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In today’s readings we have two very
foolish women. In the first reading a woman who is not even Jewish
gives her last bit of flour and oil to Elijah. Elijah for her would
be similar to an imam or the Dali Lama. In her poverty she shares
all she has. This is the same observation Jesus makes about the poor
widow putting two small coins in the treasury. From our perspective,
from that of the world at large, this makes no sense. From our
perspective she should be guarding what she has and searching for
any way to get more. To share it with a prophet of another faith
would probably be even more incentive not to share.
Yet we see this behavior among the poor of third world countries.
The poor in our country usually share our approach and seek to
conserve what they have and get more if they can. In third world
countries there is more sharing of what little they have because
there is a greater awareness that they need each other. One may have
something this week, someone else next week. If both share, both
benefit. Without sharing, they both could lose.
Part of why this seems so foreign is it is our culture to strive to
be as independent as possible. We strive to each be able to take
care of ourselves and our families by ourselves. To need financial
(or even any other kind) of help is seen as a failure.
For us to talk about being a community, a family of God’s people, we
limit our understanding. Community for us usually means we cooperate
on some projects and have friendships with some other members. But
we don’t dare really need each other. I’ve noticed that people who
are in need often disappear from our midst. People who go through a
divorce, lose their jobs, or have their lives majorly disrupted
often seem to hide in shame – even if it wasn’t their fault. Since
most of us, at any given time, feel in control of our life and
circumstances, it’s embarrassing to be the one who is not.
In poor countries, for someone to be in need is common. There’s
little shame since it is what most endure at least from time to
time. To rely on one another is necessary. In faith, they rely not
only on each other but also on God. They’re reminded almost daily
how fragile their existence is and how much their life is in God’s
hands.
That kind of need for God and trust is hard for us to recognize. We
focus on caring for ourselves and having insurance to cover
unforeseen situations we can’t take care of ourselves. Our approach
to giving is that we first take care of our needs and potential
needs and then consider what we might do for others. When everyone
takes care of their needs and potential needs first, there isn’t
nearly as much to go around. Everyone tries to hoard the “supplies”
they might need.
Again the theme for the Offertory Program is to recognize our need
to give and not giving to a need. What do we need to give to dare to
be a bit more dependent on God and others? What can we do to
approach putting our whole life in God’s hands? |
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