Wednesday after the Ninth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on August 17, 2022 by under
Scripture: St. Mark 12:38-44 (NKJV)
12:38 Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, 39 the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
Devotion
When is generosity a sin? It is sin when it proceeds from selfishness and not from faith. The Pharisees would pray “as a pretense,” to win men’s praise. Likewise, when they gave generously, they did not care about the poor or about the work of the temple. They were buying the praises of men for themselves. On the contrary, the poor widow does not appear generous, but Christ praises her because her generosity proceeded from faith—that is, from thanksgiving for God’s forgiveness through Christ Jesus.
This should cause us to reflect: why do I give offerings to the Church or help those in need? Is it out of thanksgiving? Or is it because I want to be praised, or because I want the satisfaction of feeling generous, which is idolatry? Unfortunately, as Christians our motives are always mixed. As our minds are renewed through faith, we desire to return thanks to God. But, as we are still sinners in the flesh, we want men’s praise and we want to feel good about ourselves. Because of this, it was necessary that God selflessly give His only begotten Son to redeem us from sin.
We are not Christians because we are generous. We are generous because we are Christians, for God was generous toward us first.
Prayer: Let Thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of Thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please Thee; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
