Here is a parable about an Indian peasant.
'I had gone a- begging from door to door in the village when a golden chariot appeared in the distance like a gorgeous dream. I wondered who can this ‘King among Kings’ be. My hopes rose high that my days as a pauper were at an end. With hands outstretched, I stood there waiting for alms to be given unasked and for wealth to be scattered on all sides around me. The chariot stopped where I stood. I felt that the luck of my life had come at last. Then all of a sudden the King held out his right hand and said: 'What have you to give to me'? Oh what a kingly jest it was, to open his palm to a beggar to beg! I was confused and stood there undecided. Then from my sack I reluctantly took out the least little grain of corn and gave it to Him. But how great was my surprise when at the day's end I emptied my sack on the floor to find the least little grant of gold among the poor heap. I bitterly wept and wished I had the heart to give Him my all.'
Metaphorically speaking, when we open our satchel at the end of our life's journey, how much gold will we find there? Jesus says: 'the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back'. The poor widow gave to the Treasury everything she had to live on. If we, like her give generously with a good heart, then we will be amassing those metaphorical grains of gold. That's what Jesus meant when we he asked us to; 'lay up treasure in Heaven'.
The Scribes, mentioned in today's reading, gave a great deal more money than the poor widow but, unlike her, they still held on to the lion's share. They also made a big show of giving in order to impress people. We could say that they were 'giving with one hand and taking back with another'. Not so, the poor widow. She would have gone unnoticed by everyone in the crowd, except, of course, Jesus who can read our hearts and knows how much giving would have cost us. He's not taken in by grand gestures.
The story of the widow is not just about generous giving but also having the humility to receive. Jesus didn't run after the poor widow and tell her she couldn't afford what she gave. The king in the opening story stirred the heart of the beggar and allowed him to enter the world of sharing and not be forever on the receiving end.
Jean Vanier, the founder of the worldwide L'Arche community for the mentally disabled said: 'The important thing is not to stifle people with gifts but to give them a chance to return your love and enter the world of sharing.' A mentally disabled person, he says, 'feels they are giving you joy even when giving you something very little'.
We could take a leaf from their book. Coming across as self-sufficient and not wanting help from anyone is not what it’s about. Even Jesus Himself showed his neediness when, parched with thirst, he asked the Samaritan woman for a drink. When Veronica wiped his blood stained face he didn't push her away but felt indebted to her. Why can't we be like Him? He also dared to ask the small boy to part with his five loaves and two fish. We know the sequel.
The story of the widow's mite presents us with two questions; Have we the largesse of heart to give generously, without drawing attention to ourselves. Have we the unassuming nature not to rebuff the help of others but accept it with a grateful heart. If the answer is 'yes' to both, we have fulfilled our deepest human longing - to love and be loved and learnt how to give and receive.
