OMELIE / Omelie EN

07 nov 2021

07/11/2021 – 32nd Sunday in O. T. - B

07/11/2021 – 32^nd Sunday in O. T. - B

Reading 1 1KINGS 17,10-16 Psalm 145/146 Reading 2 HEB 9,24-28 Gospel MK 12,38-44

When Jesus Christ has come, He came “to deal with sin”, with ours, and therefore He had to suffer and He died “to take away sin by his sacrifice”. Sin has painful consequences on our life, either personal, family life or social, because it has the power of death. We, who are sinners, have no possibility to escape the influence it has on all our abilities. The Father’s love is giving us the Son so, by sacrificing Himself, He may free us from the evil we continuously expose ourselves to by committing sin. We, by living according to our thoughts and our own will, are growing apart from the Father. Instead, when we will obey the Word coming from His love, Jesus, who is offering Himself up for us, will give us the possibility to start a new life, which is fulfilled in the Father’s love. At the end He will come back and “will appear to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him”, for good. We are waiting for our Lord to show up. Our life is filled with this awaiting. By waiting for Jesus in His glory, our heart is able to put earthly things into perspective, even the most beautiful and attractive, and to give them the value which is set by love.

The teaching Jesus wants to leave with His disciples, by calling them to observe the scene of the poor widow, is the preparation for the waiting for His glorious coming. What are the valuable things in this world? Which things can occupy our desires and our heart? Which things can attract our attention and motivate our choices?

The world, which we have lived and we currently live in, continues to give importance to money and its power, which is the power to buy things, but also the power to be in charge, to manoeuvre the consideration and the appreciation of men, families and people. Everywhere, unfortunately in the Church too, we have grown used to rely on money. We do what is less expensive, or what allows more money to be made.

Jesus instead is able to look at the heart, so to evaluate things, money included, starting from the heart. The widow, who He brings to His disciples as an example, has very little money, but her heart is in the Father’s hands, trusting in His mercy which does not allow food to be insufficient even for “the young ravens when they cry”. By giving all her little money as an offering, the woman is showing the wealth of her heart, or better, of God’s heart. The two coins which fall in the box are very heavy on the Father’s heart: thanks to them He knows He has a daughter who loves Him, ready to obey Him, a daughter who thinks of Him as a true Father, providing and generous.

Many gold coins given by the rich could satisfy the priests of the temple in order to continue building it, but could they make the Father’s heart rejoice?

The widow has already reached the goal, even if the temple was not finished yet: she has already achieved trust and confidence in God, recognising Him as the foundation of her life, being sure of His love. The gold of the rich did not allow God’s face to be seen; He was not announced by that tinging as the providing Father. Even the great Elijah had called upon a poor widow in order to receive from God help for living, sure to find in that trustful poverty the God of life present and at work.

Our waiting for Jesus is pushing us not to get attached to earthly things: if we have them, we put them at the disposal of the Father’s love for all His children. They will help us spread the kingdom of God to all corners of our heart and to all the places around us.