Praying at the Wailing Wall
Mark 12:38-44
It looks like we are finally coming out of the darkness! Lights are turning on; businesses are opening! Definitely more cars on the street (not sure if that is a good thing or not)! Dining out, going to the movies, morning coffee at the Perk, even a date night looks promising!
But let’s not forget about all that we have endured to get to this point. All those months of making do with what we have, limiting our trips to the store and our contact with others! But, to be truthful, we really had a lot of time on our hands, time to think about what I have, what I want and what I really need. It’s been an opportunity to consider what’s really important in our lives and what things we can just discard.
Besides all the house-cleaning top to bottom and the sorting out of all the stuff we have accumulated over the years, it has been a time to really appreciate all we have and to realize how little we really need. It has been a time to recognize and contribute to those organizations that really help the poor, the homeless, the hungry, the disenfranchised, the belittled and the ignored.
Today’s Gospel has the familiar story of the poor woman praying in the Temple who gives what little she has back to God. What’s important to her is not what she doesn’t have but what she does! What matters to her is giving back to God in thanks for the simple gift of life. She sees that her real wealth lies in her capacity to love, to express her gratitude to God through generosity to others.
God, in His infinite love, gave each of us the gift of life! Every day we have the chance to express our thanks, our love. How do you plan to thank God today? How do you plan to use this gift of life?
Great Spirit, help me to see the world and its people through Your eyes!
If you find these Gospel reflections helpful, I invite you to visit my new blog “Gospel Reflections for Pandemic Times” to access today’s homily and those from the past.