The most important double commandment of wholehearted love of God and of neighbor is doable to the extent that the believer is purified of self-centeredness and is willing to offer himself/herself no less. Jesus, in His integrity of life points out to us the discrepancy manifested in the egoism of some religious professionals and on the other hand the heroic example in unselfish giving by a widow (Mark 12:38-44).
Beware!
IF Jesus could gladly tell a scribe, who echoed His teaching on the greatest commandment, that He is not far from the kingdom of God, Jesus is also unerring in our first gospel scene in exposing the discordant behavior of many of the religious elite. Though these scribes clearly know the summons of the One God to Israel and the law of love of neighbor (Deuteronomy 6:4; Leviticus 19:18), they have not all taken them to heart, instead they have been carrying on in hypocrisy and pious pretensions. In fact, there are those whose ostentatious piety simply cloaks their exploitation of the vulnerable.
The contradiction is obvious when scribes as the experts of the law are driven not by the love of the law and the obedience to the law, but by the external perks connected with the law. Some continue to wear in public the long robe worn at prayer in the synagogue, to display that one is prayerful and be admired for it. There is addiction to treatments of deference and the enjoyment of privileges. Public acclaim is so vital, outward displays are deemed essential; the ego feeds on adulation. Alas, self-love has substituted for the love of God and has replaced the love of neighbor. The neighbor, the needy widows praying for help, is exploited in the name of religion. Severe condemnation follows such a scheming contradiction to God who is “Father of orphans and protector of widows” (Psalm 68:5).
Total giving
IN the second gospel scene, Jesus, sitting opposite the temple treasury, indicates His critical position on the entire money-business pervading the area. The sound of money rolling down the trumpet-shaped containers for the donations for the temple upkeep must have been clearly announcing the generosity of donors. It is a public affair where large sums make an unmistakable sound and are intended to be noted, while the smallest coin like the two dropped in by the poor widow hardly make a noise and is barely noticed. Jesus was not evaluating the amount of the contributions, but the source of the offerings.
Jesus is not concerned with the rich donors, who give to the temple out of their surplus and give what they do not need. The rich take care of themselves and are not exploited like the little ones. Jesus is struck by the genuine generosity of the poor widow who donated the little that she had, giving what she herself needed. Reaching deep into herself, she stripped herself of her material hold in life, and out of her poverty she put in everything she had. The widow’s unselfish giving indicates absolute trust in God. Unlike those who display what good they do in order to reap acclaim, the widow in her true generosity did not look for recognition and reward, as she simply carried out her responsibility and placed the rest in the hands of God.
Alálaong bagá, if Jesus is the way to enter the kingdom of God, it is because His life is the kind of life that truly means communion of life and love with God. It is a life of absolute love of God to whom He offered Himself totally. It is a life of self-emptying as He gave himself up in expiation for our sins and for our benefits. And he now stands before God as our mediator, interceding for all and bringing salvation to those who believe in Him. Jesus is truly the ultimate example of unselfish love and generosity who has set a standard we need to imitate.
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