Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 12:38-44
MANY YEARS AGO I WAS VISITING A PATIENT WHO HAD UNDERGONE A HEART OPERATION. AS I ENTERED THE ROOM, A MAN DRESSED IN CLERICAL GARB WAS LEAVING. I ASKED MY PATIENT IF THAT WAS HIS MINISTER. HE REPLIED, USING A FEW CHOICE CURSE WORDS, THAT THIS MINISTER WAS WELL KNOWN FOR COMING IN TO PATIENT'S ROOMS, OFFERING TO PRAY FOR THEM, AND THEN HOLDING OUT HIS HAND UNTIL A DONATION WAS PUT INTO IT. I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT, BUT IT WAS CONFIRMED BY ONE OF THE NURSES ON THE FLOOR. THE INDIVIDUAL IN QUESTION WAS AN ORDAINED MINISTER, AND WOULD GO TO THE ROOM WHERE A LIST OF ALL THE INPATIENTS WAS KEPT (FOR PRIESTS AND RABBIS AND MINISTERS TO LOCATE MEMBERS OF THEIR FLOCKS). HE WOULD APPARENTLY IDENTIFY PEOPLE OF CERTAIN ETHNIC GROUPS RELATED TO HIS OWN, AND USE THAT AS AN EXCUSE TO VISIT. ONE OF THE CASUALTIES OF THE PRIVACY LAWS IS THAT CLERGY CAN NO LONGER WALK INTO A HOSPITAL AND FIND THE NAMES AND LOCATIONS OF MEMBERS OF THEIR CONGREGATIONS. OUR GREEDY REVEREND HASN'T BEEN SEEN IN QUITE A WHILE.
WHEN JESUS CONDEMNS THE SCRIBES FOR DEVOURING THE HOUSES OF WIDOWS, AND AS A PRETEXT RECITING LONG PRAYERS, I THINK OF THIS. THE TEMPLE TREASURY HAD A PURPOSE. YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GIVE AS GENEROUSLY AS YOU COULD, AND WE SEE MANY GOOD JEWISH MEN AND WOMEN DROPPING LARGE SUMS INTO THE COLLECTION BASKET. THE MONEY WAS THERE FOR TWO MAIN PURPOSES – FIRST, TO KEEP UP THE TEMPLE AND PAY THE SALARIES OF THE PRIESTS. THE MONEY WAS NOT THERE TO BUY SACRIFICES – THAT WAS DONE ON AN INDIVIDUAL OR COMMUNAL BASIS, AND A SEPARATE SET OF TRANSACTIONS, FOR WHICH THERE WERE MONEY CHANGERS AND MERCHANTS WHO SOLD ACCEPTABLE LAMBS AND BIRDS AND COWS. THE SECOND PURPOSE OF THE MONEY GIVEN INTO THE TEMPLE TREASURY WAS PRECISELY TO TAKE CARE OF WIDOWS AND ORPHANS. THE LEVITIC PRIESTHOOD, WHICH WAS SEPARATE FROM THE TEMPLE PRIESTHOOD, WAS IN CHARGE OF FINDING THOSE MEMBERS OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE WHO WERE REALLY DOWN ON THEIR LUCK AND HAD NO ONE TO LOOK AFTER THEM, AND USE THE TEMPLE MONEY TO HELP THEM OUT. BECAUSE IF YOU WERE A WIDOW OR AN ORPHAN, YOU HAD NO OTHER RECOURSE.
BUT AS WITH ALL GOOD INTENTIONS, PEOPLE CAME ALONG TO EXPLOIT THE SITUATION. THE SCRIBES LET IT BE KNOWN THAT THEIR PRAYERS WERE PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE, BECAUSE THEY COULD GO ON AND ON USING LARGE WORDS THAT THEY HAD LEARNED BECAUSE THEY COULD READ. AND YOU COULD PAY A SCRIBE TO PRAY FOR YOU, AND IF YOU WERE REALLY IN TROUBLE, LIKE BEING A WIDOW OR AN ORPHAN, YOU MIGHT BE WILLING TO PAY QUITE A BIT FOR A REALLY EFFECTIVE PRAYER. AND THE SCRIBES WOULD TAKE THE MONEY, BUY BETTER CLOTHES, IMPROVE THEIR SOCIAL STATUS, AND THUS DEMONSTRATE TO THOSE FIRST CENTURY PEOPLE THAT GOD MUST BE LISTENING TO THEM, OR HOW ELSE COULD THEY GET SO RICH?
