Daily Bible: Give Everything You Have

Daily Bible: Give Everything You Have

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In today’s reading from 1Kings 17:10-16 we hear the story of Elijah and the widow. Elijah asks the widow for some bread and water, and the widow tells him that she had only a little flour and oil left and was just about to prepare the last meal for her and her son before they starved to death. Elijah promises her that if she shares her bread with him, her jar of flour and flak of oil will never be emptied through the time of famine. The widow’s response is one of trust. She trusts that Elijah is a man of God, and that what God promises through him will happen. The widow’s response ended up not just being a gift of bread, but a gift of self.

Psalm 146:7-10 is a hymn of praise to God for taking care of the helpless. An honest reader might respond to this psalm, “wait, no He doesn’t!” The poor are still poor. Widows and orphans are not miraculously cared for on a regular basis. How can this psalmist make this claim? The conditions this psalm describes are the results of Original Sin – poverty, isolation, physical handicaps, and oppression. The psalmist isn’t talking about single, every day divine intervention. He is talking about how God has worked throughout history to heal the wounds of Original Sin. That’s why Jesus, who conquers Original Sin through grace, does these things overtly and talks about how he fulfills the Old Testament promise. Today Jesus’ Church continues to heal the wounds of Original Sin by caring for the helpless in His name.

Hebrews 9:24-28 continues the reflection on Jesus as the perfect High Priest. The temple, where sacrifices and prayers took place on behalf of the Hebrew people, was a representation of Heaven. Jesus’ priestly act took place in Heaven and was offered directly to the Father. His sacrifice was also complete, only needing to be done once for all time. When we assist at the Holy Mass, we are participating in that sacrifice in the presence of the Heavenly Father as Jesus offers Himself for all eternity as a sacrifice of perfect love. Reflect on that the next time you go to Mass, and try to recall that you are in the presence of Heaven.

In Mark 12:38-44, we hear Jesus condemning the self-aggrandizing scribes, who seek celebrity and honor. In contrast He offers the example of the humble widow who put only a few small coins into the treasury. Jesus praised her for her humble gift, because she was not just giving material wealth. She was giving from her need. Her sacrifice was a gift of self – giving everything she had. Like the scribes, we need to be careful that we are not serving God for the attention and praise that we can get for doing good work. Instead, we should be focused on our love for God, offering Him everything we have – even the praise of others. I need to work on that. How about you?

 

Reflection Questions

1. Why do you find it difficult to give generously to the Kingdom of God? What do you think holds you back?

2. What can you do to make a greater gift of yourself to God and His Kingdom?

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