REFLECTION by Fr Michael Tate

The Widow’s Mite
This is the most commonly misunderstood passage in the Gospels. It is usually read in a ‘pat on the back’ tone of voice, commending the widow for her generosity. But it should be read with the tone of white hot anger which Jesus had displayed against the money dealers whom he expelled from the temple only days earlier.

This vulnerable widow was exploited and brainwashed by the scribes and temple authorities so that she gave ‘all she had to live on’. She was left destitute, unable to afford the necessities of life.

On the contrary, Jesus wanted to create a band of followers who would look after widows and orphans. Look at Acts 4:32-37 to see that in operation. In fact, deacons were created in the early Church precisely to care for non-Jewish widows.

The message for the Church from this Gospel story is that it must never exploit the religious fervour of the poor to build up its own resources. Pope Francis is emphasising that the flow must be the other way if we are to be authentic Christians.

We could pause a moment to pray that, imitating the earliest Christian communities, our parish practises true concern for the marginalised and vulnerable, ensuring that they have all the necessities of life in all its dimensions.