Even though my husband and I are usually spared from the stomach bugs that come into our home, one time we both succumbed to it. I woke up one morning feeling a little off. Within an hour I had thrown up. When I went into the bedroom to ask for help from my backup, I discovered he was even worse off than me. All I wanted to do was crawl back into bed for the day, but, unfortunately for me, there were kids who had to be cared for.
I plowed through the day, mustering up all the energy I could just to survive. It wasn’t pretty. The kids got too much screen time and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner. I looked at the clock counting down the minutes until I could go back to bed. As soon as nighttime prayers were finished, I collapsed on my bed, relieved that my day was over. I was completely depleted. I had nothing left to give; I had given it all for my kids that day.
In today’s Gospel reading, we hear about the widow who offers her two small coins to the treasury. Her meager contribution seems like nothing compared to the large sums of the wealthy donors. To the average person, what she gave is insignificant. A few pennies won’t pay anyone’s salary, feed any mouths, or build a fancy building. A few cents doesn’t seem to matter at all.
The Lord doesn’t judge our contributions based on earthly standards. The Lord looks at hearts and judges by standards most people can’t even begin to understand. He doesn’t consider whose gift will make more of a material impact, but rather whose gift has made the greater impact on the heart of the giver. The widow “contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” Her donation meant that she wasn’t saving up for the future. She trusted completely in the Lord to provide for her tomorrow. She didn’t have much, but she gave it all in trustful surrender.
We are invited to give in this way. This means making financial donations that not only come out of our savings account, but also the kind of donation that means our lifestyle will be affected. For example choosing to buy a less expensive car than we afford, and giving away the difference. We could skip eating out or shop at a thrift store, and give back to God the money we would have spent on ourselves.
This can also be lived through our time and talent. When we are willing to say no to something we enjoy in order to volunteer, we are living like the widow. Especially on days when we don’t have the energy to serve our families, by choosing to give anyway, the Lord sees our meager donation. It may not always be pretty. It may just be watching movies and PB&J for dinner. But when we give not from our surplus, but from our poverty, the Lord recognizes the immeasurable gift we offer.
Aunque mi esposo y yo solemos librarnos de los virus estomacales que entran en casa, una vez ambos caímos enfermos. Me desperté una mañana sintiéndome un poco mal. Dentro de una hora ya había vomitado. Cuando fui al dormitorio a pedir ayuda a mi esposo, descubrí que él estaba peor que yo. Lo único que quería era volver a la cama y quedarme allí todo el día, pero, lastimosamente, había que cuidar a los niños.
Me esforcé durante todo el día, reuniendo toda la energía que pude solo para sobrevivir. No fue fácil. Los niños vieron demasiada televisión y cenaron solo sándwiches. Miraba el reloj, contando los minutos que faltaban para poder volver a la cama. Tan pronto como terminaron las oraciones de la noche, me desplomé en la cama, aliviada de que el día hubiera terminado. Estaba completamente agotada. No me quedaba nada que dar; lo había dado todo por mis hijos ese día.
En la lectura del Evangelio de hoy, escuchamos sobre la viuda que ofrece sus dos pequeñas monedas al templo. Su modesta contribución parece insignificante en comparación con las grandes sumas de los donantes ricos. A cualquier otra persona, lo que ella dio no parece no tener importancia. Unas pocas monedas no pagarán el salario de nadie, ni alimentarán a nadie, ni construirán un edificio lujoso. Unos pocos centavos no parecen importar en absoluto.
El Señor no juzga nuestras contribuciones según los estándares terrenales. El Señor mira los corazones y juzga según estándares que la mayoría de la gente ni siquiera puede comprender. No considera qué donación tendrá un mayor impacto material, sino qué donación ha tenido un mayor impacto en el corazón del donante. La viuda “ha echado todo lo que tenía para vivir“. Su donación significaba que no estaba ahorrando para el futuro. Confiaba completamente en que el Señor proveería para ella al día siguiente. No tenía mucho, pero lo dio todo con confianza y entrega.
Estamos invitados a dar de esta manera. Esto significa hacer donaciones financieras que no sólo provengan de nuestra cuenta de ahorros, sino también el tipo de donación que afecte nuestro estilo de vida. Por ejemplo, elegir comprar un carro menos caro del que podemos permitirnos y donar la diferencia. Podríamos dejar de comer fuera o comprar en tiendas de segunda mano y devolverle a Dios el dinero que habríamos gastado en nosotros mismos.
Esto también se puede aplicar a nuestro tiempo y talentos. Cuando estamos dispuestos a renunciar a algo que disfrutamos para ofrecer nuestro tiempo como voluntarios, estamos actuando como la viuda. Especialmente en los días en que no tenemos energía para atender a nuestras familias, al elegir dar de todos modos, el Señor ve nuestra humilde ofrenda. Puede que no siempre sea algo grandioso. Quizás solo sea ver películas y cenar solo sándwiches. Pero cuando damos no de lo que nos sobra, sino de nuestra pobreza, el Señor reconoce el inmenso regalo que ofrecemos.
Maria Riley is a passionate Catholic author and speaker who loves volunteering or playing board games when she’s not writing or mom-ing around with her four daughters. Her award-winning Catholic children’s chapter book series, Adventures with the Saints, is endorsed by her bishop. Visit her at MariaRileyAuthor.com or on social media @mariarileyauthor. She and her family live in Kansas.
Feature Image Credit: Pavel Danilyuk, pexels.com/photo/photo-of-a-cold-woman-6753163/
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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