Today we hear the Gospel of the poor widow who only gave two coins to the treasury while everyone around her seemed to be giving much more. This theme can be seen in the Old Testament as well. If we look at the story of Cain and Abel we see that God is happy with Abel’s offering because he gave the most important part of his flock whereas Cain gave the minimum amount he was willing to offer.
These verses have me thinking about the biblical concept of stewardship. We have probably heard a million times that stewardship is not just about money but then we hear about the campaigns that both dioceses and parishes put on and so it is hard to separate the concepts.
I think a helpful way to think about stewardship is not to downplay the money aspect but instead to realize that everything is a gift. Think about it for a second, if you are taking your next breath, that means that God is actively thinking about you, holding you in existence, and allowing you to live your life to the full. If God stopped thinking about us for even a second we would cease to exist.
So whether it is money, our gifts and talents, services we provide, or just our presence, all things have been given to us as a gift to be shared. In St. John Paul II’s work, Theology of the Body, he speaks about the concept of the spousal meaning of the body. He talks about the idea that all of us have a spousal meaning to ourselves that essentially has two elements. The first is that we are made with intrinsic dignity in and of ourselves. The second is that we were made to give. In fact, the more we give the more we realize who we truly are.
This is true because we were made by a God who is pure gift. He grants us gifts and graces every day so that we might more fully realize who we are and how we are meant to serve and love our fellow man. The Gospel for today gets right to the heart of this matter. God does not have a checklist in heaven to see who is giving the most of their time, talent, and treasure. It is not a numbers game for Him. What He is concerned with is that we are giving our all and genuinely serving Him and those He has put into our lives.
Imagine a world where we all take the biblical principle of stewardship seriously and first realize how good we are and then from there realize our inner call to be a gift. My prayer for all of us today is that we can realize this and put it into action. Let’s be more like the poor widow who gives fully of what she has been given. Whether what we have to give is big or small, let’s give it our all.
From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!
Daily Reading
Friday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Isaiah 29:17-24 Thus says the Lord GOD: But a very little while, and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard, and the orchard be regarded as a forest!…
Saint of the Day
St. John of Damascus
St. John of Damascus
Feast date: Dec 04
Catholics remember and celebrate the life of the great Arab Church Father St. John of Damascus on Dec. 4.Eastern Orthodox Christians and Eastern Catholics, whose tradition has been particularly shaped by his insights, celebrate the saint’s feast on the same day as the Roman Catholic Church.Among Eastern Christians, St. John (676-749) is best known for his defense of Christian sacred art, particularly in the form of icons. While the churches of Rome and Constantinople were still united during St. John’s life, the Byzantine Emperor Leo III broke radically from the ancient tradition of the church, charging that the veneration of Christian icons was a form of idolatry.John had grown up under Muslim rule in Damascus, as the child of strongly Christian parents. His excellent education – particularly in theology – prepared him well to defend the tradition of sacred iconography, against the heresy of the “iconoclasts,” so-called because they would enter churches and destroy the images therein.During the 720s, the upstart theologian began publicly opposing the emperor’s command against sacred images in a series of writings. The heart of his argument was twofold: first, that Christians did not actually worship images, but rather, through them they worshiped God, and honored the memory of the saints. Second, he asserted that by taking an incarnate physical form, Christ had given warrant to the Church’s depiction of him in images.By 730, the young public official’s persistent defense of Christian artwork had made him a permanent enemy of the emperor, who had a letter forged in John’s name offering to betray the Muslim government of Damascus. The ruling caliph of the city, taken in by the forgery, is said to have cut off John’s hand. The saint’s sole surviving biography states that the Virgin Mary acted to restore it miraculously. John eventually managed to convince the Muslim ruler of his innocence, before making the decision to become a monk and later a priest.Although a number of imperially-convened synods condemned John’s advocacy of Christian iconography, the Roman church always regarded his position as a defense of apostolic tradition. Years after the priest and monk died, the Seventh Ecumenical Council vindicated his orthodoxy, and ensured the permanent place of holy images in both Eastern and Western Christian piety.St. John of Damascus’ other notable achievements include the “Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith,” a work in which he systematized the earlier Greek Fathers’ thinking about theological truths in light of philosophy. The work exerted a profound influence on St. Thomas Aquinas and subsequent scholastic theologians. Centuries later, St. John’s sermons on the Virgin Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven were cited in Pope Pius XII’s dogmatic definition on the subject.The saint also contributed as an author and editor, to some of the liturgical hymns and poetry that Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics still use in their celebrations of the liturgy.“Show me the icons that you venerate, that I may be able to understand your faith.” – Saint John of Damascus