24PentecostBProper 27, Sullivan
Park Care Center, November 8, 2015 by Annette Fricke
This gospel
lesson is a challenge for preaching no matter who the audience is. It is a text about crookedness and
giving. When I had my initial internship
with a church in Port Huron, Michigan, I was told only one thing about this,
“Those who give the most are the poorest of the congregation.” I think that if there were ever a sentence
that described a summary of our gospel reading for today, that would be
it. Nothing was ever said by my
supervisor or anyone else as to the reasons for this occurrence, it was simply
an observation. Jesus observed this,
too. Why is it that the poorest of the
poor, a widow, gives so much? My
speculation at the time was that perhaps it was because they, of all people,
know what it is like to make do with little.
They are those who tend to themselves, yet still look after others
without complaint. They are the perpetual
mothers who have it so ingrained into their very beings to care for others that
they know no other way. I know people
who do not have a retirement account of any kind. I know those who sometimes have a savings
account and sometimes not. I have a
friend just a few years older than myself who has been out of work for ten months.
A close relative of mine was out of work for more than two years. Yet these are the kind of people who know how
to make something out of nothing. It is
a stretch in defining “widow” this way, but all of these scenarios fit the
bill. Most of the “saints” of old not
only took a vow of poverty, but were not allowed to own anything. All property and clothing belonged to the
community. They intend to live as the description in Acts where everything was
held in common, everyone contributed to the pot and therefore, all were cared
for equally. It is difficult enough
living with a husband or wife and some children. Just imagine living in a convent or monastery
community where there are probably fifty or more, all one gender living under
one roof, doing almost everything together.
The idealism of a novice soon wears off and the realization settles in
that disputes will occur from time to time.
The true colors of people will reveal themselves.
The stark
truth of this text is Jesus’ criticism of the temple authorities who make a
luxurious living off the backs of widows.
The very institution meant to be protective of the widows, the poor and
the vulnerable citizens of society were doing just the opposite. Even religious institutions can be fallible
and end up doing so-called normal operations that are outrageously immoral on
several levels. Just as the Jewish
temple in those days, so also the Church, as an institution is to be a house of
prayer for all people. We are not to
discriminate between the poor and the rich.
But also like then, we need to decide in our own minds where what we
give actually goes. It looks as though
the widow is giving to the Temple, yet on another level, she gives not to the
temple, but to God out of her heart.
Above all, she believes in God, the giver of all things to be the source
of her life. She is giving all she has,
but she has no power to effect change.
She is not part of the hierarchy of temple leadership. She is simply
living out her life as a poor Jewish widow.
Her gift is a gift to God in thanksgiving for her life, poor as it may
be. By her monetary contribution, she is
saying, “Thank you, God for giving me life.”
This past
week, I attended the memorial of a wealthy woman. The worship space was full. People were dressed in full suits and the
family sat up front as per custom. I saw
many people from the place of my employment where she had lived for years and
even stopped on my way out to the social gathering area to put the feet of one
I have cared for many times onto the chair’s foot rests. In my mind, it was a rather odd service to
take up the whole cathedral. There were
two priests up front, the bishop was in attendance, yet there was no homily or
sermon preached, nor was there communion served. The obituary in the paper was about how great
a philanthropist she was, yet here what stood out was the commonality she had
with others of her generation. Those who
talked about her reminisced about her “habits” and the way she taught
discipline in her children and guests who loved her cookies. On a side note, some of the companions for
her were named and thanked. I saw the
widower the following Monday and gave him flowers sent by someone else. He smiled, thanked me politely and hurried to
his room. The kitchen server asked me if he was coming to dinner and I said, “I
don’t think so; he’s got company.” His
son was there, but there was no direct communication. I felt invisible in both places and I
wondered what the real story was about his wife’s life. Did she feel invisible, too?
The truth
is, money can be a source of power and control. It can be given to institutions
in order to control them into doing what the contributor wants. It can even hold back progress towards a more
open society of equal rights for all people. Money may not be the root of all
evil, but it can certainly corrupt people and society.
This
Wednesday is Veterans Day. It is a time
to remember those who did what they could for this country to preserve it and
defend it. They worked hard to keep
physically fit in the performance of their duties. They did their best to work as a team,
especially in times of battle when following orders was of utmost importance to
military strategy. Remember as well,
those veterans who are homeless and those having difficulty accessing
healthcare in a timely manner. Pray for
and vote for those who you think would do the best to care for our military
while they are in uniform as well as when they return, discharged from duty. They all have crucial roles, even down to
those who prepare and distribute food.
For those of
you looking for a positive example, November 11 is St. Martin of Tours
day. Before becoming a bishop in 397, he
served in the Roman army. The story goes
that while he was a catechumen, he was approached by a poor soldier for alms
and he took his own sword, cutting his military cloak in half, giving one half
to the soldier.
The poor,
the unemployed, the widows, the invisible, the homeless; these are all people
for whom we should fight for protection and provide for them what they need to
feel an equal and acknowledged part of the society in which we live. If we are truly not living for ourselves, but
living for God as the widow giving an offering many of us would call small or
even minute, economic and social equality can become a reality for many
people. We should strive to value and
love people as God in Christ loves us. Become a part of that achievement.
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