Reflection on the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Listening to the Gospel for today I imagine a tiny, bent-over, old woman shuffling up to the treasury box and dropping in two small coins from her meager funds. I wonder who looks after her. Is it a son or brother? I assume, falsely as it turns out, that all women in the time of Jesus had some male to protect them.

The other widow in the first reading was alone with only her young son and a depleted flour and oil supply. She was able to trust Elijah enough to give him the last of her bit of her food. Trust – that is what is striking about both widows. They are able to trust that as Julian of Norwich would say, “All will be well.” 

My curiosity about widows in the time of Jesus was peaked, and I came across a chapter from a book entitled “Women in the New Testament World,” which had an excellent article on widows. I was surprised to learn that, under both Roman and Jewish rule, women at that time controlled one-third of the finances. They could inherit from their husbands, fathers or mothers. They ran their households and properties without male input. They held civic positions in the government. It explains the reference to the women who supported Jesus and his disciples and later, those who had home churches and assisted Paul in his work, providing strong leadership in building a community of believers.

But not all widows were so lucky. Many had nothing to fall back on when their husbands died. The sacrifice of even two small coins was significant in the lives of poor women. From the Acts of the Apostles we learned that the first deacons were appointed to look after the widows. All women seemed to play an important part in the infant Christian community whether they were rich or poor.

All of this led me to think about widows in today’s world, especially in Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen and in Gaza. In Ukraine, some widows live in exile, away from the conflict in friendly countries and have a decent place in which to live. I imagine that they might have a little more security and resources to fall back on, though some may be without help of any kind. Even if they had property to return to when the fighting is over, they might find only a pile of rubble. Are they able to trust that “all will be well?”

In Sudan, Yemen and other similar situations, there are many widows whose husbands have been kidnapped or killed. These women have often been subject to rape and other form of violence. Their countries are in drought, and they have no food and no means to grow or buy food. They are totally dependent on the charity of others who are in the same straights. They watch their children starving to death day by day. No one seems to care; there is no great humanitarian outreach, and despair hangs over them like a heavy thunder cloud. They have become disposable objects tossed aside like rubbish. Are they able to trust that “all will be well?”

Finally, we turn to Gaza. Constant fear of when the next bomb will fall. No home, no food, no place to go, no help from friends who are in the same situation. I visualize women who have lost husbands, children, siblings or parents and are devastated. All the people they have loved and depended on are gone. There is no future to look forward to – no way to heal and move on. What does that feel like for them? No homes to return to, no jobs, only more and more destruction.  Is there any reason to hope? Does anyone care? Are they able to trust that “all will be well?”

All of this is a very depressing picture, and you have to wonder if any good can rise up out of these ashes. Is our God listening to the cries of the people? I continue to believe that God is right there in the midst of it all suffering with those who suffer. It is a real test of their faith and ours. Do we really believe that God is with us every step of the way, in every moment of suffering and every moment of joy and happiness? God is not the source of this evil. Human beings are the responsible agents. This cannot be what God wants for the planet. This is not how Jesus taught us to live. Only if the situation challenges the rest of us to work harder at building the kingdom of God on earth does it achieve any good. Can we trust in God’s plan as much as that little bent-over widow putting her two little coins in the treasury? Can we really believe that the Divine is truly entangled in our lives and living within us? Do we believe that God suffers when we suffer? Are we able to trust that, not in our lifetime, but in the future, the far distant future that Teilhard de Chardin describes, the kingdom of God will thrive and finally, “all will be well!”