As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
The parable of the widow’s mite is one that we often hear in connection to tithing, inviting us to give not just from our surplus but from a place that involves some sacrifice. This idea, though, of giving the “first fruits” to God is not just related to monetary gifts. God wants a relationship with us, and wants that relationship to be a priority. Do we treat it as such, or is it something we think about in the few spare minutes of our week?
Are we truly giving our best to our relationship with God, or is it something of an afterthought?
Do we set aside time for prayer, or do we squeeze it in for 30 seconds between eating breakfast and brushing our teeth?
Are we spending time with people who invite us closer to God?
How can you prioritize God just as the widow did?
—The Jesuit prayer team
Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous;
teach me to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to seek reward,
except that of knowing that I do your will.
—St. Ignatius Loyola
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Ignatian spirituality reminds us that God pursues us in the routines of our home and work life, and in the hopes and fears of life's challenges. The founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, created the Spiritual Exercises to deepen our relationship with Christ and to move our contemplation into service. May this prayer site anchor your day and strengthen your resolve to remember what truly matters.
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