Most Reverend Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM Conv DD STL, Bishop of Parramatta
Homily for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Readings: 1 Kings 17:10-16; Hebrews 9:24-28; Gospel: Mark 12:38-44.
Acting out God’s kinship with the most expendable among us
Dear friends,
On Wednesday morning, we Australians woke up to the news that a new president had been elected in America. It was one of the most divisive elections and there is little doubt that the polarisation will have a ripple effect to the rest of the world. We are not the USA. Nevertheless, we are all connected, and so what happens there impacts us here and everywhere else.
But our work for a better society and a better world continues beyond immediate political cycles and short-term profits. As the people of the Gospel, we need to keep the faith, foster hope and sustain resilience. We need to muster our collective courage to secure a viable future for ourselves and our children. It is time for us to think and act with the interest of future generations in mind. It is time for a new attitude, a new mind, a paradigm shift if you will, so that we can consciously move into a new future of hope and long-term security for all of God’s children and creation.
The Word of God this Sunday calls us to act not out of fear but with vulnerable trust when we face hardship and adversity. A faith-filled disciple is one who is not controlled by fear and self-interest but guided by divine generosity and fidelity. He or she is called to move from self-centred and survival-oriented behaviour into a generous self-giving mode of living that Christ exemplified.
In the first reading, we hear an inspiring story of generosity and vulnerable trust from the Book of Kings. Elijah was on his way to confront 400 false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. It was the most challenging mission and Elijah soon learned that the way to fulfill that mission was not to rely on his devices but on the power of faith. He had been fed by the ravens in the wilderness. But here in a foreign land and during a death-dealing famine, he met a destitute but incredibly generous widow. She gave him the only meal that she and her son depended on for their own survival after Elijah had reassured her that her jar of meal and jug of oil would not fail.
We find the echo of this story throughout the Bible. For instance, in St Mark’s story of the loaves and fishes, the little boy was the unlikely character of trust and generosity. It was his deep faith that was the catalyst for divine blessings and possibilities. His surrender to Jesus made it possible for the miraculous feeding of the multitude. The point of these stories is that people who act with vulnerable trust in the face of evidence to the contrary can bring about the transformation beyond their limited capacity. God shows his power through our small but generous acts of love, compassion and solidarity. In modern times, such acts as those of Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, Mary McKillop, Oscar Romero catalysed humanity to a new and higher level of being together. More often than not, the abundance of God is made possible through the generosity of the poor rather than the narrow channel of the rich and the privileged.
We can see the proof of this through the Gospel story today. Jesus points out to us something that is beyond the naked eye. It is the widow’s mite that counts in God’s sight more than the riches of the rich. For the latter has given from his superfluous wealth whereas the former has given all that she depended on. She has surrendered everything into God’s hand. In this way, she is at the mercy and providence of God. Jesus commends the widow’s generosity and vulnerable trust. As he often does, he turns human convention on its head. In God’s scheme of things, it is not how much one gives but how vulnerable one is willing to be.
Brothers and sisters,
Today, we celebrate Prison Sunday in Australia. We remember the prisoners who despite their past have an inherent dignity. May they always maintain resilience and hope in the face of adversity. We stand with those who work in the prison system, including the courts, the police, the officials and in particular the chaplains. Many of the latter are Catholic who endeavour to care for the inmates with the love and compassion of Christ. Like the widow, they give without counting the cost. Their ministry starts from the standpoint of humility, not from superiority. It is the gift of Chaplains and Pastoral Workers in our prisons to be with the prisoners, to listen without judgment, to be our companion on the journey and to care with Christian compassion.
In his simple act of noticing the widow’s generosity, Jesus does much more than encouraging us to fulfil our religious duties. He points out the chasm between people who are marked expendable and those who exploit them. He challenges us to address their dehumanisation in the way that God is the defender of the poor and protector of the vulnerable. Let us pray we may continue Jesus’ messianic mission of sharing the Good News to the poor and that we can be an alternative community that welcomes, protects and cares for the most expendable among us.
