God Knows Our Needs and How to Meet Them

11-07-2021Weekly ReflectionFr. Arul Doss

Dear People of God,

Good morning to you all. On this 32nd Sunday of ordinary time, the readings speak about God’s generosity and our trust in Divine Providence of God.

In our First Reading, the prophet Elijah encounters a widow during a terrible famine. She is preparing to make one last meal for herself and her son before their supply of food runs out. Elijah, acting as God’s messenger, tells her not to be afraid and asks her to give him something to eat before preparing a meal for herself and her son.

In an extraordinary act of trust — and heroic hospitality — she agrees to Elijah’s request! Again, speaking as God’s own messenger, Elijah assures her of God’s special provision for her, telling her that her “jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.” Sure enough, the widow and her son were able to eat for a year, just as God promised.

The second reading also highlights Christ’s generosity. With trust in His Father, He generously offered himself as “a holy and living sacrifice” (Rom 12:1). What he offered or lost generously through his suffering and death, He victoriously gained through his Resurrection and Ascension. This was God’s supreme reward to Christ for His supreme generosity.

In the Gospel, Jesus observes the crowd as they make their offerings to the synagogue treasury. He sees the wealthy people putting in large sums, while a poor widow contributes only two small coins. Seizing on this teachable moment, Jesus calls His disciples to Himself and tells them that according to His calculations, it is the widow who has made the most pleasing offering. Unlike the rich, who gave a portion of their surplus, the widow gave all she had, “her whole livelihood.”

In short, first lesson from today's readings is to be generous and the second one is to trust in the Divine Providence of God. Finally, as our great provider (Gen 22:14), “God is ready to supply all our needs according to his riches in glory, through Christ” (Phil 4, 19). He knows our needs and how to meet them. All we need to do is, to trust in his Divine Providence. So, let us ask Christ to grant us a very generous heart, so that we can sow generously because: “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7).

Have a Happy and Joyful Sunday!

Yours in Jesus Christ,
Fr. Doss

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