In our time, it is very difficult to comprehend the situation widows faced during the time of the prophet Elijah and even much later in the time of Jesus. The society of that time was extremely patriarchal, and men were everything. A woman whose husband passed away was often left to suffer great injustices, with no one to defend her. Furthermore, in a culture where the man was the breadwinner, one can imagine how a widow, along with her young children, would fall into poverty when the husband or father was no longer there.
In today’s first reading, the prophet Elijah is fleeing from Queen Jezebel, who wanted to kill him. This pagan queen had introduced her false gods into the land, and many Jews had begun worshipping these idols. Elijah had announced that there would be no rain as a punishment for the people's sins. He had to flee to a pagan land because the queen sought his life. There, as we heard, he met a widow and asked her for a drink and a piece of bread. She told him she had nothing left; in fact, she was preparing the last meal she had before she and her son would die of hunger. Elijah assured her that the little flour and oil she had would not run out until rain returned. Amazingly, she believed him and did as he said. And as Elijah had promised, it came to pass. What a poor woman in terms of material possessions, yet how rich she was in her faith in God—a woman who, from her meagre resources, was willing to help someone in need. How often do we hesitate even to give from our surplus?
Today’s Gospel speaks of another poor widow. In contrast to the scribes, who did everything to be seen by others, she lived a humble and hidden life. She put only a few small coins into the temple treasury, but in God's eyes, she gave more than those who gave much, for they gave from their surplus. Saint Teresa of Calcutta used to say: "Generosity is not measured by how much you give but by how much you keep for yourself."
The message of this passage from the Gospel of Mark is not just about the widow's generosity but, above all, about her great faith. While the scribes focused entirely on what people said and thought about them, wanting to be the centre of attention, the widow's focus was entirely on God. She gave everything because she had complete trust in God to care for her. Let us pray to the Lord to grant us the grace to have authentic faith, a humble and generous heart like these two widows, while asking ourselves: What is most important to me—what people say about me or how I appear before God? How well do I take care of my faith, aware that it is a gift from God and that if I do not nurture it, I risk losing it? How content am I to live a simple life, away from excessive attention, convinced that what matters most is how God sees me?
Lord, we ask you to be with us and grant us the grace to understand the beauty of a humble and generous heart so that, through our words and lives, we may be witnesses to our faith in you and love you and our neighbours as you want us to.