20211107 CHARITY COVERS A MULTITUDE OF INJUSTICES
07 November, 2021, Sunday, 32nd Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Kings 17:10-16 © |
'Jar of meal shall not be spent, jug of oil shall not be emptied'
Elijah the Prophet went off to Sidon. And when he reached the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks; addressing her he said, ‘Please bring me a little water in a vessel for me to drink.’ She was setting off to bring it when he called after her. ‘Please’ he said ‘bring me a scrap of bread in your hand.’ ‘As the Lord your God lives,’ she replied ‘I have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am just gathering a stick or two to go and prepare this for myself and my son to eat, and then we shall die.’ But Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said; but first make a little scone of it for me and bring it to me, and then make some for yourself and for your son. For thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel:
“Jar of meal shall not be spent,
jug of oil shall not be emptied,
before the day when the Lord sends
rain on the face of the earth.”’
The woman went and did as Elijah told her and they ate the food, she, himself and her son. The jar of meal was not spent nor the jug of oil emptied, just as the Lord had foretold through Elijah.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 145(146):7-10 © |
My soul, give praise to the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
It is the Lord who keeps faith for ever,
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry,
the Lord, who sets prisoners free.
My soul, give praise to the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind,
who raises up those who are bowed down.
It is the Lord who loves the just,
the Lord, who protects the stranger.
My soul, give praise to the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord upholds the widow and orphan
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign for ever,
Zion’s God, from age to age.
My soul, give praise to the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading | Hebrews 9:24-28 © |
Christ, our high priest, has done away with sin by sacrificing himself
It is not as though Christ had entered a man-made sanctuary which was only modelled on the real one; but it was heaven itself, so that he could appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf. And he does not have to offer himself again and again, like the high priest going into the sanctuary year after year with the blood that is not his own, or else he would have had to suffer over and over again since the world began. Instead of that, he has made his appearance once and for all, now at the end of the last age, to do away with sin by sacrificing himself. Since men only die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, too, offers himself only once to take the faults of many on himself, and when he appears a second time, it will not be to deal with sin but to reward with salvation those who are waiting for him.
Gospel Acclamation | Rv2:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Even if you have to die, says the Lord,
keep faithful, and I will give you
the crown of life.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt5:3 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
How happy are the poor in spirit:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 12:38-44 © |
This poor widow has put in more than all
In his teaching Jesus said, ‘Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; these are the men who swallow the property of widows, while making a show of lengthy prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.’
He 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 came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.’
CHARITY COVERS A MULTITUDE OF INJUSTICES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 KGS 17:10-16; PS 146:7-10; HEB 9:24-28; MK 12:38-44]
The theme of today’s scripture readings seems to be clear. It is about charity, generosity in giving one’s resources and oneself to the poor and to God. In the first reading, we read that Elijah was directed to go outside of Samaria to Sidon. He was to take refuge at Sidon because a drought, as predicted by the prophet, would take place. It is significant that God would provide for Elijah in a pagan territory – Phoenicia, which was the heart of Baal worship, supposedly the god of fertility, yet ironically it was unable to overcome the drought. There, Elijah met the widow of Zarephath who would provide for his needs. Again, it is unimaginable that God would send a widow from a foreign place, who herself was among the poorest of the poor in the country, to provide for Elijah. The widow not only displayed great generosity but more importantly, her generosity sprang from her trust and obedience to God whom she believed had spoken through His prophet Elijah. She gave what He asked of her, which was all she had left for herself and her son.
In the gospel, the evangelist Luke, a promoter of justice for the poor, the marginalized and the Gentiles, provided us the story of the widow’s mite. “A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny.” Jesus observed what the poor widow did and He commented, “I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.” In giving to God all that she had to live on, she demonstrated her faith in God as the giver of all blessings. All that she had belonged to God. When Jesus praised her, we must call to mind earlier on when He told the Pharisees and Herodians what belonged to God and what belonged to Caesar. (Mk 12:17) Last Sunday, Jesus underscored that we are called to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. (Mk 12:28-34)
Indeed, generosity requires not just compassion for our brothers and sisters. It requires deep faith in God who provides. Only faith in God can empower us to sacrifice ourselves, our future, our own needs and pleasures for God and for our fellowmen. True giving demands sacrifice. When sacrifice is lacking or when it is little, it shows how little faith we have in God, and how little love or gratitude we have for Him and His blessings. For many of us, we give from our abundance and that is why such giving does not really take much sacrifice, or even a sacrifice at all. Those of us who are rich simply give out of our abundance, not of our needs, unlike the two widows who were putting their lives at risk as they had nothing left for themselves. Worse still, many of us give but only provided we receive something back in terms of recognition, privileges or gifts. Indeed, the two widows put us all to shame for the lack of generosity in us, which boils down to the lack of faith. This explains why Jesus placed the two greatest commandments of loving God and our neighbours together.
