Salt and light: on the one hand that is what we are as Christians. On the other hand, we must willingly be that for the world. If we live with faith, hope and love we are salt and light for the world. If we do not, we place that light under a basket, and the salt loses its savor. The widow in today’s first reading is prepared to die and have her last act on earth be charity towards Elijah the prophet. She had planned to use the last of her resources on the bread she and her son would share before they would die of starvation. The man of God asks her to offer him a little cake first, with no promises attached. Give to God first, then see to your own plans for survival. The Lord has created us, He holds our lives in His Hands. If the time has come for our departure from this world, why would we refuse the obedience of charity?
Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
AMBROSE:
Great is the virtue of fasting; in short so splendid is the warfare that it delighted even Christ to fast; and so mighty that it raised people to heaven. And, that we may use human rather than divine examples, a word sent from the fasting mouth of Elijah closed heaven to the sacrilegious people of the Jews. For when an altar had been set up to an idol by Ahab, at the word of the prophet for three years and six months dewy rain did not fall on the earth. A worthy punishment fittingly to check insolence, that heaven should be closed to the impious who had polluted the things of earth! It was also right that a prophet, for the condemnation of a sacrilegious king, was sent to a widow in Zarephath of Sidonia, who, since she preferred piety to food, merited that she alone should not feel the distress of the general drought. And so the “urn of barley meal did not fail” when the water of the torrent failed. Why should I present the rest of this history? While fasting he raised the widow’s son from the dead, while fasting he brought down rain at his word, while fasting he drew down fire from heaven, while fasting he was snatched in a chariot to heaven, and by a fast of forty days he gained the presence of God. Then finally, he deserved more when he fasted more. With fasting mouth he caused the waters of the Jordan to stand, and with dusty footsteps he passed over the channel of the overflowing stream suddenly become dry. The divine will judged him to be just and worthy of heaven, so that with his very body he was snatched up, since he lived the heavenly life in the body and exemplified on earth the manner of living above.
Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
We are tempted to consider the value of the widow’s contribution based on strictly economic proportions. An important lesson here is that God does not care how much humans value money. The varying degrees of material wealth do not determine the stature of a man or a woman in the eyes of God. God sees money very differently than we do – we should try to gain God’s perspective on money and on giving so that we may become wise. If the intention of the giver is selfless, that is the true worth as God sees it. One can give a large amount greedily, selfishly, and begrudgingly. This giving is not worth much in God’s eyes. God, as it says in the scripture, “Loves a cheerful giver.” The everything that the widow put into her gift was not two pennies – she could very well have contributed those two pennies saying to herself, “well, it isn’t that much to lose anyway.” God wasn’t even pleased by the fact that this was the last of her material wealth. God is pleased that she disregards the selfish human importance placed on material wealth – He is pleased that she is ready to be dispensed with it for the sake of God and her neighbor.