The widow’s offering

Fr Paul reminds us that this is the last week of Ordinary Time and the last week of the Church’s year and he reads from the Gospel of Luke (21: 1-4) in which the widow makes an offering at the temple.

Fr Paul says we find this episode with the poor widow sandwiched between criticism about lawyers who swallow up widows’ property and the destruction of the temple.

What is being emphasised in this Gospel is that the value of any gift can depend on its cost to the giver.  A carefully chosen gift of little monetary value can be worth more to the person who receives it because of the love and the care it represents.

Fr Paul says, mindful of this from today’s Gospel, for our reflection today, we might just contemplate ‘Are our gifts to the Lord valuable for what they cost us personally in terms of devotion?’