Dear Friends of our Pastorate,
This weekend, we celebrate the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our readings remind us once again of our need to have faith and trust in God. The first reading is the encounter of Elijah the prophet and the widow of Zarephath (1 Kgs 17:10-16). This encounter occurs in the midst of severe drought, and she has come to the end of her supplies. Elijah asks her for a cup of water and a bit of bread, which she gives him (the importance of hospitality to a stranger) even though she does not have any to spare. Yet Elijah tells her not to be afraid, because the Lord will bless her and her son with all they need until the drought ends. And she trusts in his words.
Our Gospel today also has an account of a poor widow who places two small coins into the treasury while the rich around her are putting in large sums of money (Mk 12:41-44). Jesus, however, isn’t impressed with the action of the rich. He is more moved by the faith and trust of the widow, who he says is contributing from her poverty while the rich contribute from their excess. She is giving her last two cents, not knowing where her next two cents will come from, which demonstrates her faith that the Lord will take care of her, even in her poverty.
How strong is your faith and trust in the Lord? Would you be willing to share your last cup of water or last piece of bread with a stranger in need, who tells you the Lord will reward you for your kindness, or would you be afraid to part with them because of not knowing when you will have food and water again? This is not a problem that most of us have in our daily lives, but we know there are people within our community (and certainly in our world) who do not know where their next meal is coming from. What do we do to help them?
In Matthew’s Gospel, one of the last teachings that Jesus gives us is a passage called “The Judgment of the Nations” where the Lord separates the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). Those who have practiced what the Church calls the Corporal Works of Mercy are separated from everyone else and are welcomed into the kingdom of heaven. This really does embody the call of discipleship for each and every one of us. We are asked to have faith and trust in the Lord and are challenged to demonstrate this by sharing our blessings with others. During the next couple of weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I would ask of us to reflect upon how we can live out more fully and completely the Corporal Works of Mercy, based on our faith and trust in Jesus our Lord.
Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of the Visitation—St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—in your daily prayers!
God Bless,
Father Steve
