Losing your husband is a tragic and sorrowful experience. But in Jesus’ time there were some added burdens to bear. A woman was pretty much without any power or influence in Jewish society, which was patriarchal to the extreme. Unless a widow had brothers or sons who could mitigate their affairs, there was very little that could be done in terms of working or ownership. This meant that widows would be among the poorest of the poor. That is why God had such a special place in His heart for those women who were in the state of widowhood.
In the first reading from first Kings, Elijah the prophet meets a widow who is about to cook the last meal for herself and her son before they die of hunger in the midst of a great famine. Elijah asks her to make him something and blesses her to the point where her flour jar will not go empty and her jug of oil will stay full until the famine is over. It is significant that Elijah offers this blessing to a widow because of God’s love.
In the gospel, Jesus is watching the people put their money into the temple treasury and sees a widow give a very small amount. He makes the important distinction that she is giving from her poverty while those who give great amounts are giving from their plenty.
Let us all remember the special place that widows hold in God’s heart. We know that when we suffer, we can be brought close to the sufferings that Jesus experienced for us. There is no suffering like that experienced by a widow. May God’s peace be with you,
Would you like to receive these reflections in your inbox? Subscribe to The Sunday Read newsletter.