[stephenkhoo]

GIVING WITHOUT RESERVE TO THE REIGN OF GOD

SCRIPTURE READINGS: DN 1:1-6, 8-20; LK 21:1-4

The story of the widow’s mite in today’s gospel has often been narrowly interpreted as Jesus’ exhortation to be generous, especially with God, down to the last mite we have. However if we were to read the story in Luke’s gospel within context, we will find that this is not the main message of Luke. Rather, in placing today’s gospel within the context of the resurrection dispute and the signs of the coming of the Kingdom, he wants us to see the widow’s mite as an exhortation to give of ourselves without reserve to the extension of the Kingdom of God. This is even more so for the widow was giving her last mite to the Temple, which is the symbol of God’s presence, the heavenly Jerusalem and the heavenly Kingdom.

Without a doubt, such an interpretation would be in line with the evangelist’s favourite theme of poverty which once again is to be seen in the light of the Kingdom. For Luke, poverty is not simply material poverty but the poverty of spirit, that is, total dependence and reliance on the power of God. This he illustrates through the example of Mary particularly. But in various ways, especially in the calling of the disciples, Luke would underscore that they would leave everything immediately, even their parents and relatives, to follow Jesus.

Consequently, discipleship and ministry require that we are ready to leave our nets behind and follow Jesus. To leave our nets behind means more than simply leaving our wealth or loved ones behind because the fact is that as we go along, we will begin to collect new wealth and new loved ones. Abandoning our nets is to be totally detached and to rely only on the power and love of the Lord Jesus and no one else and nothing else, especially not on oneself and one’s ingenuity.

There is a story of a young man who decided to renounce the world and become a monk. It was great news for the village, and every one turned out to bid him farewell. Some had tears in their eyes because he was much loved for his cheerfulness and service. He was going to be sorely missed, and in all probability he would never return home.
The village band was in full swing, and they played gaily as they accompanied the lad, with the young and the old, slowly making their way to the river that served as the boundary of the village. On the banks of the river, there were more floral tributes and a string of speeches by the elders and the prominent people of the village. Finally, the youth got into the boat, and rowed away as the band continued to play and the people shouted with joy. When he reached the other shore, he got off the boat, waved once more to the villagers and then began his long trek across the fields and up the mountain.

He was made to wait at the gates of the monastery till the Master, who was informed of his arrival came personally to welcome him. “I’m glad you are here,” said the Master. “However, in this monastery, you can only come in alone.” The young man looked around him in astonishment. “But I am alone,” he said, confused.

The Master looked kindly at him and said softly, “I didn’t look around you. I looked inside you. I see a crowd there – your family, friends, relatives, and the people of the village; I hear the village band, the showers of adulation, and shouts of revelry. Only when you leave them, leave everything, outside, can you enter. I do not deal with crowds or noise; I deal with individuals in the silence of their hearts.”

The young man closed his eyes in reverence, and let the words of the Master sink in. But he found his mind clouded with the faces and voices … and he understood. He bowed deeply, and walked slowly to where the pilgrims left their footwear. He squatted in a corner with his head bent down. That’s where the Master left him. The aspirant spent most of the day dusting the shoes and sandals left there by pilgrims who visited the monastery. He spent the rest of the time by himself in meditation. He eventually forgot his village, his family, his farewell.

One day, the Master came by and finding him alone, offered him a hand and took him into the inner chambers of the monastery, to a new family, and with the freedom to commune with the Other (from “Persons Are Gifts”, by Hedwig Lewis, SJ).

Indeed, this is also the problem and a real challenge for each one of us. Even in ministry, we do not trust in God or in His divine providence. The root of the problem is that we lack faith in God. In other words, we do not believe that the Lord will look after us and protect us. Material things and our temporal needs are not our concerns, but His. We only need to give ourselves completely to Him and He will look after us, and provide us with much more than we need or can imagine.

Yes, today’s scripture readings want us to realize that the work of the Kingdom is not achieved through human means and reckoning, but by the power of God. Unless we surrender ourselves to him, He cannot use us mightily and manifest His Lordship. This is because the power of the ministry cannot come from the power of man but the power of God. Our role is to cooperate with His grace. To the extent we are available to the Lord through faith in His Lordship, to that extent His power, grace and divine providence will enable us to be effective in our ministry. However, when we decide to find success in our ministry through human effort and hard work alone, we are doomed to fail because even if we are successful, we will become proud of ourselves. If that is the case, people will not find faith to surrender themselves to the Lord but will rely only on their efforts.

Thus, we cannot underscore once again the importance of living the spirit of poverty, that is, to be living from the hands of God. We should not be too calculative especially with respect to our material needs and personal success. To have a spirit of poverty is to live our lives and especially our ministry in such a way that everything is dependent on the Lord. On our part, we simply do our best and respond to the situations as well as could. Once having done our best, we must leave the results to the Lord and not manipulate the results in our favour. If the Lord wills us to be successful, praise the Lord for this. If He wills us to fail, we too must praise the Lord for He has a reason for everything. What is important is that we remain faithful to His holy will and are doing what He wants us to do.

Indeed, this is also what I experience in my ministry. Often, I feel helpless and inadequate but time and time again, the Lord comes to my help to get the things done, and done well. I know in all sincerity that the work I do is not based on my own strength for without His help, I would not have been able to do so much. That is why my busy schedule has revealed to me the power of God, especially when I surrender my ministry to Him and not rely on my own strength. Yes, St Paul himself experienced this when he said that it is only when one is weak that one is strong.

Today, the first reading gives us the story of Daniel and his friends. He is the exemplar of trust and confidence in the Lord. In spite of the possibility of being put to death, yet in his sincerity in wanting to be faithful to the Laws and by trusting in God, an understanding steward was placed in charge of them. Furthermore, God ensured that they were growing well even though they did not take the food and wine from the royal table. More than that, God blessed them with talents, especially knowledge, wisdom and divine interpretation. Truly God cannot be outdone in generosity. If we are willing to give ourselves to the service of God and His kingdom, He will surely look after us and empower us to do even much more than we can imagine. Success is the Lord’s responsibility, not ours. We only have to be faithful and trust in Him.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh