This Sermon is prepared by
Rev.Fr.Peter Jayakanthan sss
Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament
Corpus Christi Catholic Church,
Houston, Texas, US
32nd Sunday of Ordinary Year-Emptiness……never go dry!1 Kg 17:10-16, Heb 9:24-28, Mk 12:38-44Dear Sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, we have gathered once again to respond to God’s call as His beloved disciples. We offer this Eucharist of thanks giving for all the gifs we continue to receive from the Almighty. We also enrich our relationship with the community of brothers and sisters through the sharing of our different experiences. While performing this renewal, we are called to realize our responsibility in building an equal and just community. Our target persons should be the deprived and the oppressed in the community. Giving our time, resources and support will lift their spirit to rise from their clutches of pain. We may continue to learn the art of giving.Here is a story of two brothers, Matt and Madd. Both were very regular for the Sunday community celebration of the Eucharist and participation in other liturgical services of the parish. They came to the Lord seeking their security because they did not want to involve any other church activities. They came to Church emptyhanded; not that they were poor, but rather they were very rich. In fact, one of them was a progressive business person of that place. They each sought the development of their work and life. So, usually when the collection box was passed, they just put their fist in and pulled back just to please the people around present. This had been the habit of these self-seeking brothers. Once to commemorate the mission Sunday, the parish priest himself began coming around with the collection box, approaching the people sitting down in the pews. Madd and Matt were upset and stunned, as their pastor came near to their neighbor; Madd fell down passing-out and Matt carried him. Thus, self-seeking persons will not have a self-giving attitude. Mr. Johnson is angry when his name is not mentioned in the parish bulletin for his contribution….. Mr. Raja leaves his party because his contribution did not get him the necessary seat….. How much will you pay back if I offer this help now?....... What is the deal over this exchange?....... This has been the conversation of self-seeking person in various working places both in government and in the private sector, both in schools and colleges, prevalent in parishes and religious institute administration. I need to get my hands full…I need to retain….I need to grab…..I need to get back in greater ways: these are the inner attitudes of many. This self-centered disposition causes competition and lopsided interior development, culminating in abject separation of others, which leaves the struggling suffering humanity in their state of helplessness permanently. The readings today invite us to be persons of self-giving, here what we retain is important in the process of giving. Today’s liturgy offers the life of two widows of different times to be examples of self-giving. They are not poor widows; rather the status of being widowed made them poor, and whose property was confiscated by the leaders of law and religion. They were totally dependent upon their male relatives for their livelihood, since losing a husband is losing someone you were totally depending upon, they became entirely dependent. Widows were forced to live off of the generosity of other male relatives and anyone in the community who might provide for their needs. They became anawim, deprived, helpless and shelter less in society. They were identified with orphans in the society. The Hebrew word for widow is almanah, which means unable to speak, or in Aramaic, to be in pain; we may summarize that widows were speechless, voiceless, helpless, and silenced. In the first reading, one such widow we face is a woman of Zarebeth, in the land of Sidon. Under the rule of wicked Jezebel, Sidonians were opposed to the God of Israel and had variety of false gods. The Prophet Elijah desired to run away from the threats of Jezebel, but now again was getting into the territory under her control and influence. In this circumstance, God was sending him to this famine stricken place, and above all, to this widow. In her helpless condition, she had barely anything for her son and herself to survive on for even one more day in the drought. People knew that this famine was caused because they followed the gods of Canaan. They would have been angry with the Prophet like that of their rulers. But Elijah sought refuge with this gentile Phoenician woman; Zarebeth means a place of rest, a smelting place. The encounter of Elijah with the gentile widow was very gradual; initially he asked for a cup of water, then requested bread, then when she expressed her utter nothingness frankly about the handful for her son and herself, Elijah asked for a cake of bread. Here in that moment she forgets about the remnant of flour and their certain death, and empties their needs and hunger to see only the hungry, starving and needy Elijah. In her giving without reserving or keeping anything for themselves, God fills her jar fully, abundantly, and overflowing with the assurance of never running dry. Self-giving is self-emptying, that is not reserving anything while giving everything; emptiness never goes dry. The widow in the Gospel needs to be understood in the context of offering at the Jerusalem Temple. In the Temple Court, 13 trumpet-shaped vessels were placed for the offerings brought by visitors and worshippers. Each vessel was designated and labeled for a particular type of offering, and the purpose of that offering. One was for incense, another one for grain, the third for oil, temple tribute, wood, etc, for various religious worship and sacrifices. (We, too, have different purpose written over our offering or collection boxes, such as for Vincent de Paul, for seminarians, for the sick, for the elderly, for the retired priests and for church renovation, etc). She intentionally found the offering vessel where it is written ‘for the poor and needy’; here reflecting awhile, she emptied her need before someone who may be worse than she, and offered the last coin remaining. She could have kept a coin for herself and offered at the second vessel; however, she knew that the poor person would not live another day, because the poor die of hunger. Here the widow demonstrates the journey into another’s situation and experience. Two ‘mites’ (Grk., leptos) - Mk 12:42, were worth a ‘quadrans’ (Grk., kodrantes), which was 1/64th of a ‘denarius’ (a day’s wage). If a day’s wage was $25, a ‘quadrans’ would be worth 75 cents, and a ‘mite’ worth .40 cents. It is well to remember that God measures giving, not by what we give, but by what we keep for ourselves. (R.A. Cole). In the midst of self-seeking, the offerings of so many who threw away coins which made a loud noise, proving to others their huge giving. Jesus points out to His disciples that this widow went home full, her emptying filled her life with continuous blessings that will never run dry. Her coin was too little to make noise, yet so charitable that benefitted the reward of goodness. A well-known legend has persisted from earliest times. As a deacon in Rome, Lawrence was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of the Church and the distribution of alms to the poor. When Lawrence knew he would be arrested like the pope, he sought out the poor, widows and orphans of Rome and gave them all the money he had on hand, selling even the sacred vessels to increase the sum. When the prefect of Rome heard of this, he ordered to bring all the treasures of the Church. In three days, Lawrence gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned and widowed persons, arranging them in rows. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasure of the Church.” Emptiness will never go dry. Can I become empty to complete the need of someone? Do I empty my time to visit the lonesome, sick or the dying? Am I willing to empty my desire to fulfill the desire of the single mother? Am I ready to empty my pleasures to give joy to lonely children? Emptiness will never go dry……The Lord will fill us abundantly-Amen. 
|
