1 Kings 17:10-16; Heb 9:24-28; Mk 12:38-44
These readings are about hospitality – giving it and receiving it. I remember reading a story about Cardinal Tagle, the Archbishop of Manila, Philippines. When he was a young priest, a poor woman gave a large contribution in the Sunday collection. He told her that she really needed that money to run her business that supported her family. He told her that God would understand. The woman was shocked. She said, “Father, God has been very good to me and my family. You should not be saying this to me. Are you not a priest?” It seems she knew today’s Gospel, about the generous heart of the poor widow who gave greatly from the little of what she had. She wanted to be hospitable to God and God’s house, the Church.
How does this apply to us? The story tells us something about the image of God that the woman had. Both the woman in Manila and the woman in the Gospel experience God as a generous God, who is lavish, who provides for us abundantly through the hospitality of his people. In addition, these women trust God to continue to be provident and prodigal, that is, lavish in his gifts. The basis, of course, is today’s story from the First Book of Kings. Now this woman in Kings is maybe more like us. She knows that she has little and thinks twice before she gives what she has. We can identify with her. She is exercising common sense. This is what the Cardinal of Manila was saying. But Elijah the prophet was not a prophet of common sense. He was a prophet of God’s prodigality and providence. He directs the woman to bake him a cake; at first she is not sure; but finally she listens and obeys. She hears the voice of the prophet. She is rewarded abundantly, because she trusted in the word of the prophet and the providence of God. We have much to learn from these three women. Trusting God involves a surrender of our control, even sometimes of our common sense. For example, leaving the Newman Center to come here to St. Andrew called me to trust in God’s care for me. And I have been richly provided for in the three months that I have been here among you. You have received me with generous and warm hospitality. God provides!
The readings are a challenge. They challenge us to ask: what is the area of my life right now where I need both to give what I have to God – time, treasure, or talent — and to trust in the providence of God, that God will provide what I need? Our coming Christmas Bazaar is a good example of people giving of their time, treasure and talent. And we also receive many visitor of other churches from this and surrounding communities with warm hospitality.
God rewards our faith in him in new ways, ways we might never have imagined. Recall the woman: “the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry.”