What lesson are we to take away from the Gospel story of the widow’s mite? It is not about the virtue of generosity, after all, the widow receives no reward for her sacrifice of “all she had.” Jesus does not speak to her or directly praise her.
What Jesus does, is notice her. All the wealthy people that came before her pass by without a comment from the Lord. His words of warning about rich hypocrites who devour the houses of widows, still hang in the air.
A widow in Jesus’ day was truly a non-person. No one cared for her or protected her.
But as everyone else overlooks the widow, Jesus notices her. He notices her act of fidelity, kindness, and generosity. He notices this small nondescript person whose actions make a difference in the world, and he points her out to His followers.
And that ultimately is what we are to learn from the story of this nameless widow. It is a lesson that is still relevant two thousand years later. Jesus notices us. Even though we are not the celebrities of this world, even though we are not the “movers and shakers” or the rich and powerful, God notices us.
Our small deeds, however mean and humble they may be, are noticed and remembered and cherished by our God. Even a cup of water given in His name, is remembered, and the giver shall not lose his reward.
We count.
What we do counts.
And God notices.
Pax Vobiscum
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time