In the second reading, Jesus showed Himself to be our perfect exemplar of giving oneself to God and to us. He offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, and reconciled us with His Father by opening the access to Him. Christ as the High Priest offered Himself as the victim for our salvation and as a consequence, “could appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf. He has made his appearance only once to take the faults of many on himself, and when he appears a second time, it will not be to deal with sin but to reward with salvation those who are waiting for him.” Such is the great sacrifice of our Lord that St Paul wrote, “though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:6-8)
Yet, this great lesson on faith and generosity is not the only lesson that the scripture readings want us to reflect on. The more important lesson is on justice. Underlying the call to be generous, both the first reading and the gospel is actually a critique on the injustices of the world, especially of leaders, political and religious, in using charity as a means to oppress the poor. St Peter says, charity covers a multitude of sins. (1 Pt 4:8) This could mean one of two things; that a person who practices charity will help him to grow out of selfishness and learn compassion and justice, or it could mean that some people use charity to cover their sins of injustice and greed so that they appear to be generous when they are more concerned with their selfish interests. Indeed, how often have we heard of rich and powerful people siphoning off their organization’s funds, or the country’s wealth, and to appease the people, return a small piece of the pie to them, but keep most it for themselves. This may appear in the form of bribes, or privileges and discounts to win the peoples’ heart. What the people sometimes do not know is that the leader is just giving away a little of the profits or ill-gotten gains he has amassed for himself.
This was the case of King Ahab in today’s first reading. The political leader in those days was called specially to look after the widows and the orphans who were without any social security because their security and material needs were dependent on their husbands. Women and children had no position in society. Hence when their husbands died, many were reduced to a life of poverty. Indeed, all political leaders are called in a special way to look after the poor and vulnerable in society because only they are vested with the political power to help them. But when political leaders are more concerned with enriching themselves with the wealth of the nations, then they would have failed in their duties to the people. When such great disparity between the rich and the poor grows, it will lead to bribery, resentment, robbery, violence, killing and rebellion.
The religious leaders during the time of Jesus were no better. Jesus censured them for desiring human adulation, honour and publicity. But this was not the worst sin. It was the sin of injustice that they committed, and which they sought to cover up with their apparent piety. Jesus said, “these are the men who swallow the property of widows, while making a show of lengthy prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.” The scribes held important positions in the spiritual, political and economic structures of Jerusalem. There was no separation between state and religion. So the scribes were involved in public affairs and used scriptures to deal with the administration of justice. Hence, Jesus reprimanded them for not upholding justice for the widows but instead used the laws to devour their property by charging them exorbitant loans taken up by their deceased husbands.
It is true that justice cannot replace charity, as Pope Benedict said it so clearly, “Love – caritas – will always prove necessary, even in the most just society. There is no ordering of the State so just that it can eliminate the need for a service of love.” (DCE 28) Yet, justice presupposes charity. The State’s central duty is the just ordering of society. Indeed, “justice is both the aim and the intrinsic criterion of all politics.” (Ibid) Peace is the fruit of justice. In the light of what is said, the most fundamental charity is to ensure that justice prevails in our society. We need once again to ensure that the rich will not become richer at the expense of the poor becoming poorer. There should be a more equitable distribution of wealth not just among individuals or even within the State, but in the world and among nations. There is much talk about whether there is a fairer way in taxation policy. There also a need to rethink how our workers should be remunerated, especially those who are doing essential services but are considered menial jobs. What are the criteria in measuring the work of a person? We should also be more inclusive as Jesus was with the Gentiles and women. We need to uplift the dignity of women in society and Church, and include them in leadership positions, the work of teaching and governance. Most of all, we must protect vulnerable women and the elderly in our society who are being manipulated by unscrupulous and wicked people. Let us practise justice in our lives whilst not forgetting charity, which goes beyond what justice can achieve.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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