You may recall that Father Bernie was sick last week…
and there was no homily at all at Mass.
Well…make yourselves comfortable…because I have to make up for lost time!
[PAUSE FOR LAUGHTER.]
Last evening I had the pleasure of attending the annual Voice of Hope banquet
which celebrates the work of Catholic Charities in the D. O. Y.
Last evening…as is the case every year…
they honored an individual, a parish, and an institution
for their work on behalf of C. C.
Mr. Joseph Fleming…OLMC Parish…St. V. de Paul of St. Patrick’s, Leetonia
It was inspiring to see the generosity and dedication
of so many people to serving the needs of the poor and the suffering.
Today…through the Sacred Scriptures…
the Lord presents to us powerful examples of generosity.
The widow in the First Reading from the Book of Kings
has only a handful of flour and a little oil in her jar…
and yet…in faith…she uses what she has to bake some food for Elijah.
She gives…not from a warehouse full of bread and oil…
but from the last bit of food she has to live on.
What is more…she gives the little that she has for a stranger.
The poor widow in the Gospel puts her last two coins…
worth only a few cents…into the treasury.
She gives…not from surplus wealth… but from her poverty.
She makes a real sacrifice…giving the last bit of money she had to live on.
[PAUSE]
If you recall last Sunday’s Readings…
the First Reading told the story of Moses speaking to the people
and teaching them God’s commandment…
“The Lord is our God, the Lord alone!
Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
In the Gospel, then, Jesus recounts this Great Commandment,
and adds to it a second…
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
In today’s stories of the poor widows…
we see beautiful images of the meaning of these great commandments.
The poor widow in the Gospel gives her last two coins for the Temple treasury.
Her sacrifice is inspired by her great love of God and devotion to his Temple…
a love that is not convenient nor half-hearted.
Rather she loves generously…with her whole heart…and strength…
and gives even her last bit of money.
The widow at Zarapheth gives her last bit of food to feed Elijah…
whom she recognizes as her neighbor…
even though she does not know him, and he is not from her town.
Her generous service shows a real love of neighbor.
The love of God and neighbor to which we are called as followers of Jesus
is a generous love…
a love which does not hold anything back.
[PAUSE]
The situations of our own lives might be very different from those of the widows.
Then again…they might be quite similar…
Surely we all encounter men and women and children who need to be cared for…
those who are hungry…sick…suffering…lonely…sad…poor…
How often do we walk away?
How often do we really give everything we can?
In East Liverpool and Wellsville…
so many of you give generously to the food pantry…
a different kind of “temple treasury” perhaps…
but so very helpful for many families in need.
Your generosity is to be commended…
and your continued support is encouraged and greatly appreciated.
All you do to support the Church,
and the charitable outreach of our parish,
is a testament to your love of God and of your neighbor.
That love is meant to flow into everything we do…
and influence how we respond to every person we meet.
[PAUSE]
We are all called to love our neighbor generously…
not just from our surplus…but from our poverty…
not just the extra we have left over…not just when we have time…
but all the time…with everything we have.
We are also called to love God generously…
Our generous love of God is expressed in the support we give to the Church…
and in our generous participation in the life of the parish.
It is also expressed in the time we spend with God in prayer.
Prayer is often described as “a conversation with God…”
but it is more than words.
It is above all resting with the Lord…
entering deeper into our relationship with Him.
Prayer is not something we can do only when we have extra time left over in the day.
Prayer is something we have to do every day…
for in constant prayer we show God that we love Him with our whole heart.
It is good to start every morning with a prayer, asking God’s help for the day ahead.
And…at the end of a long day…
after work…and school…and sports practices…
and cooking supper…and paying bills…
you might feel like you have little left to offer the Lord.
Offer Him even the last drop of energy you have left…
spend time in prayer each night, thanking Him for the blessings of your life.
Or perhaps when the challenges of life
have you feeling like you have little energy left to live on…
offer that to the Lord, too.
Pray to Him in your poverty…
give the Lord your last drop…your everything…
and show him just how much you love Him!
[PAUSE]
This call of God to generous love
stands in contrast to the life of the scribes and Pharisees.
They pray with many words, so others will praise them.
They abuse the poor, all the while demanding the best for themselves.
We see just such behavior in our world today.
There are those who gouge prices, exploit children, abuse the innocent…
In the face of such evil,
we are called to stand as witnesses of a very different kind of living…
a love so generous it inspires us to give our last coin…
our last drop of food…our last everything…
[PAUSE]
As Elijah promised…the generous widow’s flour jar and oil jug did not run empty.
The generous sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross was fulfilled in Resurrection and glory.
So, too, our generosity will not go un-rewarded.
Heaven is the reward of those who give generously…in charity and in prayer.
The Lord Jesus…
who in total poverty and generosity gave His last drop of blood for us…
comes now to dwell with us and within us
in the Eucharist we celebrate.
May we resolve to live like Him…and like the poor widows…
giving our last food…our last coin…our last everything…
in total love of God and our neighbor!
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