SO THERE IS A REASON THAT THESE TWO PARTS OF THE GOSPEL ARE RELATED. JESUS RIGHTLY (AND OF COURSE ONE COULD NEVER SAY “JESUS WRONGLY”) PRAISES THE WIDOW FOR GIVING HER LAST PENNY TO THE TREASURY. BUT I THINK THE QUESTION THAT HE WANTED HIS DISCIPLES TO PONDER WAS NOT HOW GENEROUS WE SHOULD BE, BUT WHY THIS WIDOW WAS SO POOR IN THE FIRST PLACE? AND THAT IS WHY THIS OBSERVATION OF THE WIDOW FOLLOWS UPON CONDEMNATION OF THE SCRIBES WHO PRAY FOR MONEY, AND IMPOVERISH WIDOWS.
JESUS IS SAYING, IF ALL THAT MONEY IS GOING INTO THE TEMPLE TREASURY, WHY IS IT THAT THERE ARE POOR WIDOWS WHO HAVE NOTHING AT ALL?
SOMEONE WITH NOTHING BETTER TO DO ONCE WENT THROUGH THE GOSPELS AND COUNTED UP ALL THE TIMES JESUS MENTIONS TREASURE, PROPERTY, WEALTH, POVERTY – AND FOUND THAT THESE STATEMENTS OF OUR LORD ARE SIX TIMES AS FREQUENT AS ANY OTHER TOPIC HE DISCUSSES. AND YET, MOST OF US WHO PRACTICE OUR CATHOLIC RELIGION THINK ABOUT THE PROPER USE OF THE GOODS WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN ABOUT SIX TIMES LESS OFTEN THAN ANY OTHER ASPECT OF OUR RELIGION. AND HERE I'M PREACHING TO MYSELF – WHY DON'T I TAKE JESUS AT HIS WORD AND TRUST THAT THE FATHER IN HEAVEN WILL TAKE CARE OF ME, BECAUSE I AM WORTH MORE THAN MANY SPARROWS? WHY DON'T I TAKE JESUS AT HIS WORD WHEN HE TELLS ME THAT WHATEVER I GIVE WILL BE RETURNED TO ME ONE HUNDRED FOLD? WHY DON'T I TAKE JESUS AT HIS WORD WHEN HE TELLS ME THAT I SHOULD GO AND SELL WHAT I HAVE AND GIVE IT TO THE POOR, AND I WILL HAVE ABUNDANT TREASURE IN HEAVEN? AND WHY DON'T I LISTEN WHEN JESUS TELLS ME THAT WHATEVER I DO FOR THE LEAST OF MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I DO FOR HIM. THE SAD THING IS THAT I KNOW MYSELF WELL ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT I WILL NEVER ACHIEVE THESE IDEALS THAT HE SETS FORTH. I AM TOO WORRIED ABOUT BEING POOR – A GIFT FROM MY MOTHER, I THINK, BUT SHE PASSED IT ON FROM HER FOLKS, AND ALL THE WAY BACK TO ADAM AND EVE. I AM TOO WORRIED ABOUT BEING POOR BECAUSE I LIKE WHAT THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER, AND ALMOST EVERYTHING TAKES A LITTLE MONEY. I AM EVEN WORRIED ABOUT BEING POOR BECAUSE IF I AM POOR I CAN'T HELP OUT MY CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN WHEN THEY ARE DESPERATE. BUT THAT'S PROBABLY THIRD ON A LIST OF THREE. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT JESUS WILL BE MORE GENEROUS WITH HIS MERCY THAN I AM WITH ALL THE GIFTS HE HAS GIVEN ME TO SHARE WITH THOSE WHO ARE LESS FORTUNATE THAN I AM.
I THINK MOST OF US IN LONGMEADOW HAVE OUR FAVORITE CHARITIES. I KNOW SOME PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT THE SPRINGFIELD SYMPHONY; CONTRIBUTE TO MAINTAINING A NATURE PRESERVE, PROVIDE FOR EDUCATIONAL OR ARTISTIC ENRICHMENT; GIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO PBS. AND THESE ARE ALL GOOD AND WORTHY CHARITIES, AND DESERVE OUR SUPPORT. CERTAINLY CATHOLIC EDUCATION IS A GREAT PLACE TO PUT SOME OF YOUR CHARITABLE GIVING. BUT NO MATTER WHAT YOU GIVE TO THESE KINDS OF ENDEAVORS, IF YOU HAVE A CHRISTIAN CONSCIENCE, WHEN YOU SEE SOMEONE WHO IS OBVIOUSLY POOR, THE QUESTION YOU SHOULD ASK YOURSELF, AND I SHOULD ASK MYSELF, IS WHY IS THIS PERSON POOR? AND WHAT AM I GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?