Does religion make people good, or is it because people are goof that religion can exist?

In the Gospel today, people in the forefront of religious practices don’t give a very good example of goodness, while someone less learned in religion gives of herself totally.

Widows are a bible favourite. Three of the Bible’s books bear women’s names – Ester, Judith, and Ruth, two of whom are widows. Widows were looked upon as more powerless and unprotected than others, having to stretch and save their recourses carefully.

In today’s story of a poor widow, we don’t even know her name. She sat in one of the temple courts where there were many collection boxes and as with Churches in some parts of the world today, each box was labelled for a different need: “For incense”, “For Doves”, “For building maintenance” and so forth. The widow had little to give, but she put in two small coins. She gave quietly, from a loving heart.

The widow could have made a good case for not being able to contribute anything at all. Or she could have put in one of the coins and kept the other. But true giving must have sacrifice connected with it – even a certain courageous recklessness.

The worth of an offering is in terms of the amount of self-giving involved. Too often the rich expect to be celebrated and commemorated for their giving. The poor, when they let their hearts be touched and share what little they have, often expect nothing in return.

This widow’s faith meant a great deal to her, she was not casual about it, and her commitment to it called forth a generosity of spirit. Jesus said that she put in more than all the other contributions.

True religion can inspire new heights and depths and breaths of such aspects of goodness as generosity, altruism, and compassion, as the widow Jesus observed in the temple. Certainly the true practice of religion helps further motivate good people to best practice love’s self-giving.

Constant with our religion, lets face our difficulties – at work, within our family, and in our community, – with religious faith, courage, and generosity. Let’s try be a giver rather than a taker; to help and not to hinder; to build up and not to tear down; to encourage and not to criticise; to be thoughtful and kind, a ready listener to the troubles of others, and motivated by the genuine caring taught and exemplified by the good Lord of our religion.

Fr Andrew