1 Kings 17:10-16. Praise the Lord, my soul! – Psalm 145(146):7-10. Hebrews 9:24-28. Mark 12:38-44.

The poor widow has put in more than all

As child, I had the Little Arch Book of today’s Gospel and it always troubled me. I could not see how Jesus would condone the woman putting in her last coins and going hungry to support the Treasury. But, as always, Jesus is taking the lesson deeper and looking beyond the obvious. We should always see a person’s contribution as part of their whole self. It can be all too easy to scoff at someone who struggles to contribute something that would be easy for us. We do not know their story, how they have come to the point where they are now. Therefore, we need to be thankful for whatever someone can give and also give them the gift of our time to listen to their story and come to know them.