Scripture Study for
Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Kings 17:10–16 / Psalm 146:1b / Hebrews 9:24–28 / Mark 12:38–44 or 12:41–44
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Understanding the Word
By Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.
The woman in the first reading is in a perilous situation. As a widow in a patriarchal society, she has no male protector and very few resources to call upon. She is in such dire straits because God withheld the rain, and her reserve of water and flour and oil is depleted. The prophet’s request is not selfishly insensitive. Rather, it becomes the avenue through which God provides for the woman and her son. She follows the word of the prophet, and God’s word spoken through the prophet comes to pass. Her miraculous supply of flour and oil lasts for a year.
The second reading contrasts the temple in Jerusalem with the heavenly temple. While the high priests performed their sacrificial duties in the earthly temple, the exalted Jesus entered the true sanctuary. The former cultic system enabled the people to participate in cosmic events by reenacting them. However, it was only able to actualize these events for a short period of time. This explains why the Day of Atonement ritual was reenacted year after year. In contrast to this, Jesus offered himself once for all. His sacrifice, like all cosmic acts, was unrepeatable. Earthly ritual may reenact his sacrifice, but there is no need for Jesus himself to repeat it.
Jesus condemned the ostentatious piety of the scribes. He further accused them of exploiting widows. This condemnation was called down on them because they had deprived the widows in the name of religion. Sitting in the temple, Jesus then contrasted donations of the wealthy with that of a poor woman. The wealthy loudly donated from their surplus; they gave what they did not need. The woman quietly donated the little that she had; she gave what she needed. Her wholehearted generosity demonstrated her absolute trust in God. The passage that opened with a condemnation of the false piety of the unscrupulous closes with praise of the genuine piety of the simple.