When I was a kid I remember my pastor telling a story of a mountain climber who fell but last minute was caught by the rope. Dangling there during a terrible blizzard, he prayed to God for help. God told him “let go of the rope”, the man only tied it tighter. The next morning rescue workers found the hiker hanging there, frozen to death, only 5 ft above the ground. His own fear and despair kept him from life.
We hear a familiar story in the Gospel: atrium of women was the treasure chest: it has 13 trumpet stocks with wide opening for material offerings. Widow offering two small coins. What she gave was so small it was almost insignificant. Why was her gift weighed so much more than Jesus? Its not that Jesus has a preference for minimalism, or even than Jesus prefers quality over quantity. He is not picky with the gifts we give him. This woman did not preclude herself from offering because of her situation, her poverty, her lack of means. She gave all she had. Rather, what this is all about is the desire of giving all. The gift of her whole livelihood. When we are able and willing to give the small and insignificant, then all gains a value. It can be easy to given when things seem big and impressive, when we can see and sense the effects. In senu Jesu. We want to come and offer Jesus just our best, only the good, when we offer him our weaknesses and our sins, it shows a greater trust in his ability and willingness to receive us. The woman in the first reading is a great example. She did not want to give even a little to the prophet because, in her despair she was ready to give up. The ironic thing with giving up is that we don’t give. So many people in the most difficult moment will actually work harder at fighting to hold on to than the easier thing which is to give
We are All made for self gift. “Life flourishes in self gift but it withers and dies in isolation and comfort”. Its actually in our lack of activity, lack of guilt that we do the most harm to ourselves. The anxieties and self loathing that we feel don’t go away they actually grow.
I heard a priest give a homily: imagine you came into church and found me unconscious, you’d out aside all to help me. Love empowers us to set aside our inadequacies and weaknesses to do something great. All of us are asked to do this.
When we offer the small and insignificant, we offer all. Nothing becomes wasted if it is received and offered back to God
2nd reading of Jesus taking his sacrifice which is ours to God. All our gifts and sacrifices then have meaning because they are tied to Jesus’s offering and Jesus’ offering is then found in all of ours. This offering is the great gift of mass: we are called to bring and offer all our gifts, small or great, on the altar
I want to conclude with the story of Bl. Benedetta Bianchi Porro when she was 13 she began to become deaf. She entered medical school and was laughted at by her teacher and pupils. Her own doctors laughted at her but she diagnosed herself with Von Recklinghausen’s disease, she would loss all her senses and then be paralyzed. She pressed on, despite the worsening of her condition and of her anxiety and panic. She said she felt she wanted to throw herself out of a window. She never gave up. One day, a botched surgery left her paralyzed from the waist down, just one year before earning her medical degree. She said in those moments she just rests her head on Jesus’ lap. She was paralyized and lost all feeling in body except her left hand and face. People had to communicate by writing on her cheek. She said “I am never sad, Jesus is at the end of this road waiting for me.” She died at 27, having wasted nothing, everything was received with loved and given back with Love.