32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Cycle B 1 Kings 17:10-16 Hebrews 9:24-28 Mark
12:38-44 Remember
those baby bottles that were passed out by the Women’s Guild here at Christ
the King just over a month ago? The baby bottles where we asked people to
take one and fill it with change, or dollar bills, or with a check for the Visitation
House here in Worcester, a house that supports pregnant women in difficult
situations? Situations where these women have lost the support of their
families? Or where the father of the child wants the mother to abort the baby
because he doesn’t want to take responsibility for the act, or he’s afraid of the
financial burden of 18-plus years? Situations where thankfully the mother
wishes to bring the child to birth? Well, the same
weekend those baby bottles were passed out to some of you folks at all the
Sunday Masses, they were also presented to all the teenagers in the CYC at
their Sunday evening Mass back in October. And over 30 CYC members ended
up taking a baby bottle home, which is quite impressive. The ones who took a
bottle were asked to do the best they could by way of filling up the bottles with
change.
So during the month of October I was like Jesus in this Gospel. I’m sitting
across from the treasury for a whole month on this baby bottle deal, and I’m
thinking, “Hmm, 30 or so teenagers have taken these bottles. I wonder how
many teenagers will return them, and how many will have put at least a nickel
into the bottle in these tough economic times?” But unlike Jesus sitting at the
treasury outside the Temple area, I was sitting in judgment, expecting the
worst. So last Sunday came, and I’m still sitting at the treasury like Jesus,
watching and observing how many baby bottles will come back on their due
date, and how heavy will the box be that the bottles go into. Well, by the time all
the teenagers left for the night, and I went to pick up the box with the bottles, it
was rather heavy. And once again, Fr. Riley was eating crow. Someday I’ll learn
for good that once they hit teenage status, their sainthood doesn’t disappear. It
continues to grow.
If you remember in last week’s homily I talked about the Communion of Saints
in a way of understanding how we live out our communion within the
Communion. And doing so in a way that makes our present sainthood a reality.
Once again, we are incorporated into the Communion of Saints by virtue of
baptism and belief that Jesus is raised from the dead. Those two elements of
our faith call for action. The type of action that consists of words and deeds. Or
sighs and deeds; long sighs or groanings because there may be times when
we are simply at a loss for words in our prayer.
So the emphasis last week, with All Souls Day following All Saints Day, was on
words. On prayer. And I used the image of a ladder. Where the Saints in heaven
on the top of that ladder are praying for the souls in Purgatory in the middle of
the ladder, their prayers reaching down with the intention of lifting these souls
into God’s glory. To the top of the ladder, so to speak. And we’re on the bottom
of the ladder right now, where our prayers for family and friends, our breath,
our spirit, and our voice life up these same souls from the bottom. It’s one of
our primary obligations within the Communion of Saints. So this image of the
ladder addresses the words, the sighs, and the groanings.
However, a second responsibility that flows from our participation in the
Communion of Saints is deeds. And words, or sighs, along with deeds, reflects
the life of Jesus himself. He offers us words (teachings and commandments),
along with sighs and groanings to “Abba.” But Jesus has also offered
everyone of us a deed, an action, being the action of offering up his body on
the Cross so that we may live at a later date. It’s called the Great Exchange,
except the money here was his blood. It would make for one of those credit
card commercials; first, those from their surplus perform a good deed and
place five denarius in the treasury of the Temple. Five days worth of wages,
which is very generous. Then, the widow offers a few cents from her poverty,
which is even more generous. And lastly, Jesus offers his blood on behalf of
every human being…PRICELESS.
This week’s Gospel of the widows mite, of Jesus observing, and not seeking
the place of honor at banquets (Jesus will have his place of honor on the
Cross), gives us a more complete understanding of what it means for us to be
part of the Communion of Saints. And what Jesus does is that he brings in the
concept of percentages. He doesn’t criticize those who are generous from
their surplus, giving to the Temple treasury. He doesn’t criticize a good deed.
What he does rather is that he compliments and recognizes and raises up the
act of “the greater percentage” of the widow. “She gave from all she had.” Just
like our CYC teenagers with the baby bottles. They’re not rich. At least not yet.
And percentages for Jesus equals the different levels of hurt. No % = no hurt.
Small % = small hurt. Greater % = greater hurt. So when it comes to time,
talent, and treasure, a question for every one of us is, “How much are we
hurting ourselves with the deeds we perform?” The greater the deed, the
greater we are formed into the Communion of Saints.
So, dare I say it – with Christmas on the horizon (oops, I said it), maybe this
Christmas season we can find it somewhere within our Christian discipleship
to perform a widow’s deed. Where we can make a donation, or volunteer time
and talent, to a cause, a deed, that reflects the truth that we have accepted into
our lives Jesus’ priceless death. And like Jesus hanging on the Cross, or the
widow’s donation, we also can feel the “greater percentage” of giving.