A
Half Penny (or Two Lepta) for Your Thoughts!!!!
We
learned when we were in high school that atoms, indeed, could be smashed. The “un-cutable”
could be cut into perhaps, at least 100 subatomic particles. Such subatomic
particles include quarks and leptons. Lepton is a Greek word. It is also the
origin of the Greek word today in our Gospel, viz., lepta, about a half
penny, the amount of money the widow put in the temple treasury.
One
of the most famous vignettes in Jesus’ life is our Gospel this weekend as we
hear the story of the Widow’s Mite. The familiarity of the story belies its
controversial interpretations even after twenty centuries.
St Mark juxtaposed two incidents today when the evangelist
speaks of the widow’s offering in close proximity to another, the carrying on
of religious officials. Jesus berates those who thrive on the offerings and
then, Jesus salutes the widow’s act of faith. Jesus’ negative assessment of religious
functionaries is a challenge to all religious leaders, then and now, Catholic, Protestant
and Jewish, Islamic, et al.
The actions that Jesus highlighted were their parading
around in long robes, their king the best seats at functions and then, their
devouring the houses of widows, Jesus has taken off His gloves on this one. As
an outsider, He challenges the religious institution on its own turf, viz., the
Temple.
First of all, there is a debate over whether the story of
the widow’s mite was an actual event in the last week of Jesus’ life or a
parable that Jesus told during Holy Week. If it were, indeed, an actual event,
Jesus is making an observation that is quite obvious. The worshippers at the Temple, indeed, contributed
to its upkeep by their donations. However, Jesus’ insight challenges much, then
as well as now, of conventional religious wisdom. As a matter of fact, the
generosity of the affluent comes from their resource. On the other hand the
widow’s two lepta, amounting to a half cent is literally a “drop in the
bucket.”
However, there are those who see the story of the widow’s
mite as a parable Jesus told in the Temple. (Even in both non-Jewish and Jewish
folklore, there were stories of a similar drift. The almsgiving of the poor are
more value, qualitatively, than the almsgiving of the affluent.)
Whether the vignette describes an actual incident or a
parable that Jesus told, the stress in the story is the same. In a radical way,
the widow’s action three characteristics of disciples. First, she had received
the gift of poverty of spirit. She, indeed, knew that ultimately everything is
based on God’s Presence as the center of our lives, whether we believe it or
not. (How about us?) One may not see it as such, but the lady is saying that
God is the bottom line and center of her life. Recall the theme of the first
Beatitude last weekend on All Saints Day. Blessed are those who try to
acknowledge, with God’s Help, God as the center of their lives. They are moving
in the right direction.
Second,
she viewed her life as a totality, under God’s Sovereign Sway (How about us?)
Third,
her offering was an act of faith that even she had nothing, she believed that
God would take care of her. (How about us?)
750 years ago, St Thomas Aquinas spoke of the principle of
Causality. God, ultimately, is the First Cause of all things. God is the Reason
why all exist. However, God, the First Cause works frequently (if not usually)
through secondary causes. Our culture does not see God’s Hand at work in the
vicissitudes of life; still, it is God’s Presence both in and beyond us at
work. Somehow, the widow intuited this with the gift of poverty in spirit.
Using the biblical notion, the widow would be an example of the Anavim YHWH (the poor ones of God); she
felt that God would ride for her.
However, the picture had changed by the time that St Mark
wrote his Gospel, around the year 70AD. The Temple that the widow was
supporting had recently been destroyed by the marauding Roman army. In effect,
St Mark knew that Jesus might have intuited. The Temple was not going to last.
A few days later that week, on Good Friday, St Mark tells us that the veil of
the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
God was always with God’s people,
including the widow. (The others who contributed to the temple, for whatever
reason, were included as well; the poor widow took that seriously.) (How
about us?)
If,
indeed, this is an actual event in the last week of Jesus’ life, we can see why
this was another reason why religious institutions knew that Jesus had to
go. However, the fact that the story has
been preserved means that God, indeed, vindicated the widow and all who
acknowledge God, with God’s Help, as the center of their lives. She and they
are moving in their right direction. They share God’s gift of “poverty in
spirit”. Are we included in their ranks? 110815AD jfq
