We are nearing the end of the Gospel of Mark which we have heard on most Sundays during the past year. Jesus is in the Temple in Jerusalem. Look at Jesus and then follow his eyes in today’s passage. Notice where His eyes come to rest. His gaze is fixed on a widow who is contributing two small pennies to the Temple treasury. Jesus points her out to his friends. “Pay attention to her” he says; “she has just given away her livelihood, everything she has to live on.”
Why has this woman captured Jesus’ heart and imagination? Does he know what prompted her to give away everything? Jesus is deeply moved by her utter trust that God will provide. Maybe she mirrors for him his own life’s mission: to empty himself completely for love. Is there something in my life for which I would be willing to give away everything?
—Fr. Paul Harman, S.J. is a Jesuit of the USA Northeast Province. He has worked in Jesuit formation and over many years has been a valued administrator at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA.