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FROM A READING FOR NOV. 11, 32ND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
'All of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she, out of her poverty, has put in everything she had.' - Mark 12:44

Sunday's Gospel passage (Mark 12:38-44) is one of the most misunderstood in all of Scripture.

Rarely does a Christian institution embark on a fundraiser without someone bringing up the widow who "from her poverty, contributed all she had, her whole livelihood" to the Jerusalem temple treasury - usually with the comment, "That's what Jesus expects us to do."

Is it? Not when you put it back in the context in which Mark gives it to us. Jesus has just condemned the Jewish religious leaders "who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers." (In other words, "If you give me your money, I'll 'say one' for you.")

Mark's Jesus then gives us exhibit A, an example of the latter sin: "He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasure. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents."

Who's in need?
Notice that, unlike many Christian preachers, at no point in the passage does Jesus ever praise the widow for contributing "all she had." He simply employs her action as one proof of religious leaders "devouring the houses of widows."

Instead of taking care of such impoverished people, these money-motivated individuals have successfully brainwashed the poor into believing it's their obligation to take care of the leaders.

Jesus stands shoulder-to-shoulder with His prophetic predecessors on this issue. One of the most biting condemnations of such practices is in Hosea 4, where Yahweh, referring to the priests receiving "a cut" of all the offerings made at the local shrines, states the obvious: "They feed on the sins of my people."

If the priests don't hammer away at the sinfulness of their worshippers, the worshippers aren't going to offer any sin sacrifices, forcing priests to tighten their belts.

Elijah, in our I Kings (17:10-16) reading, demonstrates this prophetic option for the poor in his treatment of the Gentile widow of Zarephath. Though he asks her to provide him with "a bit of bread," he also makes certain "her jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry."

No financial abuse
Unlike the Jerusalem priests, Yahweh will not put her and her son in peril because of her generosity to a prophet.

Our first and third readings might lead us to look at our Hebrews (9:24-28) passage from a different perspective. The author here is making his well-known comparison between Jewish priests and Jesus as priest: Both are engaged in taking away "sin," but, in the writer's opinion, Jesus does it infinitely better.

But after hearing Jesus' condemnation of the financial abuse of the poor by religious institutions, we've got something to add to our examination of conscience. Jesus' definition of sin is almost always more inclusive than our own.

How do we take care of the poor? Is part of our weekly collection earmarked for people in need beyond our own parish?

That's the trouble with being a follower of Jesus: There's always something new to think about.[[In-content Ad]]

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