1 Kings
17:10-16; Heb 9:24-28; Mk 12:38-44
In the temple of Jerusalem there were thirteen
collecting boxes. They were for the contributions for the sacrifices and daily
expenses of the temple. Many people threw in quite considerable contributions.
Then came a widow. She flung in two mites.
It was the smallest coin. Yet
Jesus said her tiny contribution was greater than all the others for
the others had thrown in what they could spare, and the widow had flung in
everything she had.
With this Jesus has taught his disciples a lesson
in giving. First of all, real giving must be sacrificial.
In the city of Philadelphia there stands the Temple
Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300, and Temple University, where
hundreds of students are trained. Next to that is the Good Samaritan Hospital
and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday scholars, so
that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside at Sunday school
time. In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet
face of a little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable
history.
A sobbing little girl stood near a small church
from which she had been turned away because it 'was too crowded'. "I can't
go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her
shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by
the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday School class.
The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the
children who have no place to worship Jesus.
Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of
the poor tenement buildings and the parents called for the kind-hearted pastor,
who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements. As her
poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found which
seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents
and a note scribble in childish handwriting which read, "This is to help
build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday school."
For two years she had saved for this offering of
love. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, the
Pastor told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. It moved the Church
members. They made large subscriptions. Checks came from far and wide. Within
five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00 a huge sum. Her
unselfish love had paid large dividends.
It is not the amount of gift, but what matters is
the sacrifice behind it. Few people will show willingness to give up their
comforts for giving contribution for a good cause. For us charity is to take
out what is not necessary immediately. But the church teaches us
today that charity should carry a tint of sacrifice with it. The
woman of the first reading had to make sacrifice to feed Elijah. The poor woman
in the Gospel had to give up everything that she had saved for the day's
expense. So their offerings became precious in the sight of God.
Secondly, real giving is reckless, and symbolic of
love. The woman could have given one coin and kept the other for herself. She
could have kept both for herself. But she decided to give everything
she had, and she did so. She did not want to come away from the house of the
lord without offering anything.
Some time ago, a father punished his 3-year-old
daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he
became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree.
Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to
her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy." He
was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he
found that the box was empty.
He yelled at her, "Don't you know that when
you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside of
it?"
The little girl looked up at him with tears in her
eyes and said, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All
for you, Daddy."
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his
little girl, and he begged her forgiveness. He kept the gold box by his bed for
years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and
remember the love of the child who had put it there.
We require total surrender to do such a
giving. The tragedy of our lives is that often we hold some part of us. There
are many barriers that block our total surrender to God: fear, pride,
selfishness and confusion.
It is time that we examined ourselves, and
practice our charity with an element of love and sacrifice.
Satish